Standards Development

Scope

This document describes the objectives and procedures for the monitoring of wind turbine structures (Structural Health Monitoring - SHM). It provides guidelines and instructions for the general design of SHM systems for monitoring wind turbine structures and gives an overview of the objectives that can be pursued with SHM and their benefits, in accordance with the principles outlined in ISO 16079-1 .

In contrast to methods from the field of machine monitoring (described in ISO 16079-2:2020 [1] ), which typically deal with the monitoring of rotating machine components, SHM is primarily used to monitor objects with load-bearing properties (foundation, tower and nacelle mainframe structures). Blade structural monitoring is outside the scope of this document..

This document provides instructions for dealing with the variety of methods and technologies appropriate to wind turbine structures, both on and off-shore. It describes the framework conditions for the efficient use of SHM and refers to possible economic and/or technical application limits. Basic strategies for action are presented and criteria for their optimal implementation are named, in relation to the objectives of SHM. The requirements for technical implementation in SHM systems are listed, depending on the SHM objective.

The document also refers to the tasks of integrating monitoring measures into the ongoing construction or operating process of the load-bearing structures and provides information for their consideration in project and process management.

This document is aimed at

a)       Structure owners/End Users (Asset managers)

b)       Wind Farm Developers

c)        Operators

d)       Manufcturers of Wind Turbines

e)       Designers and Wind Turbine structural components including

1)       Foundations

2)       Transition Pieces

3)       Tower Segments

4)       Nacelle Steel Structures (mainframe

f)         Fabricators of Wind Turbine structural components

1)       Foundations

2)       Transition Pieces

3)       Tower Segments

4)       Nacelle Steel Structures (mainframe)

g)       Suppliers of SHM hardware

h)       Data analysts

i)         Operations and Maintenance Departments

The use of an SHM system makes sense in technical installations and constructions in which either the technical functionality can be improved or an economic benefit can arise. Examples of the advantages that an SHM system can provide are:

j)         Early fault detection

k)       Condition following events

l)         Remaining service life

m)     Operational optimization

n)       Fleet monitoring

o)       operational safety;

p)       compliance approval (in individual cases);

q)       asset management, condition-based maintenance (CBM);

r)        design verification;

s)        service life extension; and

t)        risk-based inspection regimes (where permissible)

This document includes the foundation, tower and nacelle structures of the wind turbine. The techniques described are applicable to any foundation type, subject to confirmation by the FMECA and FMSA processes. The effects of the blade motion and the aerodynamic forces on the tower are included, but structural assessment of the blades themselves is excluded. Blade condition monitoring is expected to form a future part of the ISO 16079 series of standards.

Whilst the monitoring of Offshore Substations (OSS), or other similar ancillary constructions are not explicitly in scope, many of the methods described here are also applicable to SHM for such structures.

Figure 1 shows the relationships between various Standards referred to in this document.

Figure 1

Links between the machine-specific International Standards and generic International Standards