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Application of ICP DAS’s Solution for Cloud Data Visualization in Wind Turbine Foundation Monitoring System in the UK

ICP DAS’s WISE series IIoT edge controllers are used to collect vibration data from wind turbines located across the UK. Then this data is transmitted to a control center in London via 3G/4G wireless communication and managed with the software IoTstar developed by ICP DAS. This software can easily monitor and manage the wind turbine status remotely, displaying the data on the dashboard and providing the wind turbine preventive maintenance indicator to the management personnel.

Introduction:

The client described in this application is one of the leading specialist asset maintenance contractors for buildings and structures operating across the UK, primarily providing comprehensive asset refurbishment, repair, and regular maintenance services for buildings and concrete structures. Due to the large weight of the wind turbine, the soil under that becomes loose, which leads to the distortion of the turbine foundation (meaning the concrete block). When the distortion of the foundation increases, it can lead to an unplanned shutdown of the wind turbine, further affecting the overall operation efficiency and increasing the maintenance cost. In the past, the client had to send someone from the staff to the field to record wind turbine vibration data; however, it took too much time and effort. Therefore, the customer decided to use IIoT technology to wirelessly transmit machine vibration data to a monitoring center in London and implement preventive maintenance by analyzing vibration data to prevent wind turbine failure in the future, thereby reducing maintenance costs. This case illustrates how ICP DAS‘s cloud data visualization solution helps a client remotely monitor the wind turbine foundation instantaneously.

ICP DAS's intelligent IIoT edge controller WISE-5231M-3GWA and software IoTstar provide a real-time remote monitoring system

The system architecture of this case can be divided into two parts: the wind turbine field terminal and the monitoring center. On the wind turbine field terminal side, the WISE-5231M-3GWA IIoT edge controller, together with the XV310 DI DO expansion board, converts the vibration data collected by the linear variable displacement transducers (LVDT) located at four points around the base of each wind turbine. Then, this data will be transmitted via 3G wireless communication to the control center. After that, by using the ICP DAS’s IoTstar cloud management software, the customer is able to implement real-time monitoring and control system of the wind turbine foundation. The system architecture is as follows:

ICP DAS‘s WISE IIoT edge controllers are widely used for logic control and monitoring in various industrial applications. The built-in IF-THEN-ELSE statement can execute automation logic stably and efficiently. It also provides functions for mathematical operations, scheduling, and sending email notifications. The WISE IIoT edge controller can immediately initiate actions and issue warnings if the monitored value exceeds the normal range. In this case, the customer uses the WISE-5231M-3GWA to transmit the vibration data to the control center via 3G wireless communication.

The IoTstar is a cloud management software developed by ICP DAS that can remotely monitor and control WISE/PMC/PMD series IIoT controllers, I/O modules, devices, and equipment connected to the controllers. The IoTstar can be installed not only on private cloud platforms in the Windows OS, but also on public cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, IBM Bluemix, Google Cloud, or Amazon Web Services. In this case, the customer used the IoTstar to get data from sensors connected to WISE controllers to import this data into a database and show it on the dashboard.

Wind Turbine Foundation-vibration data monitoring box and dashboard

Benefits:

  • The WISE-5231M-3GWA, through the 3G wireless method, solves the problem of wiring and transmission of the vibration data, effectively reducing the cost of the cable. Together with an automatic reconnecting mechanism of the 3G wireless communication, the WISE-5231M-3GWA can transmit a large amount of information in the shortest possible time.

  • The WISE series IIoT edge controller provides an easy-to-operate web interface to edit the control logic. No programming is required. Users only need to click the settings on the HMI to edit the control logic.

  • The WISE series IIoT edge controller can be used with XV-board series I/O expansion boards to meet various I/O requirements in different applications. To save space, users can insert the XV-board series I/O expansion board into the WISE series IIoT edge controller.

  • The built-in data logger of the WISE series IIoT edge controller provides the data recovery function that can automatically transmit the data to the control center. When a network failure occurs in a 3G/4G base station, the data logger still records the data and keeps it safe. The WISE series IIoT edge controller can transmit timestamped data every five seconds after the base station recovers from a network failure, thus keeping the data safe.

  • With the IoTstar, users do not need to worry about the network environment of the WISE controller. Whether the controller uses a static IP, dynamic IP, virtual IP, or physical IP, with the help of the IoTstar, the management personnel can perform status monitoring, system settings, and configuration of provided data. Users can also configure and upgrade the firmware of the WISE controller through the web interface provided by the IoTstar. It solves the problem of IP management in the 3G/4G wireless communication and reduces the time and cost of sending personnel to the field.

  • With the IoTstar dashboard service, each wind turbine has an independent dashboard. Users can check the turbine vibration data in real-time and schedule predictive maintenance to reduce maintenance costs afterward. Besides this, the IoTstar 2.0 version provides a statistic report service for the power meters or the channel value of the I/O modules connected to the WISE/PMC/PMD series controllers. Reports can be provided in PDF or Excel file format. For more information, please follow the link below: https://www.icpdas.com/en/product/IoTstar__Report__Service-RC050

IoTstar Dashboard Service
IoTstar-Report for Power meter loop

Conclusion:

This customer achieved its goal to build a remote monitoring and predictive maintenance system with ICP DAS‘s solution for cloud data visualization. This application model has also been successfully used in other countries. For example, WISE-5231M-4GE and IoTstar are used for real-time remote monitoring of solar panels in Phuket Island, Thailand, and its surrounding 32 outlying islands. The collected data is transmitted to the monitoring center in Phuket City via 4G wireless communication. The water pump monitoring system in Indore City, Madhya Pradesh State, India also uses WISE-5231M-4GE and IoTstar for remote monitoring.

ICP DAS is committed to providing customers with easy-to-operate solutions to solve complex data transmission problems caused by environmental limits. In the future, ICP DAS will continue to develop solutions that can be applied in various areas to improve data collection, and monitoring needs.

Related products:

WISE-5231M-3GWA Intelligent IIoT Edge Controller
IoTstar - IoT Cloud Management Software
XV-board series DI DO expansion boards

ICP DAS View All

ICP DAS was established in 1993 and strongly focuses on innovation and the enhancement of industrial automation technology. ICP DAS continuously endeavors to develop a comprehensive selection of products ranging from remote I/O controllers, distributed I/O modules, I/O data acquisition boards, programmable automation controllers, industrial communication modules, web-related products, motion control systems, SCADA/HMI software to automation solutions for applications critical to energy management, motion automation, smart factories, intelligent buildings, and smart cities. Our ambition is to provide a wide range of high-quality products and versatile applications, together with prompt and efficient services, that can be implemented to assist in the continued success of our clients worldwide.

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