• 专利附录
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    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to a system (102) comprising: at least one computing device (124) adapted to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine (118) by performing actions including: determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine (118); Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the impurity factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life-loss factor.
    公开号:CH710059A2
    申请号:CH01186/15
    申请日:2015-08-17
    公开日:2016-02-29
    发明作者:Keegan Saunders O'donnell
    申请人:Gen Electric；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
    This application is co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 872,488 and U.S. Patent Application No. 13/872,495 (Attorney Docket No. 276014-1; GEEN-0574), U.S. Patent Application No. ___ ( Attorney Docket No. 275 996-1; GEEN-0576), U.S. Patent Application No. ___ (Attorney Docket No. 275 995-1; GEEN-0577), U.S. Patent Application No. ___ (Attorney Docket No. 275 993-1; GEEN-0578), and the U.S. Patent Application No. ___ (Attorney Docket No. 275 992-1; GEEN-0579), all filed concurrently on August 25, 2014 with the present.
    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
    The subject matter disclosed herein relates to lubrication systems. In particular, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to lubricating oil systems used in wind turbines.
    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
    Wind turbines (or simply wind turbines) use lubricating oil (s) to reduce the coefficient of friction between wind turbine components. While many wind turbines are supplied and installed by a production and / or sales company, these wind turbines are often looked after (over their lifetime) by the customer who purchases the machine. Conventionally, to ensure that the lubricating oil in the wind turbine is of a sufficient quality to achieve lubrication, the customer takes a sample of the oil and sends it to a laboratory for analysis. However, some customers take the oil sample improperly, which can affect the accuracy of the investigation. The samples are not taken from this frequently enough to properly monitor the condition of the oil.
    In other cases, the lubricating oil quality is estimated using empirical data associated with an expected life of the oil based on performance parameters of the wind turbine. In these cases a monitoring system of the wind turbine monitors the performance of a component in the wind turbine, e.g. Speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc., and estimates, based on the performance of the wind turbine, a point in time when the lubricating oil will deteriorate in quality. However, these empirical systems do not test the lubricating oil to determine its quality.
    Because of the inadequacies in the above-mentioned methods of monitoring the quality of lubricating oil in wind turbines, it is difficult to correctly assess the quality of a lubricating oil in a wind turbine.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
    Various embodiments of the invention include a system comprising: at least one computing device configured to analyze a lubricating oil from a wind turbine by performing actions that include: determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the Wind turbine; Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the contamination factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor.
    A first aspect of the invention includes a system comprising: at least one computing device configured to analyze a lubricating oil from a wind turbine by performing actions which include: determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil the wind turbine; Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the contamination factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor.
    The at least one computing device can also be configured to determine the service life loss factor as follows:Life Loss Factor = [initial ideal remaining life: temperature based remaining life] x contamination factor.
    In addition, the at least one computing device may further be configured to determine an elapsed time between sampling of the lubricating oil based on a sampling frequency of the lubricating oil.
    In the last-mentioned system, the determination of the actual remaining life can include a determination of an actual loss of life as follows:actual life loss = life loss factor x sample frequency of the lubricating oil.
    In addition, the determination of the updated ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil may preferably include a calculation of the updated ideal remaining life as follows:updated ideal remaining life = initial ideal remaining life - actual life loss.
    In any of the above systems, determining the actual remaining life for the lubricating oil may include calculating the actual remaining life as follows:actual remaining life = updated ideal remaining life / life loss factor.
    In one embodiment, the system may further include an oil sensor system connected to the at least one computing device, the oil sensor system being for sampling the lubricating oil, the temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on an Arrhenius reaction rate of the Lubricating oil can be calculated.
    In a further embodiment, the contamination factor can be calculated on the basis of a measurement of at least one of the following properties of the lubricating oil: iron particle number, water content, dielectric constant or a particle number according to a level of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
    In yet another embodiment, the contamination factor can be calculated on the basis of an averaged particle number according to a level of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is calculated by averaging several ISO level particle numbers for the lubricating oil.
    A second aspect of the invention includes a computer program product having program code which, when executed by a computing device, causes at least one computing device to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine by performing actions including: determination an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine; Determining a temperature-based remaining service life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine on the basis of a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the contamination factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor.
    [0017] The program code can cause the at least one computing device to determine the service life loss factor as follows:Life Loss Factor = [initial ideal remaining life: temperature based remaining life] x contamination factor.
    [0018] In addition, the program code can cause the at least one computing device to further obtain a sampling frequency of the lubricating oil.
