Converter monitoring technology up and running

“We are very content to verify that signals from the detection system can be obtained as planned,” says Kristian Gadgaard, Manager of Projects & Engineering at KK Wind Solutions, who is heading the project.

Power electronics converters are known to be a major contributor to down time for wind turbines. However, with KK Wind Solutions’ new technology, the converter monitoring unit (CMU), the wind industry faces new opportunities for obtaining high predictability on emerging failures; the CMU enables a higher degree of condition-based maintenance instead of corrective maintenance, which will lower the operational expenses. This is especially important within offshore operation, where unscheduled turbine maintenance represents a critical matter with its complicated logistics and limited weather windows. 

The CMU technology opens new possibilities for significantly reducing maintenance costs related to converter failures in wind turbines, thus it will be able to contribute to lowering Cost-of-Energy on wind power for the future.

Facts
The CMU is developed by KK Wind Solutions in cooperation with Aalborg University. A technology cooperation agreement between KK Wind Solutions, Aalborg University and DONG Wind Energy is going to ensure that the technology is brought successfully to the market.