JP2023072595A - Windmill inspection device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a windmill inspection technology to reduce lost power generation output by optimizing an execution method and an execution timing of inspections by a working robot, and improving a facility use rate.SOLUTION: A windmill inspection device includes: a transmission part for transmitting work information 36 on a work tool 45 (45a and 45b) whose work position and work posture are designated; a reception part for receiving detection data 43 from a shake sensor 34 installed in a nacelle 30; a reading part for reading a shake amplitude from the detection data 43; and a determination part for determining whether or not execution of the work tool 45 according to the work information 36 is to be kept on standby on the basis of the shake amplitude.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for inspecting a wind turbine used for wind power generation.

Wind power is one of the renewable energies that exists everywhere, does not emit carbon dioxide, and can be used permanently without depletion. In order to promote power generation using such wind power, it is important to establish technology for inspecting the soundness of operation in order to improve the stability and sustainability of power generation. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing accidents that lead to unexpected interruptions in wind power generation, periodic inspections are required.

In offshore wind power generation, the cost of dispatching workers to the wind turbines is high, and there is a desire to reduce the number of dispatches. Therefore, it is being considered to introduce work robots such as drones and articulated arms into the nacelle of wind turbines, and to complete work such as inspections by remote control as much as possible.

JP 2017-112631 A

Periodic inspections require that the operation of the wind turbine be stopped for a certain period of time, so as the frequency and period of such inspections increase, the facility operation rate decreases and the power loss output increases. Furthermore, the efficiency of wind power generation is greatly affected by weather conditions such as wind and waves, so the amount of power lost can vary greatly depending on the method and timing of periodic inspections. In addition, when using a work robot to inspect the inside of the nacelle, there is a concern that the offshore wind turbine will shake greatly depending on the weather conditions such as wind and waves, and the work robot will collide with the equipment and inner walls inside the nacelle and break down. .

The embodiments of the present invention have been made in consideration of such circumstances, and have developed a wind turbine inspection technology that optimizes the implementation method and implementation timing of inspections by work robots, improves facility utilization rates, and reduces lost power generation output. intended to provide

In the wind turbine inspection device according to the embodiment, a work tool that works inside a nacelle that houses at least a rotor shaft that transmits rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy. a working robot that supports the working tool in the inner space of the nacelle and variably sets at least one of a working position and a working posture; a receiving unit for receiving detection data from a sway sensor installed in the nacelle; a reading unit for reading a sway amplitude from the detection data; A wind turbine inspection device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not to wait based on.
It has

Embodiments of the present invention provide a wind turbine inspection technique that optimizes the implementation method and timing of inspection by a work robot, improves the facility utilization rate, and reduces the lost power output.

(A) and (B) are general views of a wind turbine to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the interior of a nacelle in which a mechanical section is installed in the wind turbine inspection device according to each embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit in the wind turbine inspection device according to the first embodiment; The block diagram of the control part in the inspection apparatus of the wind turbine which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the steps of the wind turbine inspection method and the algorithm of the wind turbine inspection program according to the embodiment.

(First embodiment)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are general views of a windmill 20 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As described above, the wind turbine 20 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is a floating offshore installation system, but the wind turbines to which each embodiment is applied are a fixed offshore installation system or a land installation system. do not interfere. Thus, the wind turbine 20 includes blades 25 , towers 26 , nacelles 30 and hubs 51 .

Blades 25 are radially arranged to be connected to rotor shaft 27 ( FIG. 2 ) at hub 51 . The pitch angle of these blades 25 is adjusted with respect to the inflow direction of the wind so that the flow energy of the wind can be efficiently converted into rotational energy. Drive mechanisms (not shown) such as a motor for adjusting the pitch angle, a brake, and an emergency power supply are provided in the hub 51 . The tower 26 is connected to a floating body 56 that is tethered to a foundation 59 built on the seabed via mooring cables 58 so as to be exposed from the sea surface.

FIG. 2 is an internal conceptual diagram of a nacelle 30 in which a mechanical section 40 is installed in a wind turbine inspection device (hereinafter simply referred to as an “inspection device”) according to each embodiment. Thus, the nacelle 30 is mounted on top of the tower 26 via the yaw drive 23 that automatically follows the rotor shaft 27 in the direction of the wind. and. Inside the tower 26 , an elevating means 24 is provided for transferring goods or workers transported by sea and landed on the floating body 56 to the inside of the nacelle 30 .

Various structures 33 are accommodated in the nacelle 30 . Such a structure 33 includes a main bearing 33a that supports the rotor shaft 27, a gearbox 33b that is connected to the end of the rotor shaft 27 to increase the rotational speed, and a power generator that converts rotational energy into electrical energy. generator 33c, a conversion circuit 33e that modulates, transforms, etc. the output of the generator 33c and converts it into an external output 29 of electric power that matches the system frequency and system voltage, and a plurality of and a transmission circuit 33d for connecting to the sensors 34 of the sensors 34 and collecting and transmitting the detected data 43 to the outside.