    In the last-mentioned computer program product, the determination of the actual remaining service life can include a determination of an actual loss of service life as follows:actual life loss = life loss factor x sampling frequency of the lubricating oil.
    Additionally, the determination of the updated ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil may include a calculation of the updated ideal remaining life as follows:updated ideal remaining life = initial ideal remaining life - actual life loss.
    In any of the aforementioned computer program products, the determination of the actual remaining life for the lubricating oil may include a calculation of the actual remaining life as follows:actual remaining life = updated ideal remaining life / life loss factor.
    In any computer program product mentioned above, the contamination factor can be calculated based on an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) averaged level particle number which can be calculated by averaging several ISO level particle numbers for the lubricating oil.
    A third aspect of the invention includes a system that includes: at least one computing device configured to analyze a lubricating oil from a wind turbine by performing actions including: predicting an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil the wind turbine; Determining a temperature-based remaining life of the lubricating oil from the wind turbine based on a measured temperature of the lubricating oil; Determining a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a measured contamination level of the lubricating oil; Determining a life loss factor of the lubricating oil based on the initial ideal remaining life, the temperature-based remaining life, and the contamination factor; Determining a life loss amount of the lubricating oil based on the life loss factor and a sampling frequency of the lubricating oil; Calculating a refined ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil based on the life loss amount and the initial ideal remaining life; and predicting an actual remaining life of the lubricating oil based on the refined ideal remaining life and the life loss factor.
    In the last-mentioned system, the measured temperature of the lubricating oil can be measured at a common point on the wind turbine as the measured contamination level.
    In addition, the measured temperature of the lubricating oil can be measured at substantially the same time as the measured contamination level.
    The system according to the third aspect of any of the aforementioned types may further comprise an oil sensor system connected to the at least one computing device, the oil sensor system being intended for sampling the lubricating oil, the contamination factor being based on an averaged ISO ( International Organization for Standardization) level particle number can be calculated, which can be calculated by averaging several ISO level particle numbers for the lubricating oil.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    These and other features of this invention will become more readily understood from the following detailed description of various aspects of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments of the invention, in which: FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method which: is carried out according to various embodiments of the invention. FIG. 2 shows a flow chart illustrating a method that is performed in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. FIG. 3 shows a graphic representation of the oil service life predictions based on ideal estimates and according to various embodiments of the invention. 4 shows an environment that contains a system according to various embodiments of the invention. 5 shows a schematic front view of a device according to various embodiments of the invention. FIG. 6 shows a partial perspective view of the device according to FIG. 5 according to embodiments of the invention.
    It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to illustrate typical aspects of the invention only and, accordingly, should not be construed in a limiting sense as to the scope of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference symbols denote the same elements in the drawings.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
    As indicated above, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to lubricating oils in wind power plants (wind turbines). In particular, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to an analysis of lubricating oil in wind turbines.
    As noted herein, it can be difficult to effectively monitor the quality of lubricating oils in wind turbines, which can lead to undesirable oil degradation and eventual damage to the wind turbine that relies on that oil for lubrication.
    In contrast to conventional approaches, various embodiments of the invention include systems, computer program products, and associated methods for analyzing a lubricating oil from a wind turbine using test data obtained from that oil. In various specific embodiments, a system includes at least one computing device configured to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine by performing actions that include: determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine; Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the contamination factor, ideal remaining life, and temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor.
    In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there are illustrated specific exemplary embodiments in which the present teachings can be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present teachings, and it should be understood that other embodiments can be used and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention Teaching is deviated. The following description is therefore only an example.
    1 shows a flow chart which illustrates a process for monitoring a lubricating oil from a wind power plant (wind turbine) according to various embodiments of the invention. These processes can e.g. by at least one computing device as described herein. In other cases, these processes can be carried out in accordance with a computer-implemented method for monitoring a lubricating oil and / or gas. In still further embodiments, these processes can be performed by executing computer program code on at least one computing device, thereby causing the at least one computing device to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine. In general, the process can contain the following sub-processes:
    Process P1: Determination of an initial ideal remaining life (Li) for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine. In various embodiments, this includes obtaining information about the type of oil and calculating the Arrhenius Reaction Rate (ARR) for the type of oil, assuming the oil is clean (free of impurities) and is at its design temperature (below optimal conditions). The initial ideal remaining life is the amount of life expected for the lubricating oil if it were to operate under these optimal conditions for its entire life.
