Impact of condition monitoring on the maintenance and economic viability of offshore wind turbines

Abstract

This study explores how condition monitoring (CM) can help operate offshore wind turbines (OWTs) effectively and economically. In this paper, the Petri Net (PN) simulation models are developed to quantitatively assess the OWT availability and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. By investigating the impact of two CM approaches (i.e. purpose-designed CM and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based CM) and their combinations with various maintenance strategies, the paper addresses two fundamental questions about OWT CM that have plagued the offshore wind sector for many years. They are ‘is a wind farm SCADA system a viable alternative to purpose-designed condition monitoring system (CMS)’ and ‘what is the best way to integrate CMSs and maintenance strategies to maximise the financial benefit of OWTs’. The research suggests that although utilising both a wind farm SCADA system and a purpose-designed CMS can achieve the highest turbine availability, it is not the most cost-effective option in terms of maintenance expenses. Instead, combining purpose-designed CM with less frequent advanced service can achieve the desired availability at the lowest cost. Furthermore, the use of a purpose-designed CMS is essential for the economical operation of OWTs and cannot be replaced by the current wind farm SCADA system.