Ice accumulation on wind turbines has a relevant influence on operational management during the cold season. In addition to reduced yield due to altered aerodynamic properties, the safety of the turbine and its surroundings is a central issue.
For early and accurate detection of icing, eologix offers – also retrofittable – sensor systems based on wireless, flexible and energy-autonomous smart sensors measuring directly on the surface of the rotor blades.
Wireless and flexible smart sensors are powered by solar energy almost indefinitely. Each sensor measures the temperature with an accuracy of 0.25°C and indicates the icing condition in several discrete levels. The unique, patented design (flexible, less than 2 mm thick) allows the sensors to be mounted on almost any part of the rotor blade, as well as on other structures such as the nacelle or tower. The mounting is done by using a self-adhesive erosion protection foil.
The base station (one unit per installation) receives the data packages sent out by the sensors via radio. It is typically installed as a component in the nacelle, but can also be mounted in the spinner, in the tower base or on the ground. Several variants of communication interfaces (e.g. ModbusTCP, relay changeover contacts, GSM/3G, Ethernet, etc.) are available to integrate the data into plant control, SCADA systems or condition monitoring systems.
