Wind Turbine Subcomponent Memory Transfer for Secure Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and downtime associated with replacing wind turbine components, particularly offshore, due to safety and operational requirements, necessitate a method to reduce replacement costs and improve failure rate monitoring while maintaining operational security.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a dedicated communication link to transfer component information from a malfunctioning subcomponent to a replacement subcomponent, preserving operational data and ensuring interoperability, thereby avoiding unnecessary replacements and maintaining cyber security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wind turbine component fails, the wind turbine component or the whole wind turbine is generally shut down and replaced, then operational security is maintained, but power production is lost for significant periods and replacement costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the wind turbine component into a main component and subcomponents, with the first subcomponent containing critical component information in its subcomponent memory. This segmentation allows replacement of only the failed subcomponent rather than the entire main component, reducing downtime and replacement costs while maintaining operational security through information preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing a dedicated communication link to read out component information from the malfunctioning subcomponent's memory before replacement, and subsequently writing this information to the replacement subcomponent. This preliminary data transfer ensures the replacement subcomponent is properly configured, enabling quick reintegration without extended downtime.
2Reliability
If a wind turbine component fails, the wind turbine component or the whole wind turbine is generally shut down and replaced, then operational security is maintained, but replacement costs are high and resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the component hierarchy into main components and replaceable subcomponents, the system enables targeted replacement of only the failed subcomponent. The component information stored in the subcomponent memory is preserved and transferred to the replacement subcomponent, allowing the main component to continue operation and avoiding waste of functional resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers critical component information from the malfunctioning subcomponent's memory before replacement. This recovered information is written to the replacement subcomponent, enabling the new subcomponent to function as an exact substitute without requiring reconfiguration, thus recovering valuable operational data and avoiding resource waste.
3Loss of information
If communication connections employed for operating the wind turbine are used to transfer component information, then data transfer is achieved, but cyber security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments communication functions by creating a dedicated communication link separate from the operational communication infrastructure. This dedicated link is established specifically for reading and writing component information to and from the subcomponent memory, isolating this data transfer function from the main operational network and thereby protecting cyber security while enabling complete information transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The dedicated communication link acts as an intermediary channel between the servicing device and the subcomponent memory. This intermediary provides a secure, isolated pathway for data transfer that does not interface with the operational communication systems, thus preventing potential security breaches while ensuring complete transfer of component information.
4Reliability
If the whole main component is replaced in case of damage to a subcomponent, then operational security is ensured, but costs increase and failure rate monitoring accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the replacement decision-making process by enabling identification and replacement of only the specific failed subcomponent rather than the entire main component. The component information in the subcomponent memory serves as a unique identifier, allowing precise tracking of subcomponent failures and accurate determination of failure rates at the subcomponent level, improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by preserving and transferring component information from the malfunctioning subcomponent to the replacement subcomponent. This information includes unique identifiers that enable continuous tracking of component performance and failure rates, providing accurate feedback data for reliability analysis without the distortion caused by unnecessary main component replacements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of servicing a wind turbine component of a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine component is a main component (120) that comprises a first subcomponent (10) and one or more second subcomponents (20), wherein the first subcomponent (10) comprises a subcomponent memory (11) storing component information. The component information comprises information that is specific to the main component (120) of the wind turbine (100). The method comprises reading out at least a portion of the subcomponent memory (11) of a malfunctioning first subcomponent (10) of the main component (120) to obtain the component information of the malfunctioning first subcomponent (10) and writing at least a part of the component information to a subcomponent memory (31) of a replacement subcomponent (30) provided for replacing the malfunctioning first subcomponent (10). The component information is written over a communication link established to the replacement subcomponent (30).