Wölfel Wind Systems – Structural Health Monitoring, Ice Detection, Dampers for Tonalities and Vibrations

Strong vibrations accelerate material fatigue and the risk of damage and increase the risk of damage. When wind turbines start to vibrate, individual frequencies in the background noise of the system can become audible – this is referred to as tonality. These tonal components are particularly unpleasant for human perception and often lead to surcharges in noise emission assessments, relusting in turbines being operated only in sound-reduced mode. Vibrations can be significantly reduced using active or passive dampers, helping to avoid additional costs and yield losses.

ADD.Sound – Active damper for gearbox tonalitity reduction   |   TMD.Tower – Passive damper for tower vibration reduction

Only those who have precise knowledge of the individual components of a wind turbine, as well as the loads and stresses acting on them, can react quickly to deviations and emerging damage and implement effective countermeasures. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) enables data-driven monitoring of structural performance of wind turbines – both offshore and onshore – covering the blades, tower, and foundation.

At "cold-climate" sites, rotor blade icing and ice shedding pose additional risks. Our ice detection system, IDD.Blade, precisely monitors the icing condition and automatically controls both the shutdown and restart of the turbine.

However, we do not only provide tools for analysis. From the planning and conception of an SHM system to the installation and commissioning through to the preparation and visualization of the collected data, you receive all services from a single source.

Higher and more constant wind speeds make offshore wind farms particularly efficient. At the same time, these wind turbines are exposed to stronger environmental forces – especially the tower and foundation, which must withstand extreme wave and current loads. This results in specific challenges both during installation and throughout operation.

Additionally, investment costs for offshore wind turbines are higher, making efficient and trouble-free operation essential for rapid amortization. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) enables early damage detection and minimizes downtime.

SHM also helps reduce costly, weather-dependent visual inspections (periodic inspections) to the minimum recommended by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). Ideally, inspections are conducted on a risk-based approach, allowing high-risk faults to be prioritized and maintenance activities to be planned proactively.