    The ARR is a well known technique used to calculate the oxidation life reduction (L) in a mineral oil. In certain embodiments, the ARR can be calculated according to the following equation:
    In this, k = the rate constant of a chemical reaction; T = absolute temperature of the lubricating oil (in Kelvin); A = the pre-exponential factor; Ea = the activation energy of the lubricating oil; and R = the universal gas constant. Alternatively, the universal gas constant (R) can be replaced by the Bolzmann constant (kB). In the case of a mineral oil, simplified, the ARR can be represented by an oxidation life (L) of the oil, the rate constant of the chemical reaction (k1) and an ideal rate constant k2 = 4750 as follows:
    [0037]
    Process P2: Determination of a temperature-based remaining life (LT) for the wind turbine lubricating oil on the basis of a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil. The temperature-based remaining life may represent an estimated remaining life as predicted based on the measured temperature of the lubricating oil. This may include obtaining a reading of the temperature of the lubricating oil. In the event that the lubricating oil comes from a wind turbine, the temperature reading can be obtained from a temperature sensor which is in contact with the lubricating oil either inside the wind turbine or outside the wind turbine. As with process P1, the temperature-based remaining life can be calculated according to the ARR.
    A process P3 may include calculating a contamination factor for the lubricating oil based on a (measured) contamination sample of the lubricating oil. In various embodiments, the calculation includes using a transfer function to assign a qualitative weighted contamination factor to each of a plurality of measured oil properties as mentioned herein. In various embodiments, a first oil property A is assigned a weighted contamination factor X, while a second oil property B is assigned a different weighted contamination factor of Y x X, where Y is a factor, e.g. 1, 2, 3, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, a negative factor, a percentage factor, etc. is. In various embodiments, the contaminant sample can be obtained from a sample of the lubricating oil that is substantially similar to that used in the temperature measurement. In various embodiments, the contamination sample is obtained and analyzed with regard to at least one of the following oil properties: iron particle number, water content, dielectric constant and / or particle level according to the international standardization organization (ISO) in order to calculate a contamination factor. In some specific cases, the ISO particle level includes an ISO level average particle number that is calculated by averaging a plurality of a plurality of ISO level particle numbers for the lubricating oil. In various cases, these may include an ISO 4 level particle number, an ISO 6 level particle number and an ISO 14 level particle number.
    Process P4 may include determining an updated ideal life remaining for the wind turbine lube oil based on the contamination factor, ideal remaining life, and temperature-based remaining life. In various embodiments, the updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil is calculated by subtracting an actual life loss (of the lubricating oil) from the initial ideal remaining life. In equation form: updated ideal remaining life = initial ideal remaining life - actual life loss. The actual life loss can be calculated by multiplying the life loss factor by a sample frequency of the lubricating oil. In equation form: actual loss of service life = loss of service life factor x sample frequency of the lubricating oil. The sampling frequency can be obtained using a look-up table or other reference table and can be calculated based on a known relationship between the type of oil, the volume of oil in the reservoir and the length of time between successive samples of the oil. In various embodiments these relationships are predetermined and e.g. stored in a memory memory or another data storage device in at least one computing device (e.g. any computing device illustrated and / or described herein) or accessible to at least one computing device. Based on a known frequency of the oil and the measured volume of oil in the reservoir, the computing device can determine an elapsed time between samples (e.g., successive samples) of the oil. This elapsed time between samples can be used to determine a remaining (and / or elapsed) life of the oil.
    Process P5 may include determining an actual remaining life for the wind turbine lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor. In various embodiments, the actual remaining life is equal to the life loss factor multiplied by the sampling frequency of the lubricating oil. In equation form: actual loss of service life = loss of service life factor x sample frequency of the lubricating oil. In various embodiments, the life loss factor is calculated by taking the ratio of the initial ideal life remaining to the temperature-based life remaining and multiplying that ratio by the contamination factor. In equation form: Life Loss Factor = [initial ideal remaining life: temperature-based remaining life] x contamination factor.
    In many embodiments, samples of the lubricating oil are obtained at various locations on the wind turbine. In these cases it is understood that the sample data can be averaged or normalized in some other way in order to determine a remaining service life.
    In some cases, the life loss factor for the first sample data obtained (e.g. temperature data, contamination data, frequency data, etc.) can be multiplied by the time between samples and the value subtracted from the life of the fluid under optimal conditions. As noted, this particular example applies to the case of the first sample obtained (or the first sample taken after the oil from the wind turbine and reservoir has been replaced). After an initial data sample is available, subsequent samples form part of a moving average that includes some or all of the previously obtained samples.
