Wind Turbine Control Cabinet Preheating and Dehumidification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind energy installations in extreme climatic locations face issues with component damage due to sudden reactivation after network failures, especially in low temperatures, as conventional heating and dehumidification systems fail to manage temperature and humidity effectively, leading to potential defects in sensitive electronics.
Innovation Solution
A preheating module with a thermal switch, monitoring unit, and output device is introduced to control the startup process, ensuring that sensitive components are heated to a specific temperature before normal operation begins, and a reheating module maintains temperature during operation, using a combination of temperature and humidity sensors to manage heating and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional heating devices are provided for the control device, then the electronics are protected against low temperatures, but a considerable amount of energy is consumed, thus reducing the efficiency of the wind energy installation
Solution Approach 1:
The dehumidification device is activated in advance during the night before the wind energy installation needs to be operated. This preliminary action removes moisture from the air and condenses it on the cooler surfaces of the switchgear cabinet, preventing condensation during subsequent operation without requiring continuous heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach from temperature-based heating to humidity-based control. By lowering the humidity level in the switchgear cabinet through dehumidification, the condensation point is reduced below the operating temperature, allowing the cabinet to be operated at lower temperatures without condensation issues.
2Productivity
If the heating device and dehumidifying device are switched on again after network failure, then the system can operate, but the components may have cooled down to such an extent that defects occur in the sensitive control electronics
Solution Approach 1:
The dehumidification device is activated in advance during the night before operation is needed. This preliminary dehumidification ensures that moisture is removed and condensed on cooler surfaces before the system is restarted after network failure, preventing condensation and electronic damage during the restart process.
Solution Approach 2:
The dehumidification device acts as an intermediary that prevents direct contact between moisture and electronic components. By condensing moisture on the cooler cabinet surfaces rather than allowing it to remain as liquid water, the electronic components are protected from damage during restart operations.
3Reliability
If the entire switchgear cabinet is heated to high temperature values to prevent condensation, then the electronics are protected, but the energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the moisture removal function from the heating function. Instead of heating the entire cabinet to prevent condensation, the dehumidification device selectively removes moisture from the air and condenses it on the cooler cabinet surfaces, achieving condensation prevention without requiring high temperature heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the protective parameter from temperature to humidity. By controlling the humidity level through dehumidification, the condensation point is lowered below the operating temperature, allowing the cabinet to be operated at lower temperatures without condensation issues, thus reducing energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents damage from cold components being switched on prematurely and enhances operational reliability by ensuring components are warmed before startup and maintaining optimal temperatures, reducing the risk of failures and energy inefficiencies.
Implementation Method 1
a heating device (23, 33) for the components of the wind energy installation (1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21)
Implementation Method 2
a thermal switch, which monitors the temperature of at least one component of the wind energy installation (1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21) and is operated on reaching a threshold
Data Source
AI summary
A wind energy installation connected to a network. The installation includes a tower and a pod having a wind rotor and a generator driven by the wind rotor. The installation further includes a converter configured to output electrical power, a control device provided with a temperature sensor and a heating device, and a preheating module. The preheating module includes a thermal switch configured to monitor a temperature of at least one component of the wind energy installation and a monitoring unit having an output device. The monitoring unit operates the heating device until the thermal switch reaches a threshold, whereupon the output device transmits an enable signal to start the wind energy installation. Operational reliability of the wind energy installation in low ambient temperatures can be thus improved.