Welcome to the Blade heating Whitepaper. You’re about to start an exciting journey to transform your wind turbine performance.
Some of the most attractive wind resources in the world are located in cold climate
regions. These regions are on the one hand sparsely populated and have favourable
wind conditions, but on the other hand cold climate conditions with temperatures
down to -35°C subject wind turbines to tremendous challenges in operation and
maintenance.
What Will You Learn in This Whitepaper?
In this whitepaper you will find out why blade heating systems are needed, the different solutions for blade heating and how they differ and the importance of a suitable control strategy. One thing is certain: Precise ice detection and optimized blade heating means more yield for your wind turbine. We show you exactly how you can achieve this with your wind turbine in our whitepaper. Therefore, we summarise all the information needed, so that you can get a clear picture.
Yes, it can be also informative for you, if you have losses due to icing, as we also show different retrofittable solutions.
Complete the form and after that check your inbox. You have to confirm your email address to receive our free whitepaper about blade heating.
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© eologix sensor technology gmbh 2022
Welcome to the Ice Detection Whitepaper. You’re about to start an exciting journey to transform your wind turbine performance.
Ice formation on wind turbines has a relevant influence on operational management in the cold season. In addition to reduced yield due to changed aerodynamic properties, the safety of the system and its surroundings is a key issue.
What Will You Learn in This Whitepaper?
In this whitepaper you will find out why precise ice detection is relevant, the different solutions for ice detection and how they differ and the benefits by using an ice detection system. One thing is certain: Precise ice detection and temperature measurement means more yield for your wind turbine. We show you exactly how you can achieve this with your wind turbine in our whitepaper. Therefore, we summarise the results of some relevant studies so that you can get a clear picture.
Yes, absolutely. Even with few icing events a safety-relevant icing can occur.
Complete the form and after that check your inbox. You have to confirm your email address to receive our free whitepaper about ice detection.
We will always keep your personal information safe.
We ask for your information in exchange for a valuable resource in order to improve your browsing experience by personalizing the eologix site to your needs, to send information to you that we think may be of interest to you by email or other means and to send you marketing communications that we think may be of value to you. You can read more about that in our privacy policy.
© eologix sensor technology gmbh 2022
Ice formation on wind turbines has a relevant influence on operational management in the cold season. In addition to reduced yield due to changed aerodynamic properties, the safety of the system and its surroundings is a key issue.
In this whitepaper you will find out why precise ice detection is relevant, the different solutions for ice detection and how they differ and the benefits by using an ice detection system.
One thing is certain: Precise ice detection and temperature measurement means more yield for your wind turbine..
We show you exactly how you can achieve this with your wind turbine in our whitepaper. Therefore, we summarise the results of some relevant studies so that you can get a clear picture.
Simply download the free whitepaper (21 pages)
… we show the problems caused by icing and explain the need for an ice detection system
… we present different technologies for ice detection
… find out how you can increase the yield of your wind turbine by using a modern ice detection
system and how to further benefit
Complete the form and get our free whitepaper about ice detection.
Misalignments of the rotor blade can result in imbalances, with considerable effects on the performance of your wind turbine. Continuous measurement of pitch angles with the on-blade sensor system enables you to
Our system for pitch angle measurement is
“Almost 80% of all wind turbines have an unacceptable rotor imbalance and/or pitch angle error.”
(WiD Whitepaper Balancing of wind turbines rotors: Economic advantages and technical implementation written from Dr. Christoph Heilmann, Anke Grunwald, Michael Melsheimer, Berlinwind GmbH)
Wireless and flexible smart sensors are powered by solar energy almost indefinitely. Each sensor measures the accelerations that occur at the sensors during operation of the wind turbine. From these accelerations, we can infer the rotational speed of the rotor and the alignment of these blades.
Due to the unique, patented design (flexible, less than 2 mm thick), the sensors can be mounted on almost any part of the rotor blade, but also on other structures, such as nacelle or tower. The mounting is done by means of self-adhesive erosion protection foil.
