Deployed in remote locations and subject to harsh ocean conditions, offshore wind turbines are difficult – and expensive – to maintain and keep in healthy condition. This paper by Othmane El Mountassir, an Electrical Project Engineer at ORE Catapult, addresses the main challenges surrounding current condition monitoring systems, and looks at the way forward. Current condition monitoring systems provide an assessment of some conditions experienced by turbines – temperature and vibration, for instance – but are hamstrung by variable environmental factors and the varying loads experienced. Current systems aim to identify substantial changes to the turbine’s normal operation, and their data can be used to determine whether and where failures are likely to develop. Even with this information, the offshore environment presents challenges that make repairing those failures difficult, so the development and implementation of more comprehensive remote condition monitoring, and power quality monitoring systems, is critical.
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