Electrostatic Sensor Application for On-Line Monitoring of Wind Turbine Gearboxes

The oil-line electrostatic sensor (OLES) is a new online monitoring technology for wear debris based on the principle of electrostatic induction that has achieved good measurement results under laboratory conditions. However, for practical applications, the utility of the sensor is still unclear. The aim of this work was to investigate in detail the application potential of the electrostatic sensor for wind turbine gearboxes. Firstly, a wear debris recognition method based on the electrostatic sensor with two-probes is proposed. Further, with the wind turbine gearbox bench test, the performance of the electrostatic sensor and the effectiveness of the debris recognition method are comprehensively evaluated. The test demonstrates that the electrostatic sensor is capable of monitoring the debris and indicating the abnormality of the gearbox effectively using the proposed method. Moreover, the test also reveals that the background signal of the electrostatic sensor is related to the oil temperature and oil flow rate, but has no relationship to the working conditions of the gearbox. This research brings the electrostatic sensor closer to practical applications.