Castrol recently announced that it has partnered with Onyx InSight on a multi-phase study to uncover the potential of combining oil and vibration data for wind turbine health monitoring. The two companies have completed laboratory testing to measure the effectiveness of sensors to the changing conditions of oil in a simulated wind turbine environment. The tests were carried out using a range of oil sensor technologies, with each sensor type tested in multiple oils from three separate vendors.
The second phase of the study is now in progress with oil sensor installations at a commercial wind farm. Data from the field shows excellent correlation between oil sensor and vibration condition monitoring system outputs relating to a developing gearbox bearing failure.
The trials are helping Onyx InSight and Castrol refine new approaches for an advanced, integrated condition monitoring system by combining data from oil condition, vibration sensors and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.
“We have been at the forefront of supplying best-in-class carbon-neutral lubricants to extend wind turbine life cycles,” said Phil Booker, Castrol’s international application engineer. “Now we are working with Onyx InSight to ensure that O&M (operations and maintenance) teams have the knowledge they need to help propel growth in wind energy.”
The study comes as Onyx InSight prepares to launch the first in a series of digitalization reports incorporating the findings from the combined oil sensor study along with additional research to help companies rationalize the volume of data in the wind industry to help unlock the benefits of digitalization.
“To continue to innovate and improve predictive maintenance best practice, we need to understand how oil and vibration data can be combined to provide the most accurate insights to enable us to best support our customers’ O&M teams,” added Bruce Hall, CEO of Onyx InSight.
For more information, visit www.onyxinsight.com.