Here, the main purpose of the sensor 34 is to individually detect the vibration of each installed structure 33 (33a, 33b, . . . ), but it is also possible to detect the shaking of the nacelle 30 as well. A gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, a distance sensor, etc., can be used as the shake sensor 34 capable of detecting such shake.

The mechanical portion 40 of the inspection device includes a work tool 45 (45a, 45b) that works inside the nacelle 30, and supports the work tool 45 in an internal space 47 of the nacelle 30 so that at least one of its working position and working posture is variable. and the working robots 46 (46a, 46b) that are set to . Furthermore, the nacelle 30 is provided with a driving section 49 that inputs work information 36 from the control section 10 and outputs driving signals for the work robot 46 .

Here, the work robot 46 includes a flying body 46a and an articulated arm 46b. Only one of these working robots 46 may be arranged, or both of them may be arranged. In addition, the work robot 46 may be composed of a single unit, or may be composed of a plurality of units and is cooperatively controlled. The flying object 46a normally resides at a heliport provided inside the nacelle 30 and is supplied with power.

Also, the articulated arm 46b is configured to move on the rail 19 at its proximal end and can work inside the nacelle 30 over a wide range. Moreover, the rail 19 may be configured not only for traveling, but also for three-dimensional movement by combining a lateral movement and a vertical telescopic mechanism. Furthermore, by the traversing, traveling, and telescopic mechanism of the above configuration, the flying object 46a is grasped at the tip of the telescopic mechanism and moved inside the nacelle 30, and the flying object 46a is released from the upper end of the tower 26, and the inside of the tower 26 is inspected by the flying object 46a alone. can be implemented. Note that the articulated arm 46b may be provided on a mobile robot (not shown) instead of the rail 19 in some cases.

Moreover, the working robot 46 can work not only inside the nacelle 30 but also inside the tower 26 and inside the hub 51 with the working tool 45 . In this case, work can be performed on the bolt fastening condition of the joint of the tower 26 and the structure 33 arranged therein. As the camera, which is the main working tool 45, an optical camera, an infrared camera, a multispectral camera, a hyperspectral camera, and a 360-degree camera can be considered.

Other working tools 45 include a distance measuring instrument using a millimeter wave radar, laser, or the like, and a sensor for measuring state quantities such as vibration, acceleration, and temperature. Further, the work tool 45 may be a portable swing sensor (not shown) equivalent to the swing sensor 34 or a tool that performs contact work on the structure 33 . Also, a plurality of different types of cameras and sensors may be supported as the work tool 45 . In addition, it can be replaced and attached to a type of work tool 45 that the inspector deems appropriate according to the detected malfunction event.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the control unit 10A (10) in the wind turbine inspection device according to the first embodiment. In this way, the control unit 10A of the inspection device transmits the work information 36 specifying the work position and work attitude of the work tool 45 to the drive unit 49 of the work robot 45 (45a, 45b) and the nacelle 30. A receiving unit 15 for receiving detection data 43 from the arranged shaking sensor 34, a reading unit 11 for reading a shaking amplitude 44a from the detection data 43, and a shaking amplitude for determining whether to wait execution of the work tool 45 according to the work information 36. 44a.

The transmission unit 21 transmits the work information 36 of the work tool 45 to the drive unit 49 , thereby allowing the work tool 45 to approach the predesignated structure 33 . If this working tool 45 is a camera, it is possible to obtain image data 39 of the structure 33 from various positions and orientations by focusing only on a portion necessary for analysis. Moreover, even when there are a plurality of structures 33 to be noticed, the positions and postures of the work tool 45 (camera) can be changed to approach each of them.

Further, the control unit 10 of the inspection device includes an operation unit 18 that arbitrarily manipulates the transmitted work information 36 to manually set the work position and work attitude of the work tool 45 . In addition to being registered in advance, the work information 36 can also be registered and specified using the operation unit 18 from three-dimensional data constructed from laser scan data, 3D CAD data, and the like. As a result, even if the work cannot be performed satisfactorily with the work information 36 linked in advance, the work can be performed again by correcting the position/orientation of the work tool 45 .

Three-dimensional data can also be generated by reconstruction from moving images (time-series data) of a 360-degree camera (omnidirectional camera) or monocular camera, stereo images, and the like. By updating the three-dimensional data from the image data 39 obtained by the camera as the work tool 45, it is possible not only to update the work information 36 but also to inspect changes in shape (difference from the past).