The base station (one unit per installation) receives the data packages sent out by the sensors via radio. It is typically installed as a component in the nacelle, but can also be mounted in the spinner, in the tower base or on the ground.
In our online dashboard, both live and historical data can be viewed and exported.
In contrast to ground-based systems, the on-blade system detects relative pitch angle errors at an early stage through continuous monitoring and provides an automatic warning message. The on-blade system can be used at any location (including forest, offshore, etc.) as well as on any wind turbine and also offers the possibility of correlation with turbine data (including evaluation of pitch via rotor speed).
On blade-pitch angle monitoring:
TECHNOLOGY | 7 MIN TO READ
Whitepaper: Optimise your wind turbine by using ice detection
Cost efficiency, high yields and turbine safety are the most important factors in the operation of wind turbines. Ice detection systems provide support to ensure efficient operation of wind turbines even in the windiest winter months.
As part of a project (Meteotest (2021), Comparison of four detection systems of rotor icing installed on the same turbine, VGB Research Foundation, Project 401), a comprehensive field test was conducted from 2016-2020 in Stor-Rotliden, Sweden. The aim was to install all four established blade-based ice detection systems (IDS) from Polytech (former fos4x), Wölfel, Weidmüller and eologix on the same Vestas V-90 and comparing them over many icing events (none of the four IDS controls the WT during the field test).
Efficient operation of wind turbines under icing conditions requires accurate detection of icing, both in terms of timing and severity. The four different IDS detect rotor icing from the inside or outside of the rotor blades:
eologix – www.eologix.com
eologix offers (retrofittable) sensor systems for early and exact ice detection based on the electrical impedance directly on the rotor blade surface. The sensors are wireless, flexible, smart and energy-self-sufficient and installed directly on the surface of rotor blades.
Polytech (ehemals fos4x) – www.polytech.com
The system measures and learns the natural frequencies of the rotor blades under various operating conditions. As soon as ice masses form on the blades, the vibration behavior of the rotor blades changes. Measuring accuracy of less than 9 mm or less than 10 kg per blade.
Weidmüller – www.weidmueller.de
BLADEcontrol® measures the degree of icing directly on the rotor blades and is based on a simple physical principle: The ice accumulation changes the natural vibration behavior of the rotor blade due to its additional weight, which reduces the vibration frequency.
Wölfel – www.woelfel.de
IDD.Blade measures the vibration behavior with sensors inside the rotor blades. If the mass of a rotor blade changes due to ice accumulation, the vibration behavior also changes.
Read more about the differences between rotor blade-based ice detection systems in our Whitepaper Ice Detection.
After four winter seasons a data set of approximately 5700 operating hours (simultaneous operation of all four systems) of the wind turbines was collected, with approximately 2500 hours of icing (only rime ice). Several cameras have been used as a reference. This unique dataset allows a detailed comparison of the four blade-based IDS.
The analysis of the icing events showed that there is a consistensy between all four IDS and the camera images in terms of the timing of the icing events. The number of icing events for the three vibration-based IDS is very similar. However, differences in the total duration of turbine stops could be observed due to different sensitivity of the systems. Concerning the eologix system, there were significantly fewer and shorter downtimes.
The following figure shows an example of an ice event from this study. As can be seen in the figure, the eologix sensor system is the first to detect ice (turquoise – showing the eologix sensors), whereas the vibration-based ice detection systems (IDS1, IDS2 and IDS3) detect ice much later (visible in red).
The eologix system is the last system to shut down the plant, as it can distinguish between safety-relevant icing and non-safety-relevant icing (shown in red in the eologix line above| compared to IDS1, IDS2 and IDS3).
Example of an ice event (VGB research project 401; Abstract presented at Winterwind 2021) – (Source: Comparison of four blade-based ice detection systems installed on the same turbine, Paul Froidevaux, Meteotest AG, Winterwind 2021, April 20, 2021)
“[…] most sensitive ice detection status from all four systems.”
