ONYX InSight and Castrol create study for wind industry oil sensors

With the objective to bring the most innovative and advanced predictive maintenance solution to the wind industry market, ONYX InSight and Castrol have completed laboratory testing to measure the effectiveness of sensors to the changing conditions of oil in a simulated wind turbine environment. The tests were carried out using a range of oil sensor technologies, with each sensor type tested in multiple oils from three separate vendors to ensure comprehensive results.

The second phase is in progress and has seen a rigorous programme of oil sensor installations in a commercial wind farm. Data from the field shows excellent correlation between oil sensor and vibration condition monitoring system (CMS) outputs relating to a developing gearbox bearing failure. This gives operators even more confidence in the detection algorithm. The trials are helping ONYX InSight and Castrol refine new approaches for an advanced, integrated CMS by combining data from oil condition, vibration sensors and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.

The study comes in response to the industry's need to increase efficiencies to help lower the levelised cost of energy. The businesses believe that combining oil data with vibration data offers significant diagnostic advantages that improve maintenance planning across a turbine or fleet when deployed together with machine learning and engineering expertise.

The study comes as ONYX InSight prepares to launch the first in a series of digitalisation reports, which incorporates key findings from the combined oil sensor study along with additional research, to help companies rationalise the volume of data in the wind industry to help unlock the benefits of digitalisation.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/05022020/onyx-insight-and-catrol-create-study-for-wind-industry-oil-sensors/