    In certain embodiments, the life loss factor may be calculated as a moving average based on a period of operation of the wind turbine containing the lubricating oil. In some cases, the life loss factor is a moving average that is calculated over a recent (e.g. most recent) period of time, such as the past 1-3 weeks of operation of the wind turbine.
    In various embodiments, the processes P1-P5 can be iterated (repeated) periodically (e.g. according to a scheme with x times per y period and / or continuously) in order to monitor the actual remaining service life for a lubricating oil of the wind turbine. In some cases the processes P2-P5 can be repeated e.g. obtaining one or more new samples of the lubricating oil from the wind turbine (wind turbine 118, FIG. 4) and performing the associated processes as described herein. In these cases, the process P1 does not need to be repeated because the initial ideal remaining life (Li) may be essentially unchanged between several test intervals.
    FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram illustrating a process for analyzing a lubricating oil from a wind turbine (the wind turbine 118, FIG. 4) according to various specific embodiments of the invention. These processes can e.g. by at least one computing device as described herein. In other cases, these processes can be performed according to a computer implemented method for monitoring a lubricating oil from a wind turbine. In still further embodiments, these processes can be performed by executing computer program code on at least one computing device, thereby causing the at least one computing device to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine. In general, the process can include the following sub-processes.
    PA: Prediction of an initial ideal remaining service life for the lubricating oil of the wind turbine (WKA);
    PB: Determination of a temperature-based remaining service life of the wind turbine lubricating oil on the basis of a measured temperature of the wind turbine lubricating oil;
    PC: Determination of a contamination factor of the WKA lubricating oil on the basis of a measured degree of contamination of the WKA lubricating oil;
    PD: Determination of a service life loss factor of the WKA lubricating oil on the basis of the initial ideal remaining service life, the temperature-based remaining service life and the contamination factor;
    PE: Determination of a life loss amount of the wind turbine lubricating oil on the basis of the life loss factor and a sampling frequency of the wind turbine lubricating oil;
    PF: Calculation of a refined ideal remaining life for the WKA lubricating oil on the basis of the life loss amount and the initial ideal remaining life; and
    PG: Prediction of an actual remaining life of the WKA lubricating oil on the basis of the refined ideal remaining life and the life loss factor.
    It will be understood that other processes may be performed in the flowcharts illustrated and described herein, although not illustrated, and that the order of the processes may be rearranged in accordance with various embodiments. In addition, intermediate processes can be carried out between one or more of the processes described. The flow of processes as illustrated and described herein is not to be construed as limiting the various embodiments.
    Fig. 3 shows an exemplary graph of the predicted remaining oil life curves corresponding to: A) A theoretical calculation of the remaining wind turbine oil life based on ideal conditions; B) a contamination factor curve; C) A calculation of the remaining wind turbine oil life based on an actual life loss; and D) A calculation of the remaining wind turbine oil life based on a calculation of a considered remaining useful life. The length of time in years is illustrated on the left y-axis, the contamination factor is illustrated on the right y-axis and time is illustrated on the x-axis.
    4 shows an illustrative environment 101 which contains a monitoring system 114 for performing the functions described herein in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. As such, the environment 101 includes a computer system 102 that can perform one or more processes described herein to provide a wind turbine lubricating oil, e.g. from the wind turbine 118 to monitor. In particular, the computer system 102 is illustrated as including the monitoring system 114 that enables the computer system 102 to monitor a lubricating oil by performing any / all of the processes described herein and implementing any / all of the embodiments described herein.
    The computer system 102 is illustrated as including a computing device 124 that includes a processing component 104 (e.g., one or more processors), a memory component 106 (e.g., a memory hierarchy), an input / output (I / O) component 108 (e.g., one or more I / O interfaces and / or devices) and a communication path 110. In general, the processing component 104 executes program code, such as, for example, the monitoring system 114, which is at least partially defined in the memory component 106. While executing the program code, the processing component 104 can process data, which can result in reading and / or writing of transformed data from / to the memory component 106 and / or the I / O component 108 for further processing. Path 110 provides a communication link between each of the components in computer system 102. The I / O component 108 may include one or more human I / O devices that enable a user (eg, a human and / or a computerized user) 112 to interact with the computer system 102 and / or one or more communication devices to enable system user 112 to communicate with computer system 102 using any type of communications link. To that extent, the monitoring system 114 can manage a set of interfaces (e.g., graphical user interface (s), application program interface, etc.) that enable human and / or system users 112 to interact with the monitoring system 114. In addition, the monitoring system 114 may include data such as oil temperature data 60 (e.g. data on the temperature of the wind turbine oil obtained from a sensor system 150), oil contamination data 80 (e.g. data on the degree of contamination of the wind turbine oil obtained from the sensor system 150) and / or manage oil frequency data 90 (e.g., data on the frequency measurement of wind turbine oil as obtained from the sensor system 150) using any solution (e.g., store, retrieve, generate, manipulate, organize, present, etc.). The monitoring system 114 can also communicate with the wind turbine (wind turbine) 118 and / or an oil sensor system 150 via a wireless and / or hard-wired device.