(Quote about the eologix system (Meteotest (2021), Comparison of four detection systems of rotor icing installed on the same turbine, VGB Research Foundation, project 401)
Regarding the eologix ice detection system the following points were summarized as results:
It was further noted, unlike the eologix system, the three vibration-based systems could not detect icing at low wind speeds or in the case of standstill.
To ensure efficient and reliable power generation by wind turbines, they must be regularly maintained and inspected to detect and correct potential problems such as imbalances. Basically, there are two types of imbalances that can occur in wind turbines: mass imbalance and aerodynamic imbalance
Viele Windenergieanlagen haben mit aerodynamisch bedingten und/oder massenbedingten Unwuchten zu kämpfen. Die daraus resultierende Gesamtunwucht führt in der Regel zu erhöhten Bauteilschwingungen und kann auf Dauer erhebliche Folgeschäden und hohe Kosten verursachen. Um eine resultierende Gesamtunwucht effektiv zu reduzieren, ist es notwendig, zunächst die aerodynamische Unwucht zu ermitteln und zu verringern. Ein erster und wichtiger Schritt dazu ist es, die relativen Pitchwinkel-Abweichungen zwischen den Blättern während des Betriebs zu erfassen und daraus konkrete Korrekturanweisungen zu erhalten.
Cost efficiency, high yields and system safety are the most important factors in the operation of wind turbines. To ensure efficient operation of wind turbines even in the windiest winter months, accurate detection of icing is required.
Hoarfrost is a form of fog-frost deposition, usually thin, fragile ice needles or scales that adhere only loosely to objects and are formed almost exclusively by sublimation. The prerequisites for the formation of frost are high humidity (around 90 % or more), weak wind and temperature values generally below minus 8 °C.
How to ensure safety during icing conditions (especially with regard to ice fall and ice throw) – Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Regardless of whether a wind turbine is located next to a highway or in the mountains where skiers and hikers pass by – It should be always ensured that service technicians and any trespasser are safe in any turbine operation mode.
Modified safety regulations of wind farm operations in France (in force since January 1, 2021) Click here to the French version of this article On June 22, 2020 a new decree was published by the French Government, to bring some modifications in the safety regulations of wind farm operations (ICPE regulation). Before the modifications…
Our sensors are installed all along the blade surface up to the tip (incl. leading edge), directly detecting icing and measuring the surface temperature.
*according to Meteotest (2021), Comparison of four detection systems of rotor icing installed on the same turbine, VGB Research Foundation, project 401
eologix offers (retrofittable) sensor systems for early and exact detection of ice accumulation and pitch misalignment based on wireless, flexible, smart and energy-self-sufficient sensors installed directly on the surface of rotor blades
Example of an ice event (VGB research project 401; Excerpt presented at Winterwind 2021) – Public report to be published soon (Source: Comparison of four blade-based ice detection systems installed on the same turbine, Paul Froidevaux, Meteotest AG, Winterwind 2021, April 20, 2021)
*according to Meteotest (2021), Comparison of four detection systems of rotor icing installed on the same turbine, VGB Research Foundation, project 401
“The eologix system is uncomplicated and easy to install. The technology is simple but of good quality and does a very good job. The system reacts quickly and very precisely. An additional positive effect was the good project cooperation with eologix the support was very good.“
“We have chosen the eologix sensor system because it measures directly on the rotor blade and therefore ice detection is faster and more accurate than with other comparable systems.“
“Technically, it is an exciting product, as eologix is the only supplier that measures directly on the blade surface and can thus determine the icing condition. The more accurate and sensitive the ice detection system is, the higher the optimization potential of the individual plants is.”
“[…] eologix would have stopped the turbine approximately 2.5 times less than the VBS.” (Vibration-Based Systems)
“[…] the eologix system was most often the first IDS to detect the presence of light icing, it would have been the last to stop the turbine.”
“The eologix system works perfectly and provides the best information about the condition of the blade in case of ice formation. When it comes to which system is reliable, I would definitely fully recommend the eologix system – I would choose time and again the eologix solution.”
