Flight Leader Concept for Wind Farm Load Counting

ECN is developing the Flight Leader concept, which is a methodology where only a small number of turbines at strategic locations in an offshore wind farm is equipped with mechanical load measurements. Using the measurements at these so-called ‘Flight Leader’ turbines relations are established between standard (SCADA) signals and load indicators. Combining these relations with the standard signals of all other turbines in the wind farm, offers the possibility to keep track of the accumulated mechanical loading of all turbines in the offshore wind farm at low costs, see figure below.

ECN has developed a demo version of a software model, which includes all aspects of the Flight Leader concept. The software is intended to be used by operators of offshore wind farms and is used to process the SCADA data and mechanical load measurements from an offshore wind farm. The main output of the model is a comparison of the accumulated mechanical loading of all turbines in the offshore wind farm. This information can subsequently be used to optimise O&M strategies, for example by prioritising the inspection or replacement of certain components on the heavier loaded turbines. 

Key to the application of the Flight Leader concept are the relations between standard (SCADA) signals and load indicators. The more accurate these relations are determined, the more reliable are the calculations of accumulated loading. Artificial neural network (ANN) techniques are being used for accurately estimating load indicators using only 10-minute statistics of standard SCADA parameters. The demo version of the software has been verified by means of the measurements from the ECN Wind turbine Test location Wieringermeer (EWTW), and will be verified by means of the OWEZ (Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee) measurements soon.

Publications

ECN - Wind energy presentations of the Dutch Wind Workshops 2008
Eecen, P.J.; Garrel, A. van; Obdam, T.S.; Schepers, J.G.; Peeringa, J.M.; Snel, H.; Engelen, T.G. van; Wouters, D.A.J.; Ozdemir, H.; Bulder, B.H.
ECN-M--08-082; November 2008; 241p.
Presented at the Dutch Wind Workshops 2008, Delft, The Netherlands, 27-28 October 2008.

Flight Leader Concept for Wind Farm Loading Counting and Performance Assessment
Obdam, T.S.; Rademakers, L.W.M.M.; Braam, H. 
ECN-M--09-054; March, 2009; 10p.
Presented at the European Wind Energy Conference 2009, Marseille, France, 16-19 March, 2009.

Flight Leader Concept for Wind Farm Load Counting: First offshore implementation
Obdam, T.S.; Rademakers, L.W.M.M.; Braam, H.
ECN-M--09-114; August 2009; 13p.
Presented at OWEMES 2009 Conference, Brindisi, Italy, 21-23 May, 2009

Flight Leader Concept for Wind Farm Load Counting: Offshore evaluation
Obdam, T.S.; Rademakers, L.W.M.M.; Braam, H.
ECN-M--09-122, September 2009; 11p.
Presented at the European Offshore Wind 2009 Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 14-16 September 2009.

Flight Leader Concept for Wind Farm Load Counting - Final Report
Obdam, T.S.; Rademakers, L.W.M.M.; Braam, H.
ECN-E--09-068, October 2009; 44p.