    In any event, computer system 102 may include one or more general purpose computing articles of manufacture (e.g., computing devices) capable of executing program code, such as monitoring system 114, installed thereon. As used herein, it is understood that "program code" means any collection of instructions in any language, code, or notation that cause a computing device with an information processing capability to perform a particular function, either immediately or after any combination perform the following: (a) convert to another language, code, or notation; (b) reproduction in another material form; and / or (c) decompression.
    To that extent, the monitoring system 114 can be embodied as any combination of system software and / or application software. It is further understood that the monitoring system 114 may be implemented in a cloud-based computing environment in which one or more processes are performed on different computing devices (e.g., multiple computing devices 24), one or more of these different computing devices only some of the components, such as illustrated and described with respect to computing device 124 of FIG. 4.
    Further, the monitoring system 114 can be implemented using a set of modules 132. In this case, a module 132 can enable the computer system 102 to perform a set of tasks used by the monitoring system 114, and it can be separately developed and / or implemented among other parts of the monitoring system 114. As used herein, the term "component" means any hardware configuration, with or without software, that implements the functionality described in connection therewith using any solution, while the term "module" means program code that enables computer system 102 to implement the functionality described in connection with this using any solution. When defined in a memory component 106 of a computer system 102 that includes a processing component 104, a module is an essential part of a component that implements the functionality. Regardless of this, it is understood that two or more components, modules and / or systems can share part / all of their respective hardware and / or software. It is further understood that some of the functionality discussed herein may not be implemented or that further functionality may be included as part of the computer system 102.
    If the computer system 102 includes multiple computing devices, each computing device may include only a portion of the monitoring system 114 (e.g., one or more modules 132) defined thereon. However, it is understood that the computer system 102 and the monitoring system 114 merely represent various possible equivalent computer systems that can perform a process described herein. To this extent, the functionality provided by the computer system 102 and the monitoring system 114 may, in other embodiments, be implemented at least in part by one or more computing devices that contain any combination of general purpose and / or special purpose hardware with or without program code. In either embodiment, the hardware and program code, if included, can be created using standard engineering and programming techniques, respectively.
    Regardless, if computer system 102 includes multiple computing devices 124, the computing devices may communicate over any type of communication link. Further, while performing a process described herein, computer system 102 may communicate with one or more other computer systems using any type of communication link. In any event, the communication link may comprise any combination of different types of wired and / or wireless connections, any combination of one or more types of networks, and / or use any combination of different types of transmission techniques and protocols.
    The computer system 102 may receive or provide data such as wind turbine (WKA) oil temperature data 60, WKA oil contamination data 80, and / or WKA oil frequency data 90 using any solution. The computer system 102 can generate WKA oil temperature data 60, WKA oil contamination data 80 and / or WKA oil frequency data 90 from one or more data memories, WKA oil temperature data 60, WKA oil contamination data 80 and / or WKA oil frequency data 90 from another system, for example of the wind turbine 118, the oil sensor system 150 and / or the user 112, send WKA oil temperature data 60, WKA oil contamination data 80 and / or WKA oil frequency data 90 to another system, etc.
    While the invention is illustrated and described herein as a method and system for monitoring a lubricating oil from a wind turbine, it is understood that aspects of the invention also provide various alternative embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, the invention provides a computer program which is embodied on at least one computer readable medium and which, when executed, enables a computer system to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine. To this extent, the computer-readable medium contains program code, such as, for example, the monitoring system 114 (FIG. 4), which implements part or all of the processes and / or embodiments described herein. It is understood that the term "computer readable medium" includes one or more of any type of tangible medium of expression, as now known or developed, from which a copy of the program code is perceived, reproduced or otherwise transmitted by a computing device can be. For example, the computer readable medium may include: one or more portable storage articles of manufacture; one or more memory / storage components of a computing device; Paper; Etc.