“In short: we are very satisfied with eologix.”
“Each company has to decide for itself whether to measure based on vibrations or directly on the rotor blade surface. However, it is nice that eologix carries out a precise measurement and also measures the thickness of the ice layer accurately.“
So here’s what you can do now to get started:
Not ready for a demo yet? Check out our Whitepaper Ice detection for more information.
TECHNOLOGY | 5 MIN TO READ
You can find out how icing occurs, which phases of icing there are and what it actually depends on in our white paper: Optimize your turbine with the help of ice detection
Hoarfrost is a form of fog-frost deposition, usually thin, fragile ice needles or scales that adhere only loosely to objects and are formed almost exclusively by sublimation. The prerequisites for the formation of frost are high humidity (around 90 % or more), weak wind and temperature values generally below minus 8 °C.
RIme ice is a solid precipitation that forms mainly at high wind speeds and an air temperature of typically -2 to -10 degrees Celcius. This ice forms from supercooled fog water droplets and forms on surfaces, typically against the wind direction. The formed ice layer of grey-white granular particles have a sponge-like appearance and are quite loose compared to solid glaze ice.
Rime ice is characterised by the fact that it has no crystalline structures and includes a large number of air bubbles in its structure. The partial melting and refreezing of the particles causes them to stick together to varying degrees, depending on the prevailing temperature conditions.
Smooth, compact, transparent and very firmly adhering ice deposit of indeterminate shape and irregular surface. Glaze ice is formed at air temperatures between 0 and minus 3 °C by slow freezing of supercooled mist droplets on objects. Glaze ice can grow into extremely heavy ice loads.
In principle, all three types of icing, namely hoarfrost, rime ice and glaze ice can occur on rotor blades.
In low-lying countries, ice layers are usually very thin and light and therefore do not represent any danger. At high altitudes, however, wind turbines are operated within the cloud cover, so that layers of rime ice can very often become very dense and hard and can be 10 cm or more thick at the leading edge of the rotor blades. Such deposits of rime ice pose a danger during operation of the wind turbine.
Only poses a safety hazard from a very high density (several cm). Due to its low density and large surface area, it detaches from the rotor blades like snowfall.
Due to the very high density and the possible layer thickness of several centimetres, ice accumulations in the form of glaze ice pose a danger during operation of the wind turbine.
Dropped ice fragments from iced rotor blades have already been found at a distance of more than 100m from wind turbines. Therefore, appropriate safety measures must be taken against ice throw and ice fall.
Ice accumulation on rotor blades represents a potential risk for the operation of a wind turbine
eologix sensors in use in the Climate Wind Tunnel at the FH Joanneum
The best way to make good decisions is to base them on solid knowledge. That’s why our products undergo a wide range of tests before we introduce them to the market.
To ensure efficient and reliable power generation by wind turbines, they must be regularly maintained and inspected to detect and correct potential problems such as imbalances. Basically, there are two types of imbalances that can occur in wind turbines: mass imbalance and aerodynamic imbalance
Viele Windenergieanlagen haben mit aerodynamisch bedingten und/oder massenbedingten Unwuchten zu kämpfen. Die daraus resultierende Gesamtunwucht führt in der Regel zu erhöhten Bauteilschwingungen und kann auf Dauer erhebliche Folgeschäden und hohe Kosten verursachen. Um eine resultierende Gesamtunwucht effektiv zu reduzieren, ist es notwendig, zunächst die aerodynamische Unwucht zu ermitteln und zu verringern. Ein erster und wichtiger Schritt dazu ist es, die relativen Pitchwinkel-Abweichungen zwischen den Blättern während des Betriebs zu erfassen und daraus konkrete Korrekturanweisungen zu erhalten.
Cost efficiency, high yields and system safety are the most important factors in the operation of wind turbines. To ensure efficient operation of wind turbines even in the windiest winter months, accurate detection of icing is required.