If the work tool 45 (45a, 45b) is a camera, the image data 39 captured by this camera is displayed on a display (not shown). Note that the image data 39 may be a still image or a moving image. Further, the received image data 39 can be recorded and reproduced at a later date instead of being displayed in real time.

The detection data 43 acquired by the receiving unit 15 are the output values of the vibration sensor 34 for the CMS (Condition Monitoring System) application described above or the sensor provided exclusively for detecting vibration of the nacelle 30 . This detection data 43 reflects the displacement of the nacelle 30 that rocks vertically and horizontally due to the swell of waves and the shaking of the wind on the sea surface where the wind turbine 20 is located.

The reading unit 11 extracts a waveform component derived from the oscillation of the nacelle 30 from the waveform signal of the detection data 43, and reads the oscillation amplitude 44a. When the nacelle 30 is affected by wind and waves and oscillates in the absolute coordinate system of the earth's surface, the structure 33 arranged therein also oscillates with the same phase and amplitude as the nacelle 30 .

However, the work tool 45 (46a, 46b) and the work robot 46 (46a, 46b) in operation tend to stand still in the absolute coordinate system due to their own inertia. Therefore, in the relative coordinate system of the nacelle 30 , the working tool 45 ( 46 a, 46 b ) and the working robot 46 ( 46 a, 46 b ) swing relative to the structure 33 . When the shaking amplitude 44a is large, the working tool 45 or the working robot 46 collides with and breaks the structure 33 or damages the nearby structure 33 .

The determination unit 12 determines whether or not to wait for the execution of the work tool 45 according to the work information 36 by checking the swing amplitude 44a against the standby condition 35 created in advance. As a result, when the swing amplitude 44a is large and it is determined that "standby is required", an emergency stop command 22 is issued to urgently stop the execution of the work tool 45 according to the transmitted work information 36. FIG. If the shaking amplitude 44a is small and it is determined that "standby is unnecessary", the emergency stop command 22 is not issued.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the control unit 10B (10) in the wind turbine inspection device according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 4, parts having configurations or functions common to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

The inspection device 10B (10) according to the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the inspection device 10A of the first embodiment described above, provides forecast information 31 including at least one of weather data, sea condition data, and wind condition data. an acquisition unit 16 for acquiring, an estimation unit 17 for estimating at least the shaking amplitude 44b based on this forecast information 31, a power generation output 41 for estimating an inspection plan 37 describing the execution timing of the work tool 45 according to the work information 36, and and a creating unit 19 that creates based on the shaking amplitude 44b.

Forecast information 31 such as meteorological data, ocean condition data, and wind condition data can be obtained via the Internet or the like from external sources such as the Meteorological Agency, local governments, and private businesses. Although detailed description is omitted, based on such forecast information 31, the power output 41 and the swing amplitude 44b of the wind turbine 20 can be estimated.

At the wind power station, an operation plan 38 that defines the operation period and periodical inspection period of the wind turbine 20 is formulated throughout the year. This operation plan 38 is formulated based on a long-term prediction statistically analyzed from past weather data and the like so as to reduce lost power generation output. Therefore, modifying the operation plan 38 in accordance with the short-term forecast information 31 based on actually observed meteorological data is significant from the viewpoint of further promoting the reduction of lost power output.

The creation policy of the inspection plan 37 in the creation unit 19 is as follows. That is, when the power generation output 41 can be expected based on the forecast information 31, the operation of the windmill 20 is executed. Then, when the power generation output 41 cannot be expected based on the forecast information 31 and the shaking amplitude 44b is small, inspection is executed. It should be noted that the determination of whether the shaking amplitude 44b is large or small conforms to the standby condition 35. FIG.

Based on the inspection plan 37 created according to such a creation policy, the work information 36 of the work tool 45 is transmitted to the drive unit 49 of the nacelle 30 at the timing of automatic operation, and the work tool 45 is executed. By creating the inspection plan 37 based on the forecast information 31 in this manner, the operation plan 38 is corrected by the correction unit 14 as necessary.

The steps of the wind turbine inspection method and the algorithm of the wind turbine inspection program according to the embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 5 (see FIGS. 2 and 3 as appropriate). The work information 36 designating the work position and work attitude of the work tool 45 inside the nacelle 30 is transmitted from the transmission unit 21 to the drive unit 49 of the work tool 45 (S11).

Based on this work information 36, the work robot 46 is variably operated (S12), the work position and work attitude are set (S13), and the work tool 45 supported by the work robot 46 is made to work (S14).

