Security for alternative energies

SMT & HYBRID: Alstom Grid secures the first German offshore wind farm of the power utility provider EnBW (Baltic 1 and 2 in the Baltic Sea) with shock monitoring systems MONI LOG® ShockDisplay curve plus Offshore from SMT & HYBRID GmbH based in Dresden.

Germany is extending its network of alternative energies. In the North Sea there are already four offshore wind farms, in the Baltic Sea two. A total of 87 further systems for both seas are already in the process of construction or are planned. The wind energy comes to land from transformer substations via undersea cables.These platforms combine the power of the wind turbines and transform the voltage from 33 kV to 150 kV for efficient transmission. Here efficiency and reliability are decisive factors in the overall installation. However cold, storms, wave impact, ice and docked ships load the platforms and their electrical equipment. In order to preclude damage, shocks, vibrations, humidity and temperature must be checked carefully and documented.

The MONI LOG® ShockDisplay curve Offshore alarm system is designed for such employment. Highly sensitive sensors monitor and register mechanical shocks, providing information on direction, strength, time, duration, minimum and maximum levels. The presettings are adjustable. In case of limit-value violations, an alarm signal is triggered. The system also stores all procedures with verification, including characteristic curves. In this way, all measurement results can be evaluated in detail. Every platform is equipped with several measuring devices at shock-sensitive locations.

If the values of the devices displayed in real time are compared, it can be identified how a shock spreads from a determined location and influences the equipment. This enables rapid reaction in case of faults - for example the shutdown of components. Consistent monitoring and properly processed measuring data ensure quality and verification in the construction and operating phases.

The wind farm Baltic 1, 15 km north of the Darss Peninsula, has been in operation since 2011 and already supplies electrical energy to 50,000 households. The data loggers have proved themselves so well that Baltic 2, an offshore park 30 km off Ruegen with 80 wind systems and a power capacity for 340,000 households, will also be equipped.

In the constructing of MONI LOG® data logger the SMT & HYBRID GmbH benefit from the practical know-how they had gathered as developer and producer of electronical units for industry, automotive, medicin, transportation and aerospace.

Offshore alarm system ShockDisplay curve plus

RUGGED SHOCK MONITORING FOR PLATFORMS

• Registers mechanical influences with the installation / operation of offshore plants
• Highly sensitive and long-term stable acceleration sensors
• Measures and analyses directions, strength, time, signal response of shock and vibration loading
• Alarm and operating indicator contacts for the integration of the system into the control technology
• Multi-purpose sensor for temperature / humidity / pressure
• Rugged and reliable, even under extreme climatic conditions
• Ease of operation, display, alarm function and long operating time
• Including powerful analysis software
• Secure against manipulation with multi-stage password protection
• Internal batteries for automatic function retention in case of grid failure

Cold, storms, wave impact and docked ships place extreme loading on the platforms and the electrical equipment of offshore wind parks. The transformer substation as a core item decides the efficiency and reliability of the overall system. Shocks, vibrations, air humidity and temperature must be monitored continuously in order to preclude damage.

The MONI LOG® ShockDisplay curve plus Offshore Alarm System is designed for such employment. Highly sensitive sensors monitor and register mechanical influences in real time, with direction, strength, time, duration, minimum and maximum levels. The minimum shock duration is configurable and registration and alarm thresholds can be adjusted separately for each of the 3 space axes. The number of cases of shock and extraordinary loading can be read off directly on the logger, where limit overshoots are indicated by alarm and operating signals, as well as live contacts (Protection Class III), on the control technology of the platform. The system is fixed-installed and works network-linked. Internal batteries guarantee function in case of grid failure. All stored measured values are maintained for years. The MONI LOG® ShockDisplay curve plus, with consistent monitoring and properly processed measuring data, ensures quality and verification, both in the installation as well as the operating phases of transformer substations. It enables rapid reaction in case of faults, for example the shutdown of components in case of overshooting limit values. The electronics in the stainless steel housing are installed at the node points of the platform and directly at important shock-sensitive, electrically-operated resources. Measured data indicates how a shock expands from a predetermined location of the offshore platform and influences the equipment. With 4 keys the device is simple to control. A USB interface makes possible fine configuration and data transfer to the PC/laptop. The device status is exactly reproducible because every activity which is relevant for the measured value recording is registered. Manipulations on the device are excluded with password protection, internal storage support, checksums and the protocolling of all procedures. The convenient SYCUR software for the adaptation and analysis of the data is included.