Hoarfrost is a form of fog-frost deposition, usually thin, fragile ice needles or scales that adhere only loosely to objects and are formed almost exclusively by sublimation. The prerequisites for the formation of frost are high humidity (around 90 % or more), weak wind and temperature values generally below minus 8 °C.
How to ensure safety during icing conditions (especially with regard to ice fall and ice throw) – Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Regardless of whether a wind turbine is located next to a highway or in the mountains where skiers and hikers pass by – It should be always ensured that service technicians and any trespasser are safe in any turbine operation mode.
Modified safety regulations of wind farm operations in France (in force since January 1, 2021) Click here to the French version of this article On June 22, 2020 a new decree was published by the French Government, to bring some modifications in the safety regulations of wind farm operations (ICPE regulation). Before the modifications…
TECHNOLOGY | 5 MIN TO READ
Whitepaper: Optimise your wind turbine by using ice detection
How to ensure safety during icing conditions (especially with regard to ice fall and ice throw) – Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Regardless of whether a wind turbine is located next to a highway or in the mountains where skiers and hikers pass by – It should be always ensured that service technicians and any trespasser are safe in any turbine operation mode.
The reliable, safe and beneficial operation of wind turbines requires the use of a number of safety features. In order to ensure safety for all service personal and any trespasser, it is common to integrate a reliable ice detection system into the wind turbine. This makes it possible to stop the wind turbine in the event of any safety-relevant ice accumulation and to restart the wind turbine automatically after detection of the “ice-free” state.
There has been a lot of discussions around the topic of ice accumulation on wind turbines, mainly those near to civilisation. Under the right atmospheric conditions, ice can build-up over a period of time on the wind turbine. While the accumulation of ice is highly dependent on weather conditions, this accumulation can lead to potential risk, namely ice fall and ice throw.
When planning wind farm operations, potential impacts are currently mitigated through:
The applicable regulations and guidelines vary greatly depending on the location and turbine type (depending on hub height and rotor blade diameter). There are locations where an additional system for ice detection (e.g. in addition to a power curve-based ice detection system) is already prescribed before the start of construction.
There are different ice detection systems. Regarding our ice detection systems, for example, ice is directly measured on the surface. In this case, the ice built up can be measured from the beginning (already below 1 mm) and can also be measured in every operation mode, no matter if the wind turbine is rotating or not.
A study of the VGB (VGB research project 401; Excerpt presented at Winterwind 2021) confirmed, that our ice detection system is the first system which detects ice compared to three other vibration-based systems. These enables highest safety even during turbine stop and idling. In the following figure it can be seen that our system is the first system to detect ice, as it is measuring directly on the rotor blade surface.
More differences of these ice detection systems are explained in our Whitepaper – Ice detection to optimise your wind turbine and the article Types of ice detection systems.
Example of an ice event (VGB research project 401; Excerpt presented at Winterwind 2021) – Public report to be published soon (Source: Comparison of four blade-based ice detection systems installed on the same turbine, Paul Froidevaux, Meteotest AG, Winterwind 2021, April 20, 2021)
Ice fall and ice throw from wind turbines (WT) is an important aspect at nearly all sites with icing conditions. Icing conditions bring a variety of risks, including power loss, ice fall and shedding, and rotor imbalance. The risk of ice fall and ice throw should also be assessed at sites with only a few icing events per year, especially if the presence of people cannot be ruled out at the site of the wind turbine even with a high probability (e.g. due to hiking trails, ski regions, service personnel, etc.).
eologix sensor systems prevent the risk of ice throw by detecting ice directly on the rotor blade surface – the product signals a safety relevant stop at icing. Depending on the used system, we also offer an automatic restart system eologix:restart, which restarts the turbine after an “ice-free” signal. With eologix:heat we do also offer measures for the realisation of preventive heating solutions (i.e. rotor blade heating during operation to avoid icing of the blades at all).
eologix reliably detects ice in any site condition and at any turbine operation mode, even below 3m/s while idling or when the turbines are stopped (e.g. locked rotor state). This enables full safety during any operation in icing conditions. This enables safety against ice throw (e.g. by stopping the turbine) and also ice fall (as all our systems detect icing also when the turbine is idling or stopped, e.g. by switching on warning lights).
