Page 9 - North American Clean Energy May June 2018 Issue

Achieve Optimal E iciency
High winds interrupt and delay maintenance on a turbine, threatening both the operation of equipment and safety of the maintenance crew. is results in unproductive downtime. To operate at peak e ciency, wind farms must utilize hub height wind forecasts that identify when each turbine will surpass normal operational thresholds. Understanding when turbines are most at risk of high winds — and being able to predict this as early as a week in advance — enables operators and maintenance crews to strategically schedule both internal and outside maintenance. Operators can then hire expensive outside resources such as a crane, lift, or rope crew, without worrying if weather will delay their e orts.
Winds at hub height can signi cantly di er from surface level. Using a free app will provide forecasts at ground level,
but it leaves the wind farm operator to estimate how that translates to hub height. Additionally, forecasts should be gathered at the wind farm itself, where winds can be signi cantly higher than at the nearest weather station. Utilizing hub height and gust forecasts will help turbines perform at optimal e ciency.
Managing Ice
Although ice only a ects turbines in certain parts of the country, it will always impact production. Freezing rain and fog are two of the biggest culprits that cause moving objects to accumulate
ice, and blades are no exception. In fact, blades operating during an ice storm
will accumulate even more ice than if they were stationary. If too much ice builds up on the blades, operating the turbine could damage the structure, causing maintenance workers to slow
or shut down the turbine completely. e ice itself is also a danger to workers, as blades can throw accumulated ice glaze, sending fragments of ice and
snow into the surrounding area. Without a pre-installed ice-prevention or de- icing system, operators require reliable weather intelligence to indicate when ice is no longer a threat, and regular maintenance can resume.
It All Starts with Professional Weather Insight
Volatile weather will continue to threaten crew safety and assets. In order to be readily prepared for severe weather, wind farms are turning more to timely, accurate weather information that
is speci cally designed for the wind energy industry. ese solutions are simple to implement, cost-e ective, and signi cantly improve productivity, reliability, and employee safety.
Don Leick is Senior Product Manager for DTN’s weather business. Don
leads the future direction and enhancement of online, mobile, and alerting products. He’s been the product manager for the WeatherSentry product for most of his 13 years with the company. Don has extensive experience working with many of DTN’s customer segments including utilities, wind farms, sports, and winter road maintenance.
DTN | www.dtn.com
FROM PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS
TO POWERING OUR CITIES
TOGETHER IT’S POSSIBLE
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North American Clean Energy
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