FFG Project 818098
Model based unbalance identification in wind turbines

Imbalanced rotors of wind turbines can lead to significant damage of important turbine parts and early abrasion. Up till now imbalances can only be determined on-site by performing expensive measurements. The project aims at the automatic detection of rotor imbalances using vibration measurements in the turbines nacelle. Here we have to distinguish between aerodynamic and mass induced imbalances.
We will develop algorithms to separate aerodynamic and mass imbalances and therefore can compute the accurate balancing weights. The result is an analyzing tool that can determine the imbalance situation in a wind turbine of arbitrary type and recommend the necessary action to improve the situation. The tool should be included in a condition monitoring system (CMS) for permanent imbalance control. The project is funded by the Austrian Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG) and the business partners.

Illustration of an mass unbalance at the blade of a wind turbine - balancing
(vibration amplitudes scaled)