Pioneering in Wind Energy

Measurement campaigns and field tests on wind turbines are challenging and versatile. Different parameters – not only electrical ones – but also mechanical and environmental parameters need to be measured synchronously for successful wind turbine testing. The DEWETRON solution introduces a synchronized and distributed data acquisition system which covers the demands for many different tests, including for instance the evaluation of the power performance according to IEC 61400-12-1 or the analysis of noise emission of wind turbines according to IEC 61400-11. Moreover, DEWETRON supports electrical compliance tests to grid code according to IEC 61400-21-1. This includes analyses of the following data:

• Reactive power and power factor of wind turbines
• System reaction on simulated behavior (e.g., frequency changes, sudden blackouts, or fault ride-through)
• Harmonic load (analysis and monitoring)
• Flicker emission

Wind turbine testing – the application setup

The application requires two distributed and synchronized systems. First, there is a measurement system on the top of the wind turbine in the nacelle. Second, there is a system on the ground next to the transformer. Both systems consist out of the same high precision measurement components:

• DEWETRON’s portable DEWE3-A4 all-in-one chassis
• Three signal conditioning modules including TRION3-1810M-POWER, TRION3-1820-MULTI, and TRION-TIMING
• Measurement software OXYGEN including power option

Figure 1: The components of a DEWETRON measurement system: chassis, signal conditioning modules, and measurement software (other accessories optional)

Performing the measurements

In the air, the measurement system acquires a plurality of parameters including the voltage and current on the stator as well as vibration and movement. Moreover, the system receives data including wind direction, wind speed, outside temperature, and air pressure from the turbine controller via CAN, Ethernet, or Modbus. Likewise, the system collects voltage and current at the transformer, the noise emission of the wind turbine, and auxiliary signals from PLC on the ground.

There are several aspects, that make DEWETRON your ideal partner for wind turbine testing. In the following list, you can find some of the benefits, that sets our products apart from others:

• Synchronization via GPS & PTP (IEEE 1588)
  We enable synchronized acquisition of electrical data on the stator in the nacelle and at the common point of coupling on the ground.
• OXYGEN-NET
  This feature allows you remote configuration and control of the system in the nacelle via the ground DAQ system and data transfer from the nacelle to the ground. Moreover, it enables synchronized storage of all the acquired data in one file and redundant data storage in case of failure.
• Easy post-processing with measurement software OXYGEN
  You can simply analyze already synchronized data in the user-intuitive measurement software OXYGEN.
• Continuous long-term recording
  Your DEWETRON system acquires and stores raw data also for long-term recordings.
• Design and form factor
  The rugged system design and the small form factor guarantee comfortable and quick setup as well as application.
• Standards and existing infrastructure
  We use standards. Therefore, you can work with your existing LAN infrastructure for the data transfer from the nacelle to ground.

More about DEWETRON

DEWETRON is the manufacturer of high-precision test and measurement technology. Apart from wind turbine testing, DEWETRON serve customers working in various industries (e.g. aerospace, automotive, energy, and industrial). Thereby, DEWETRON offer our customers all-inclusive packages. This means they develop hardware with state-of-the-art technology which you can operate with OXYGEN – the most intuitive data acquisition and analysis software – developed by DEWETRON. Moreover, DEWETRON complement hard- and software with unsurpassed service and support. Simply, send us an email and request more information about DEWETRON solutions. You can also download our latest Power/Energy Solution Guide.