The global challenge in the field of energy is increasing. Prices on traditional fossil energy are increasing and governments are constantly looking for alternatives with a sustainable profile.
This puts wind on the agenda as an energy source that is an operational alternative, and it demands for wind energy to become competitive compared with other energy sources, renewables as well as fossils. kk-electronic has met this challenge by developing a 6th sense wind turbine platform.
In a Danish wind turbine park up in the Northern part of Jutland the blades of one of the wind turbines are continuously sweeping through the air. The blades’ movement seems to continue endlessly while covering an enormous area, but at the same time it has a calming effect. Once in a while you get a glimpse of how they are pitching a little, acting on the control system’s demands. The wind turbine is kk-electronic’s newest investment, and underlines the company’s emphasis on renewable energy sources, but just as much it is an investment in a high quality wind turbine for testing the company’s new wind turbine platform. The platform meets several needs of a wind turbine operation, and allows for an interaction in the data collection that gives the wind turbine a 6th sense.
Cost of Energy reduction
The target of wind turbine manufacturers and energy companies is a reduction of Cost of Energy (CoE) with up to 30% within the next years, which means that this is the same focus for kk-electronic and their next generation of wind turbine platform.
The new development from kk-electronic with CoE reducing elements is a platform that covers and connects the wind turbine’s different systems. It is a complete infrastructure of data, gathered and analysed to continuously improve the wind turbine’s output. It is developed as an open platform in which you collaborate in one language on optimizing the wind turbine and its operations.
Henrik Simonsen, Technology Director at kk-electronic, states:
”C is not just a control for a wind turbine. It is a total infrastructure or coherent tool box, that provides the tools necessary for optimizing a single wind turbine or a whole park. In its complete form it has the features of measurement, analysis, development and implementation. In one platform it is a control system, a measurement system, a data collecting system, an analysis system, a development system, a simulation system and a test and roll out system, all of it connected and ready for use. The platform has given kk-electronic an insight into a long row of improvement possibilities in the field of Cost of Energy.”
The C platform is a turning point of analysis and learning, and a turning point of development and direct implementation. It short-cuts and automates a row of work processes in the optimization of wind turbines. The interconnection platform provides 6th sense abilities. It will predict the optimal next steps of the wind turbine, and in this way avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the mechanical construction. All data will control the wind turbine in an optimising manner and finally provide the ability to reduce the Cost of Energy by means of eg. less material consumption.
Hardware features
Physically the platform “C” consists of a row of dedicated wind turbine modules that measure and control all elements in a wind turbine, of which the most important are pitch, structure, converter and grid modules. Furthermore each wind turbine contains a data and information server, which via a network is connected to a park server, and further up to an enterprise server, functioning as a work station for the development team.
Software features
The platform software development, changing algorithms, is based on mathematical models of the wind turbine, and regulation and control algorithms written in mathematical equations. This means that these are tools directly accessible for any type of engineer, and with direct interface to aeroelastic design programs. Furthermore the system allows for the customer to integrate own software applications.
Human aspect of “C”
As a platform it is interconnecting people and functions of the company, its management, its developers, its supervisory personnel and its service and maintenance people.
In kk-electronic’s wind turbine in Jutland the platform is collecting and analyzing the data, while controlling, optimizing, measuring and surveilling the operation of the wind turbine. Now, three months after commissioning, the control system performs outstanding, running with a daily availability higher than 98%, and the wind turbine continuously produces more energy than the amount consumed by kk-electronic.
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Offshore WIND staff, April 17, 2012; Image: goandc