    In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of providing a copy of program code, such as monitoring system 114 (FIG. 4), that implements part or all of a process described herein. In this case, a computer system may process a copy of the program code that implements part or all of a process described herein to convert a set of data signals, one or more properties of which are fixed and / or modified in a manner, to a copy of the program code in of the set of data signals to encode, generate and transmit for reception at a second, different location. Similarly, an embodiment of the invention provides a method of acquiring a copy of program code that implements part or all of a process described herein, which includes a computer system receiving the set of data signals as described herein and converting the set of data signals into a Copy of the computer program converts which is set in at least one computer-readable medium. In either case, the set of data signals can be transmitted / received using any type of communication link.
    In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a method of monitoring wind turbine lubricating oil. In this case, a computer system such as computer system 102 (FIG. 4) can be preserved (e.g., created, maintained, made available, etc.), and one or more components for performing a process described herein can be obtained ( e.g. generated, acquired, used, modified, etc.) and used for the computer system. To this extent, the use can include one or more of the following: (1) installing the program code on a computing device; (2) adding one or more computing and / or I / O devices to the computer system; (3) adding and / or modifying the computer system to enable it to carry out a process described herein; Etc.
    In any event, the technical effect of various embodiments of the invention including e.g. of the monitoring system 114, the monitoring of a lubricating oil from a wind turbine 118. It is understood that, according to various embodiments, the monitoring system 114 could be implemented for monitoring a lubricating oil in several different wind turbine systems, similar to the wind turbine 118.
    Various other embodiments may include a wind turbine lube oil monitoring device that may include one or more components of the monitoring system 114 (and associated functionality) along with the oil sensor system 150. The wind turbine lube oil monitoring device may be configured to non-invasively monitor one or more states of the wind turbine lube oil. In some cases, the wind turbine lube oil monitoring device (and particularly the oil sensor system 150) can monitor one or more parameters of the wind turbine lube oil, including, but not limited to: an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) particle number, ferrous material particle number, water content, and / or a chemical breakdown.
    In various embodiments, the wind turbine lubricating oil monitoring device can continuously monitor these parameters and compare these parameters with allowable thresholds (e.g. values or ranges) in order to determine whether the wind turbine lubricating oil is of a desired quality. The wind turbine lubricating oil monitor may be an interface, e.g. a human machine interface (HMI) to provide one or more warnings when the particular parameter (s) of the wind turbine lubricating oil deviate by an unacceptable threshold / range, becoming an unacceptable threshold / range approach and / or tend towards an unacceptable threshold / range.
    In some cases, the wind turbine lube oil monitor may be mounted on, or otherwise connected to, the wind turbine 118. In other cases, the wind turbine lube oil monitor is located near the wind turbine 118 to allow real time monitoring of the condition of the wind turbine lube oil.
    In various embodiments, the wind turbine lubricating oil monitoring device can be connected in terms of flow to the existing lubricating oil reservoir in the wind turbine. In some specific embodiments, the wind turbine lubricating oil monitoring device is fluidly connected to the return line drain section of the wind turbine oil reservoir. In some cases, the wind turbine lube oil monitor includes an oil supply line for drawing oil from the reservoir and a drain line for draining tested oil back to the reservoir. The apparatus may further include a bracket for mounting on the reservoir or a nearby portion of the machine.
    5 and 6 show a schematic front view and perspective partial view of a wind turbine lubricating oil monitoring device (device) 500 according to various embodiments of the invention. It is understood that the wind turbine lube oil monitor 500 may be part of an oil sensor system 150 (FIG. 4). That is, the oil sensor system 150 may include a wind turbine lube oil monitor 150, shown and described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows the device 500 as it contains a housing part 502 with a housing 504 over a base plate 506 and a rear wall support 508 (FIG. 6). FIG. 5 further illustrates a bracket 510 that is connected to the housing part 502. 6 shows the device 500 in perspective view without the housing 504 and illustrates an oil inlet line 512, an oil pump 514, an inner line 516, an oil analyzer 518, and a drain line 520. Various components described with respect to the device 500, can be made from conventional materials known in the art, e.g. made of metals such as steel, copper, aluminum, alloys, composites, etc.
    Referring to both FIGS. 5 and 6, the wind turbine lube oil monitor (device) 500, in some particular embodiments, may include:
    A housing part 502, which includes a base plate 506 and a rear wall bracket 508, which may be formed from sheet metal or another suitable composite material. The housing part 502 may further include a housing 504 that is connected to the base plate 506 and the backplane bracket 508, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In various embodiments, the housing may have an interface 526, e.g. a human machine interface (HMI), which may include a display 528 (e.g., a touch screen, digital or other display). In some cases, the interface 526 may include one or more warning indicators 530 that include one or more lights (e.g., LEDs), audible indicators, and / or tactile indicators to indicate that a condition of the oil being tested has reached an undesirable level (e.g., area ) approximates, has approximated or could approximate, may contain.