To ensure efficient and reliable power generation by wind turbines, they must be regularly maintained and inspected to detect and correct potential problems such as imbalances. Basically, there are two types of imbalances that can occur in wind turbines: mass imbalance and aerodynamic imbalance
Viele Windenergieanlagen haben mit aerodynamisch bedingten und/oder massenbedingten Unwuchten zu kämpfen. Die daraus resultierende Gesamtunwucht führt in der Regel zu erhöhten Bauteilschwingungen und kann auf Dauer erhebliche Folgeschäden und hohe Kosten verursachen. Um eine resultierende Gesamtunwucht effektiv zu reduzieren, ist es notwendig, zunächst die aerodynamische Unwucht zu ermitteln und zu verringern. Ein erster und wichtiger Schritt dazu ist es, die relativen Pitchwinkel-Abweichungen zwischen den Blättern während des Betriebs zu erfassen und daraus konkrete Korrekturanweisungen zu erhalten.
Cost efficiency, high yields and system safety are the most important factors in the operation of wind turbines. To ensure efficient operation of wind turbines even in the windiest winter months, accurate detection of icing is required.
Hoarfrost is a form of fog-frost deposition, usually thin, fragile ice needles or scales that adhere only loosely to objects and are formed almost exclusively by sublimation. The prerequisites for the formation of frost are high humidity (around 90 % or more), weak wind and temperature values generally below minus 8 °C.
How to ensure safety during icing conditions (especially with regard to ice fall and ice throw) – Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Regardless of whether a wind turbine is located next to a highway or in the mountains where skiers and hikers pass by – It should be always ensured that service technicians and any trespasser are safe in any turbine operation mode.
Modified safety regulations of wind farm operations in France (in force since January 1, 2021) Click here to the French version of this article On June 22, 2020 a new decree was published by the French Government, to bring some modifications in the safety regulations of wind farm operations (ICPE regulation). Before the modifications…
Click here to the French version of this article
On June 22, 2020 a new decree was published by the French Government, to bring some modifications in the safety regulations of wind farm operations (ICPE regulation).
Before the modifications of the safety regulations are explained in detail, we make a quick overview of this regulation.
The French Government regulates safety regulations of wind farm operations, which are binding for all France wind farms in an order of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, the so called: Order of 26 August 2011 relating to electricity production installations using mechanical wind energy in an installation subject to authorization under section 2980 of the legislation on installations classified for the protection of the environment.
In this order there are different regulations for wind farms, such as fire-fighting guidelines, alert regulations for operators etc. It is generally divided into different sections:
The following discussed modified safety regulations are part pf the Section 5 “Risks” and are handled in the Article 25.
This new decree is entered into force with January 1, 2021.
Modified safety regulations in Article 25
In the article 25 of this decree the rules for ice detection of wind turbines have been slightly modified. In the following figure the changes of this regulation are shown in detail (only applicable in French).
Source: Arrêté du 26 août 2011 relatif aux installations de production d’électricité utilisant l’énergie mécanique du vent au sein d’une installation soumise à autorisation au titre de la rubrique 2980 de la législation des installations classées pour la protection de l’environnement (1)
Now any wind turbine that has a risk of ice accumulation has to include an ice detection system that prevents the turbine to be operated in case ice can be thrown (before this requirement was only limited to wind farms located in areas where the average winter temperatures were below 0°C) – here you can find 6 factors when buying an ice detection system.
If the operator does not want to deploy an ice detection system, the absence of risk has to be demonstrated.
Now the operator has to define a restart procedure that guarantee that no ice will be thrown once the turbine restarts (that was not openly mentioned before), as for example possible with the eologix:restart system.
