The UK has launched the “2030 National Wind Power” plan, aiming to power all households in the UK with offshore wind energy by 2030. According to data from the UK grid, one day in January saw wind farms generate 19,835 megawatts, enough to meet over half of England’s electricity demand, demonstrating the immense potential of wind power. Increasing investment in renewable energy is crucial for achieving the global goal of “net zero emissions” by 2050. Acteon’s Pulse Structural Monitoring has been commissioned to provide monitoring solutions for the selected wind turbine foundations in the new wind farm, utilizing numerous Beckhoff PC-based control products and EtherCAT measurement terminal modules throughout the design process.
According to Pulse, the UK is a world leader in offshore power, with installed capacity exceeding that of any other country. However, due to the harsh operating environment of offshore wind farms, continuous monitoring of the operational status of the entire wind turbine is required. By continuously monitoring the performance of wind turbines, blades, and foundation structures, data can support planned maintenance and design validation decisions, avoiding unexpected downtime or costly repairs due to failures.
Measurement Terminal Module Suitable for Harsh Environments
The environmental and operational loads on wind turbines affect all parts of the dynamic load structure. The role of the tower foundation is to support the load of the wind turbine generator (WTG), provide stability, and absorb additional loads. The structural health of the tower foundation is considered a crucial part of the overall performance and support of the wind turbine. The Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system for offshore wind turbine structures can monitor corrosion and dynamic fatigue stress of the turbine foundations. While corrosion monitoring is an important measurement parameter, its nature means it does not require high temporal resolution. In contrast, fatigue state and modal characteristic monitoring are among the most critical SHM technologies for wind turbine structures.
Pulse Structural Monitoring provides a foundational SHM system equipped with Beckhoff technology for clients in the global renewable energy industry. Pulse integrates sensors using various Beckhoff I/O terminal modules, ensuring timestamped data acquisition throughout the structure. For example, the ELM370x module used by Pulse is an EtherCAT analog input measurement terminal module. These ELM modules have high sensitivity and measurement capabilities, typically used in laboratories, but can also be integrated into industrial environments. This terminal module can measure over 30 different electrical signals and is highly flexible, suitable for various sensors. To accurately determine the structural integrity of the entire height of the structure and ensure the operational efficiency of the wind turbine, measurement points need to be arranged at four levels of the tower itself. This requires distributed I/O deployment to be close to the installation locations of accelerometers and full-bridge strain gauges. At the top of the tower, each level requires two ELM3704 modules to collect different signals, one for communication (EK1100 EtherCAT coupler) and one for power (PS1011 power supply). They are fully enclosed and magnetically attached to the tower wall at specified heights to obtain precise data for the entire tower.
In terms of temperature data acquisition, Pulse uses Beckhoff’s standard analog input RTD EtherCAT terminal module EL3202, which provides data that can run compensation algorithms. Pulse utilizes EtherCAT and its distributed clock function on its wind turbine foundations, indicating their commitment to achieving high-precision monitoring and thus achieving synchronized data. This synchronization is key to analyzing critical data about the overall structure, allowing for precise timing data collection from high-precision accelerometers, strain gauges, and temperature sensors deployed along the long edges of the structure, at the top of the tower, and at the single pile foundation.
Synchronized Data Communication
In terms of communication, Pulse has adopted Beckhoff’s EtherCAT fieldbus and deployed EtherCAT P technology, which enables power and communication through a single cable. EtherCAT P and EtherCAT/Ethernet power (ENP) help avoid common issues with powering sensors and distributed I/O at the top of the tower. The EtherCAT P and ENP systems allow for power and communication through a single cable, utilizing a daisy-chain topology for connecting the fieldbus throughout the structure. Pulse has even joined the EtherCAT Technology Group to develop their own subsea data management platform and EtherCAT-based INTEGRIpod-NX2 motion monitoring products.
“The most important asset in our industry is data,” explained Stephen Harford, Solutions Architect at Pulse Structural Monitoring. “The speed of EtherCAT is already very fast, which is essential for synchronizing and acquiring the data we need. Additionally, EtherCAT has distributed clocks at every level, allowing us to take further processing actions and maintain complete synchronization. With Beckhoff, we can always ensure the quality of the technology.”
Stephen Harford also emphasizes the importance of partnerships: “Beckhoff has gone above and beyond to help us control the tight schedule of the wind farm projects. They actively provide us with technical support at every stage, and when we are unable to meet project timelines due to time constraints, they immediately send someone to train us. Thus, we are very hopeful to continue collaborating with Beckhoff on other projects.”
Data Management via TwinCAT
A Beckhoff CX2062 embedded controller equipped with TwinCAT PLC (TC1200) and Windows 10 IoT is responsible for centrally collecting all data from the sensors. The choice of CX2062 is due to its flexibility in expanding memory, adding interfaces, and enhancing data processing capabilities, as it can run TwinCAT runtime software and the data management and processing applications developed by Pulse. Beckhoff provides an open free DLL, allowing access to all real-time data within the TwinCAT system via ADS. Pulse can analyze data using this open platform and also send data directly to the upper-level SCADA system, providing data support for further understanding the health of the wind turbines.
Beckhoff UK Product Manager Beth Ragdale explained: “The best part of this project is that we can utilize our previous experience in the renewable energy sector to provide Pulse with our expertise in this field. We also offer all products from standard I/O terminal modules to high-precision measurement modules, and by integrating power and communication into a single cable solution, we help Pulse simplify installation work. Therefore, we are very excited about future collaborations between both parties.”
For more information:
www.beckhoff.com.cn/wind
Control cabinet equipped with CX2000 embedded controller and direct-plug ELM series measurement terminal modules (center), CU8130 UPS (upper left), and PS2000 power supply (upper right)