    The housing portion 502 may further include an oil inlet conduit 512 connected to the base 506 and extending through the base 506. The oil inlet line 512 can be connected in terms of flow to the oil reservoir of the wind turbine (reservoir) 540 and is configured to remove oil from the reservoir 540. It is also illustrated (in FIG. 6) that the housing part 502 can contain an oil pump 514, which is essentially contained in the interior of the housing 504 and is fluidly connected to the oil inlet line 512. The pump 514 may provide pump pressure to draw the oil from the reservoir 540 through the oil inlet line 512 (and above the base plate 506). The housing part 502 can also contain an inner line 516 which is fluidly connected to the oil pump 514 (at an outlet of the pump 514) and the inlet line 512. The inner conduit 516 is configured to receive drawn oil from the pump 514. The housing part 502 can further contain an oil analysis device 518 which is fluidly connected to the inner line 516, the oil analysis device 518 a characteristic property of the wind turbine lubricating oil sucked in (e.g. a particle number / ISO level, an iron particle number, a water content, a temperature and / or a dielectric constant). It is also illustrated that the housing part 502 can contain a drain line 520 which is fluidly connected to the oil analysis device 518, extends through the base plate 506 and is fluidically connected to the storage container 540. Drain line 520 enables tested oil to drain back to reservoir 540.
    The device 500 may further include a holder 570 that is connected to the housing part 502. The bracket 510 can be configured (sized and / or shaped) to connect to the oil reservoir 540 of the wind turbine 118 (FIG. 4).
    In various embodiments, the base plate 506 is configured to face vertically downward, e.g. to be perpendicular to the vertical axis (y). This may allow the drain line 560 to use gravitational forces to divert the tested lubricating oil back to the reservoir 540. In these cases, the base plate 506 lies above the storage container 540.
    In some particular embodiments, the bracket 510 includes an L-shaped member 572 that includes a vertically extending back 574 connected to the housing part 502 and a horizontally extending base 576. The horizontally extending base 576 may be mountable on the oil reservoir 540 of the wind turbine 118 (FIG. 4).
    It will be understood that the device 500 can be powered by a unit of energy, e.g. a battery power unit, and / or a direct alternating current (AC) connection to one or more power sources of the wind turbine 118 may be powered.
    During operation, the device 500 is configured to take stock oil from the oil reservoir 540 via the inlet line 512 (with the pump 514 providing the pressure to draw the stock oil vertically upwards), this withdrawn oil through the inner line 516 to pump and deliver the oil to the analyzer 518 for testing prior to dispensing the oil back to the reservoir 514 via the drain line 520. In various embodiments, the drain line 520 drains to a different portion 580 of the reservoir 540 than the portion 582 that is coupled to the inlet line 512. In some cases, the reservoir 540 has a substantially continuous flow path that runs from the extraction point 582 to the drain point 580, which means that new oil continuously enters the reservoir 540 from the wind turbine 118, flows through the reservoir 540 (and from of device 500 is tested) and re-enters the machine.
    In various embodiments, components that are described as being "connected" to one another may be joined together along one or more junctions. In some embodiments, these connection points may comprise connections between various components, and in other cases these connection points may comprise a fixed and / or integrally formed interconnection. That is, in some cases, components that are "connected" to one another can be created simultaneously to form a single continuous element. However, in other embodiments these connected components can be produced as separate elements and joined together by means of known processes (e.g. by fastening, ultrasonic welding, gluing).
    When an element or layer is referred to as being "on" another element or layer, "engaging", "connected" or "engaging" another element or layer "Coupled", it can lie directly on the other element or layer, directly engage, be connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be elements or layers in between. In contrast, if an element is designated in such a way that it is “directly on” another element or layer, “directly engages”, “is directly connected” or “is directly connected to” another element or layer. is directly coupled », no intervening elements or layers are present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in the same way (e.g. "between" versus "immediately between", "next to" versus "immediately next to", etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting on the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”, “the” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms "having" and / or "comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of the indicated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components but the presence or inclusion do not exclude one or more additional features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups.
    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making, using any devices or systems, and performing the same any included procedures. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
    Various embodiments of the invention include a system 102 comprising: at least one computing device 24 configured to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine 118 by performing actions including: determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine 118; Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil; Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil; Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the contamination factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; and determining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a life loss factor.
