Posters

Abstract

The optimizing of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) in wind turbines has become one of the most important issues in Wind market. For that purpose lot of dedicated actions can be pursued and lot of tools can be developed. Actions related with Capital Expenses (CAPEX) are most focused on design, and those related with Operational Expenses (OPEX) seek to improve aspects related to operation and maintenance. One of the tools that has become very useful to improve OPEX is the HMI, as it can permit to assess the status of a device and to optimize its maintenance. As a critical component within a wind turbine, the maintenance of a power converter is a key factor for the optimization of OPEX. Thus, its HMI is a decisive tool. HMI tools in power converters normally permit technicians to carry out commissioning, as well as operation and maintenance actions following clear instructions. In addition the monitoring and control of the converter can be managed through this tool in real-time. However most of these tools do not include other features related with reliability that could permit to optimize the maintenance of the converter and therefore to maximize its availability and minimize the maintenance costs. These features are mainly diagnosis technics that, through advanced algorithms, permit to know the real status of components and when to replace them. In addition, once a failure occurs they identify the specific cause.