On the other hand, it receives the detection data 43 of the vibration sensor 34 installed in the nacelle 30 (S15 No, S16). Then, the vibration amplitude 44a is read from the detection data 43 (S17). When the swing amplitude 44a is large and the standby condition 35 is satisfied (S18: Yes), the emergency stop command 22 for the work tool 45 executing the work information 36 is issued (S19, END). If the swing amplitude 44a is small and does not satisfy the standby condition 35 (S18: No), the operation continues until the work tool 45 finishes executing the work information 36 (S12-S15: Yes, END).

According to the wind turbine inspection device of at least one embodiment described above, by determining whether or not to wait for work based on the swing amplitude of the nacelle, the inspection implementation method and implementation timing by the work robot are optimized, It is possible to improve the capacity factor and reduce the lost power output.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

The wind turbine inspection device described above includes a control device that highly integrates a processor such as a dedicated chip, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a ROM ( Storage devices such as Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), external storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive), display devices such as displays, and input such as mouse and keyboard It is provided with a device and a communication I/F, and can be realized with a hardware configuration using a normal computer. For this reason, the constituent elements of the wind turbine inspection device can also be realized by a computer processor, and can be operated by a wind turbine inspection program.

Moreover, the inspection program for the wind turbine is preinstalled in a ROM or the like and provided. Alternatively, this program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, memory card, DVD, flexible disk (FD) as an installable or executable file. You may make it

Further, the wind turbine inspection program according to the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded via the network and provided. In addition, the wind turbine inspection device can also be configured by combining separate modules that independently perform each function of the constituent elements and are connected to each other via a network or a dedicated line.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 (10A, 10B)... Control part of inspection apparatus 11... Reading part 12... Judgment part 14... Correction part 15... Reception part 16... Acquisition part 17... Guessing part 18... Operation part 19... Creation unit 20 Windmill 21 Transmission unit 22 Emergency stop command 23 Yaw drive unit 24 Lifting means 25 Blade 26 Tower 27 Rotor shaft 29 External output 30 Nacelle , 33... structure, 33a... main bearing (structure), 33b... gearbox (structure), 33c... generator (structure), 33d... transmission circuit (structure), 33e... conversion circuit (structure ), 34... Sensors 35... Standby conditions 36... Work information 37... Inspection plan 38... Operation plan 39... Image data 40... Mechanism of inspection device 43... Detection data 44a... Read vibration amplitude , 44b ... estimated shaking amplitude, 45 (45a, 45b) ... working tool, 46 ... working robot, 46a ... flying object (working robot), 46b ... articulated arm (working robot), 47 ... internal space, 49 ... drive Part, 51... Hub, 56... Floating body, 58... Mooring cable, 59... Foundation.

Claims (6)

a work tool working inside a nacelle housing at least a rotor shaft for transmitting rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator for converting said rotational energy into electrical energy;
a working robot that supports the working tool in the inner space of the nacelle and variably sets at least one of its working position and working posture;
a transmission unit that transmits work information designating the work position and the work posture to a drive unit of the work robot;
a receiver that receives detection data from a vibration sensor installed in the nacelle;
a reading unit that reads the swing amplitude from the detection data;
A wind turbine inspection device, comprising: a determination unit that determines whether to wait for execution of the work tool according to the work information based on the swing amplitude. The wind turbine inspection device according to claim 1,
an acquisition unit that acquires forecast information including at least one of weather data, sea condition data, and wind condition data;
an estimation unit for estimating at least the shaking amplitude based on the forecast information;
A wind turbine inspection device, comprising: a creation unit that creates an inspection plan describing execution timing of the work tool according to the work information, based on the estimated power generation output and the swing amplitude. In the wind turbine inspection device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The working robot is at least one of a single or multiple flying object and an articulated arm. In the wind turbine inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The wind turbine inspection device, wherein the work tool is at least one of a camera, a sensor and a tool. a work tool working inside a nacelle containing at least a rotor shaft for transmitting rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator for converting said rotational energy into electrical energy;
a step of supporting the work tool in the inner space of the nacelle and variably setting at least one of a work position and a work posture of the work tool;
a step of transmitting work information designating the work position and the work posture to a drive unit of the work robot;
receiving detection data from a vibration sensor installed in the nacelle;
reading a swing amplitude from the detected data;
and determining whether to suspend execution of the work tool according to the work information based on the swing amplitude. to the computer,
the work tool working inside a nacelle containing at least a rotor shaft for transmitting rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator for converting said rotational energy into electrical energy;
a step of supporting the work tool in the inner space of the nacelle and variably setting at least one of a work position and a work posture of the work tool;
a step of transmitting work information designating the work position and the work posture to a drive unit of the work robot;
receiving detection data from a vibration sensor installed in the nacelle;
reading a swing amplitude from the detected data;
A wind turbine inspection program causing execution of a step of determining whether or not to suspend execution of the work tool according to the work information based on the swing amplitude.

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