Remote monitoring of offshore wind turbines

Challenge

The monitoring of the correct operation of the wind turbines is essential to reduce risks of possible accidents as well as the economic costs of an unplanned stoppage. Even more when it comes to large wind farms or offshore turbines that are difficult to access.

Solution

IKERLAN and Laulagun Bearings have collaborated together in the design of a system capable of monitoring the structural health of the bearings remotely in unfriendly environments with great complexity.

Specifically, the wireless sensor system is capable of providing precise and continuous information about the state of the wind generator bearings installed offshore to foresee potential defects in their functioning and, therefore, decreasing costs.

Customer benefits

With this project, Laulagun Bearing monitors physical variables such as vibration, temperature or distance between components to anticipate possible flaws and minimize damages.

The repair and substitution of these bearings is performed under complex conditions and through a display of equipment, which demands the use of high-cost resources such as lift boats. Thanks to these sensors, repairs can be scheduled to match the daily maintenance tasks.