Estimation of Wear and Lifetime for an Improved Turbine Operation

Design, construction and certification of wind turbines (WT) generally target a lifetime of at least twenty years. Depending on the specified design criteria in comparison with the 'real' conditions on site lifetime may fall below or pass over the design lifetime targets. After installation and during operation WT continuously suffer from incremental damage due to loads, fatigue and the continuous exposure to the physical environment and operating conditions. The initially inherent wear reserve of the WT or its components permanently decreases until it finally reaches predefined safety margins or the occurrence of premature component failure. The objective of the work is to identify quantifiable wear-out metrics and to deduce information on lifetime issues in order to optimise WT operation. The method divides into a simplified approach explaining the general concept and its implementation and adaption from design to in-situ conditions. Furthermore, the methodology is transferred to a component-specific level, namely generator windings, in order to evaluate the general suitability for non-mechanical load exposures. Finally, economic issues including an economic optimisation strategy considering previously calculated wear-out figures complete the work.