Wind Turbine Lightning Strike Damage Estimation Using Buffer Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lightning current monitoring systems for wind turbines face challenges in accurately measuring the waveform before a lightning strike and estimating the damage to blades, while existing monitoring systems for wind turbines are costly due to large memory requirements for storing video data and struggle to correctly evaluate the impact of lightning strikes on blade operation noise spectra.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a buffer to store lightning strike parameters, outputs a trigger signal when parameters exceed a threshold, and estimates damage based on reference values and time-integrated current values, allowing for accurate damage assessment with reduced storage capacity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a buffer stores all lightning strike parameters continuously, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and storage cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical portion of lightning strike data (the waveform around the strike moment) for precise measurement, while discarding redundant continuous data. This is achieved by using a buffer to store only a limited time window of data centered on the detected strike event, rather than storing all continuous parameters indefinitely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary buffering of lightning strike parameters in memory before final processing and storage. The buffer pre-stores a limited time window of data around the strike moment, making the critical measurement data readily available while avoiding the need for complex continuous storage systems.
2Reliability
If video data and numerical data are stored in remote servers, then reliability of monitoring is improved, but loss of substance increases due to large storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the essential numerical data (lightning strike parameters) locally in a buffer, rather than storing all video and numerical data in remote servers. This selective extraction reduces storage requirements while maintaining monitoring reliability for critical parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified copy of the monitoring data by storing only the critical numerical parameters in a local buffer, rather than maintaining full video and numerical datasets remotely. This copy contains the essential information needed for reliable monitoring with minimal storage consumption.
3Productivity
If measurement equipment starts waveform measurement only when current exceeds threshold, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates because waveform before strike is not captured
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary continuous buffering of current data in memory before the actual strike occurs. This preliminary action ensures that when a strike happens, the waveform data is already captured and stored in the buffer, allowing precise measurement without waiting for threshold detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous buffering of current data in the buffer, ensuring that the measurement process is continuously ready to capture the waveform. This continuous action eliminates gaps in data collection while maintaining high measurement efficiency through selective processing of only the relevant strike portions.
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 approach enables accurate estimation of blade damage from lightning strikes with a simple structure, reducing costs and improving the accuracy of damage assessment by using a buffer to store only necessary data and calculating time-integrated current values.
Implementation Method 1
The Rogowski coil is arranged at a root of a tower of a wind power generation equipment. The measurement equipment receives an induction current from the Rogowski coil
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
In a state monitoring system for a wind turbine generator, a first buffer 44 repeats overwrite of data regarding a lightning strike parameter and accumulate the data temporarily. A first trigger signal output part 46 outputs a first trigger signal when the lightning strike parameter exceeds a threshold. A memory part 48 acquires and accumulates at least a part of the data regarding the lightning strike parameter of a period from the first buffer 44, the period including before and after an output time of the first trigger signal. A reference value estimation part 50 estimates a reference value of the lightning strike parameter based on a first data corresponding to a first period before the output time of the first trigger signal among the data stored in the memory part 48. A damage state estimation part 52 estimates a damage state of the blade 21 based on a second data of after the output time of the first trigger by considering the reference value.