Satellite Clock Timestamping Wind Turbine Event Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for collecting event data in wind parks lack accurate time stamping, which is crucial for analyzing the chronological order of events across multiple wind turbines and the entire wind park, hindering fault diagnosis and troubleshooting.
Innovation Solution
The method involves distributing a first time signal from a satellite-based clock to nodes in each wind turbine, allowing for accurate timestamping of event data, and optionally using a central time server for lower precision timestamping, with the option to combine signals for enhanced accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If satellite-based clocks are installed in each wind turbine for accurate timestamping, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the wind park into autonomous segments (individual wind turbines), each equipped with its own satellite-based clock and time server. This segmentation allows each turbine to independently timestamp events with high precision without requiring centralized time synchronization infrastructure across the entire wind park, thus improving measurement precision while managing device complexity through modular deployment
Solution Approach 2:
A time server is introduced as an intermediary component that receives timing signals from satellite-based clocks and distributes synchronized time information to multiple nodes within each wind turbine. This intermediary layer simplifies the system architecture by centralizing time distribution functionality, reducing the complexity of direct peer-to-peer synchronization between numerous nodes while maintaining high timestamp accuracy
2Measurement precision
If multiple time synchronization methods are implemented (satellite-based and central time server), then measurement precision is improved through signal combination, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges two time synchronization approaches: satellite-based timing signals and central time server protocols. The time server combines timing information from both sources, using the satellite signal as a primary reference and the central server as a secondary synchronization mechanism. This combination improves measurement precision by leveraging the strengths of both methods while managing complexity through a unified time server architecture that handles both input sources
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a method of collecting event data in a wind park installation comprising a plurality of wind turbines (1), each inluding a satellite-based clock (7). In each of said wind turbines (1) a first time signal is distributed from said satellite-based clock (7) to at least one node (4) in the wind turbine (1). In the at least one node (4) events happening in at least one subsystem connected to the node (4) are detected. When an event is detected, event data comprising an information about the event is collected. For each piece of collected event data, a timestamp is added to the piece of collected event data characteristing a corresponding instant of time when the event was detected. The timestamped event data is stored for later inspection.