Therefore, all operators concerned by ice on their wind turbines should invest in systems that can guarantee the absence of ice before restart.
eologix ice detection systems enable safe and automatic operation during icing conditions. Our systems measure ice and its thickness directly on the rotor blade surface. It can be measured in every operation mode (also while idling or standstill), no matter if the wind turbine rotates or not – always fully covered.
Benefits of the eologix ice detection systems:
En date du 22 Juin 2020, le gouvernement français a publié un nouvel arrêté mettant à jour les préconisations de la réglementation ICPE relative à l’exploitation des parcs éoliens.
Avant d’expliquer l’impact de ces modifications sur la gestion du risque givre sur les parcs éoliens, rappelons d’abord l’objet et le champ d’application de cette réglementation ICPE.
L’arrêté du 26 Août 2011 est un texte de loi édité par le Ministère français de l’Ecologie, du Développement Durable, des Transports et du Logement, et qui régit les conditions d’exploitation applicables aux parcs éoliens installés sur le territoire français, sous le statut d’Installations Classées pour la Protection de l’Environnement (ICPE).
Cet arrêté inclut différentes préconisations, telles que la marche à suivre en cas d’incendie, les procédures d’alerte à mettre en œuvre, etc. Le document est divisé en différentes sections:
Dans la suite de cet article, nous nous concentrerons uniquement sur les modifications apportées à l’article 25 de la section 5 relatives aux Risques. Suite à la publication de l’arrêté modificatif le 22 Juin 2020, ce nouvel arrêté est désormais en vigueur depuis le 1er Janvier 2021.
Modifications édictées dans l’Article 25
Dans l’article 25 de cet arrêté modificatif, les règles concernant la détection de givre sur les éoliennes ont été légèrement modifiées. L’illustration suivante montre le détail de ces modifications.
Source: Arrêté du 26 août 2011 relatif aux installations de production d’électricité utilisant l’énergie mécanique du vent au sein d’une installation soumise à autorisation au titre de la rubrique 2980 de la législation des installations classées pour la protection de l’environnement (1)
Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Chaque éolienne présentant un risque d’accumulation de givre à sa surface doit désormais inclure un système de détection interdisant son redémarrage s’il y a un risque de projection de glace (auparavant cette exigence se limitait aux parcs situés dans les zones où les températures hivernales moyennes étaient inférieures à 0°C) – vous trouverez ici 6 critères à prendre en compte quand vous investissez dans un système de détection de givre.
Si l’exploitant ne souhaite pas déployer un système de détection de givre, il doit être en mesure de faire la démonstration concrète de l’absence de risques sur ses éoliennes.
L’exploitant doit désormais définir une procédure qui garantit qu’aucune projection de glace n’aura lieu au redémarrage de ses éoliennes, suite à tout épisode de givre (cette garantie contre les projections de glace n’étaient pas mentionnées explicitement dans la précédente version du texte), ce qui est par exemple possible avec eologix:restart system.
Tous les exploitants concernés par la problématique givre sur leurs parcs vont donc devoir investir dans des systèmes leurs garantissant l’absence totale de givre avant redémarrage des éoliennes.
Les systèmes de detection de givre d’eologix permettent une exploitation automatisée et en toute sécurité en période de givre. Nos systèmes mesurent la présence et l’épaisseur de glace directement à la surface de la pale. Cette mesure peut se faire quel que soit le mode opérationnel des machines (même en rotation lente ou à l’arrêt), que l’éolienne soit en fonctionnement ou non.
Avantges du système de détection de givre eologix:
TECHNOLOGY | 5 MIN TO READ
Whitepaper: Optimise your wind turbine by using ice detection
A wind turbine is designed to be used for at least 20 years, sometimes even up to 30 years. During its lifetime, it should reliably deliver maximum energy yield with the highest possible technical availability and at the same time independent of environmental influences.
A multitude of natural forces act on a wind turbine, including storms, heavy rainfall, hail, lightning, icing, etc. We want to take a closer look at the risk factors of icing.