    PARTS LIST:
    Computing device 24 oil temperature data 60 oil contamination data 80 oil frequency data 90 environment 101 computer system 102 processing component 104 memory component 106 input / output (I / O) component 108 communication path 110 system user 112 monitoring system 114 wind turbine 118 computing device 124 modules 132 oil sensor system 150 lubricating oil monitoring device 500 housing part 502 housing 504 Base plate 506 Back panel support 508 Bracket 510 Oil inlet line 512 Oil pump 514 Inner line 516 Oil analyzer 518 Drain line 520 Interface 526 Display 528 Warning indicator (s) 530 Machine oil reservoir (reservoir) 540 Bracket 570 L-shaped element 572 Back 574 Base 576 Section 580 Section 582
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1]
    A system (102) comprising:at least one computing device (24) arranged to analyze a lubricating oil from a wind turbine (118) by performing actions including:Determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine (118);Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil;Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil;Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the impurity factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; andDetermining an actual life time remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining service life and a lifetime loss factor.
    [2]
    The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device (24) is further configured to determine the lifetime loss factor as follows:Lifetime loss factor = [initial ideal remaining life: temperature-based remaining life] x impurity factor.
    [3]
    The system (102) of claim 2, wherein the at least one computing device (24) is further configured to determine an elapsed time between sampling samples of the lubricating oil based on a sampling frequency of the lubricating oil.
    [4]
    The system (102) of claim 3, wherein the determination of the actual remaining life includes a determination of an actual life loss as follows:actual loss of life = fatigue loss factor x sampling frequency of lubricating oil,wherein the determination of the updated ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil preferably includes a calculation of the updated ideal remaining life as follows:updated ideal remaining life = initial ideal remaining life - actual life loss.
    [5]
    The system (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the determination of the actual remaining life for the lubricating oil includes a calculation of the actual remaining life as follows:actual remaining life = updated ideal remaining life / lifetime loss factor.
    [6]
    The system (102) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an oil sensor system (150) coupled to the at least one computing device (24), the oil sensor system (150) being for sampling the lubricating oil, wherein the temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil is calculated based on an Arrhenius reaction rate of the lubricating oil; and orwherein the impurity factor is calculated based on a measurement of at least one of the following properties of the lubricating oil: iron particle number, water content, dielectric constant or particle number according to a level of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
    [7]
    The system (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contamination factor is calculated based on an average ISO (International Organization for Standardization) level particle count calculated by averaging a plurality of the ISO level particle counts for the lubricating oil ,
    [8]
    A computer program product having program code that, when executed by a computing device (24), causes the at least one computing device (24) to monitor a lubricating oil from a wind turbine (118) by performing actions including:Determining an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine (118);Determining a temperature-based remaining life for the lubricating oil based on a temperature measurement of the lubricating oil;Calculating a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a contamination sample of the lubricating oil;Determining an updated ideal life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the impurity factor, the initial ideal remaining life, and the temperature-based remaining life; andDetermining an actual life remaining for the lubricating oil based on the updated ideal remaining life and a lifetime loss factor.
    [9]
    9. System (102), comprising:at least one computing device (24) arranged to analyze a lubricating oil from a wind turbine (118) by performing actions including:Predicting an initial ideal remaining life for the lubricating oil from the wind turbine (118);Determining a temperature-based remaining life of the lubricating oil based on a measured temperature of the lubricating oil;Determining a contamination factor of the lubricating oil based on a measured impurity level of the lubricating oil;Determining a Lifetime Loss Factor of the lubricating oil based on the initial ideal remaining life, the temperature-based remaining life, and the impurity factor;Determining a life loss amount of the lubricating oil based on the life loss factor and a sampling frequency of the lubricating oil;Calculating a refined ideal remainingLife for the lubricating oil based on the life loss amount and the initial ideal remaining life; andPredicting an actual remaining life of the lubricating oil based on the refined ideal remaining life and the lifetime loss factor.
    [10]
    10. The system of claim 9, wherein the measured temperature of the lubricating oil is measured at a common location on the oil well, such as the measured level of contamination; and orwherein the measured temperature of the lubricating oil is measured at substantially the same time as the measured impurity level.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    CN105386939A|2016-03-09|
    JP2016044681A|2016-04-04|
    US20160054288A1|2016-02-25|
    DE102015113306A1|2016-04-21|
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    法律状态:
    2017-03-15| NV| New agent|Representative=s name: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH GLOBAL PATENT, CH |
    2019-05-31| AZW| Rejection (application)|
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US14/467,534|US20160054288A1|2014-08-25|2014-08-25|Wind turbine lubricating oil analyzer system, computer program product and related methods|
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