Temperatures around freezing point in combination with high humidity, fog or rain: these weather conditions can lead to ice formation on the rotor blades of wind turbines. This can have far-reaching consequences in the ongoing operation of the turbine, but also lead to further consequential damage to the wind turbine. Possible consequences of ice formation on wind turbines are outlined below:
Icing of surfaces is a ubiquitous problem in nature in certain areas of the world, causing high costs and affecting function and safety. The areas where new wind turbines are built are also increasingly expanding into colder regions, so-called cold climates, making the icing factor an increasing problem.
Figure: Published in 2000, Wind energy production in cold climate (WECO)
You can find out how icing occurs, which phases of icing there are and what specifically matters in our white paper Ice detection to optimise your wind turbine.
As already shown, ice accumulation on rotor blades and/or the nacelle can lead to various consequences. These supposedly greatest dangers can be summarised as follows:
The term ice throw in wind turbines refers to the detachment of pieces of ice during the operation of a wind turbine. In contrast, the term “ice fall” or “ice drop” is understood to mean the detachment of pieces of ice from a stopped wind turbine.
In the next blog posts, we will again look in detail at the individual three risks associated with ice accumulation, namely power loss, ice throw and ice fall and imbalances.
eologix systems, which enable ice detection and temperature measurement directly on the blade surface of wind turbines, ensure smooth operation in icing conditions up to fully automatic operation in icing conditions.
eologix sensor technology gmbhH offers ice detection systems with direct measurement on the rotor blades based on capacitive sensor technology and stands for ice detection and temperature measurement directly on the rotor blade surface. When selecting a system for ice detection, various factors have to be considered, such as calibration and flexibility of the solution. Here is an overview of 6 relevant factors to consider when purchasing an ice detection system.
Therefore, eologix offers systems consisting of one receiver unit per plant and flexible, energy-autonomous and precise sensors, which are mounted directly on the rotor blade surface. Learn more about the eologix systems here.
To ensure efficient and reliable power generation by wind turbines, they must be regularly maintained and inspected to detect and correct potential problems such as imbalances. Basically, there are two types of imbalances that can occur in wind turbines: mass imbalance and aerodynamic imbalance
Viele Windenergieanlagen haben mit aerodynamisch bedingten und/oder massenbedingten Unwuchten zu kämpfen. Die daraus resultierende Gesamtunwucht führt in der Regel zu erhöhten Bauteilschwingungen und kann auf Dauer erhebliche Folgeschäden und hohe Kosten verursachen. Um eine resultierende Gesamtunwucht effektiv zu reduzieren, ist es notwendig, zunächst die aerodynamische Unwucht zu ermitteln und zu verringern. Ein erster und wichtiger Schritt dazu ist es, die relativen Pitchwinkel-Abweichungen zwischen den Blättern während des Betriebs zu erfassen und daraus konkrete Korrekturanweisungen zu erhalten.
Cost efficiency, high yields and system safety are the most important factors in the operation of wind turbines. To ensure efficient operation of wind turbines even in the windiest winter months, accurate detection of icing is required.
Hoarfrost is a form of fog-frost deposition, usually thin, fragile ice needles or scales that adhere only loosely to objects and are formed almost exclusively by sublimation. The prerequisites for the formation of frost are high humidity (around 90 % or more), weak wind and temperature values generally below minus 8 °C.
How to ensure safety during icing conditions (especially with regard to ice fall and ice throw) – Ice accumulation on wind turbine rotor blades has a crucial impact on operation and maintenance. Lower return due to aerodynamic imbalances as well as safety of the power plant and its surroundings are of central importance.
Regardless of whether a wind turbine is located next to a highway or in the mountains where skiers and hikers pass by – It should be always ensured that service technicians and any trespasser are safe in any turbine operation mode.
Modified safety regulations of wind farm operations in France (in force since January 1, 2021) Click here to the French version of this article On June 22, 2020 a new decree was published by the French Government, to bring some modifications in the safety regulations of wind farm operations (ICPE regulation). Before the modifications…
