Wind Energy

Electrical Safety for Wind Power Stations

Electrical safety in wind turbines

Economic factors dictate the need for high reliability and uptime in power-generating wind turbines. The wind turbines electrical generating system employs a variety of technologies depending on the manufacturer. There are the typical asynchronous machines, where there are often two generators employed in a single turbine. A larger one for higher and a smaller generator each designed to operate at the higher and lower wind speeds. These are usually directly coupled to the grid via a transformer. There are also permanent magnet brushless generators that will indirectly feed the grid via a converter drive. All the electrical systems above are constantly exposed to excessive vibrations, wear and tear, and hazards. Based on their constructive nature, lightning strikes are also a huge problem. Bender mitigates the risk associated with these issues by employing a variety of ground fault detection, insulation monitoring, and fault location units in these demanding environments. Unplanned downtime and time-consuming fault location issues will be reduced to a minimum. Bender’s ground fault protection and insulation monitoring devices continuously monitor wind turbine electrical systems, ensuring early detection of faults and reducing the risk of downtime.

Ground fault protection for general low voltage control systems in wind turbines

Power for wind turbine controls and operation is usually fed from an external source. The feed to the turbine should be monitored at all times for its electrical integrity since losing the source will render the revenue-producing turbine inoperable until the problem is fixed. Benders ground fault monitoring systems ensure that the supply to the turbine is constantly protected and supervised for electrical breakdown situations.

Anti islanding protection relay

Alternative energy sources feed-in points must be constantly monitored and switched off in case the main power grid drops off. This practice is known as anti-islanding protection. The Bender VMD460 relay series checks whether the frequency and voltage limits are within range. Additional features such as ROCOF (Rate of change of frequency) and vector jump recognition are added to ensure a proper alert to a missing grid. The three-phase VDM460 relay comes with a preconfigured setting to fulfill the relevant standards such as IEEE1547 but can also be configured via menu by the touch of a button.

Ground fault protection for wind turbine pitch control systems

Pitch control systems are vital for operating a wind turbine at its maximum peak power output. Electrical faults can render the pit control useless, resulting in the turbine getting stuck at a particular pitch. Worse, it may stall the turbine and drive its output to zero until the problem is fixed. Bender RCMS ground fault monitoring systems constantly record such a system's electrical leakage towards the turbine's chassis. Once the preset thresholds have been breached, the system alerts the personnel as to the problem's level and exact location. With ground fault protection and line isolation monitors in place, wind turbines are safeguarded against electrical failures, maintaining system reliability and uptime.

Ground fault protection for azimuth control systems in wind turbines

Azimuth or yaw control systems are gear drive systems designed to direct the wind turbine towards the wind or in very extreme conditions, may even direct the turbine out of the wind. The system usually consists of a wind direction sensing vane coupled to a gear drive and electrical motors. A ground fault in the azimuth control can disable the turbine's “sense of direction” and render it unproductive. Benders RCMA and RCMS ground fault monitoring units will sense an electrical failure at very low levels and alert personnel before the situation worsens. By combining insulation monitoring devices and regular LIMvtesting, Bender products help keep wind turbine systems fully operational and electrically safe, preventing unexpected failures.

Communication

Bender's COMTRAXX gateways communicate the insulation and ground fault values from the wind power plant via Ethernet/TCP-IP or Modbus to the higher-level supervisory systems or the operators for a clear concise picture of the overall electrical health of the turbine. Bender’s line isolation monitors, along with LIM testing, provide an added layer of electrical safety, helping to identify and isolate potential issues in wind turbine control systems.

Downloads

NameCategorySizeLanguageTimestampD-/B-Number
Product Overview ISOMETER®/ISOSCAN® Product Overviews 5.3 MB EN2024/02/1616.02.2024
Renewable Energy Market Segment Brochures 4.3 MB EN2017/02/2727.02.2017
Safe Connection to the Grid VMD460-NA Flyers 222.0 KB EN2019/05/1313.05.2019D00001
Answers for Tomorrow Technical Article 764.8 KB EN2019/05/1313.05.2019
Bender Industry Applications Market Segment Brochures 5.9 MB EN2024/09/0404.09.2024

Products

Ground-Fault Monitoring, Ungrounded

ISOMETER® iso685…
ISOMETER® iso685 Series

Ground-fault detector for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Ground-Fault Location, Ungrounded

ISOSCAN® EDS440
ISOSCAN® EDS440 Series

Ground-fault location module for ungrounded AC/DC systems

ISOSCAN® EDS30…
ISOSCAN® EDS3090 Series

Portable ground-fault location systems for ungrounded and grounded systems

ISOSCAN® EDS460-D
ISOSCAN® EDS460-D

- This device series is in the discontinuation phase. -
Deliverable according to availability until 01.01.2025.

Ground-Fault Monitoring for Grounded Systems

LINETRAXX® SmartDetect RCMS410

Four-channel DC, AC and pulse current sensitive residual current monitor for earthed AC, AC/DC and DC systems

LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor

LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor with individual relay outputs

Measuring and monitoring relays

LINETRAXX® VMD460-NA
LINETRAXX® VMD460-NA

Network and system protection (NS protection) for monitoring the power infeed of power generation systems

Communication

COMTRAXX® COM465IP

Condition Monitor with an integrated gateway for the connection of Bender devices to Ethernet-TCP/IP networks

Ground-Fault Monitoring, Ungrounded

ISOMETER® iso685…
ISOMETER® iso685 Series

Ground-fault detector for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Details

Ground-Fault Location, Ungrounded

ISOSCAN® EDS440
ISOSCAN® EDS440 Series

Ground-fault location module for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Details
ISOSCAN® EDS30…
ISOSCAN® EDS3090 Series

Portable ground-fault location systems for ungrounded and grounded systems

Details
ISOSCAN® EDS460-D
ISOSCAN® EDS460-D

- This device series is in the discontinuation phase. -
Deliverable according to availability until 01.01.2025.

Details

Ground-Fault Monitoring for Grounded Systems

LINETRAXX® SmartDetect RCMS410

Four-channel DC, AC and pulse current sensitive residual current monitor for earthed AC, AC/DC and DC systems

Details
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor

Details
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor with individual relay outputs

Details

Measuring and monitoring relays

LINETRAXX® VMD460-NA
LINETRAXX® VMD460-NA

Network and system protection (NS protection) for monitoring the power infeed of power generation systems

Details

Communication

COMTRAXX® COM465IP

Condition Monitor with an integrated gateway for the connection of Bender devices to Ethernet-TCP/IP networks

Details

Standards

DIN EN 61400-2

Windenergieanlagen - Teil 2: Anforderungen für kleine Windenergieanlagen

DIN EN 60255-127

Messrelais und Schutzeinrichtungen - Teil 127: Funktionsnorm für Über-/Unterspannungsschutz 

DIN EN 50178

Ausrüstung von Starkstromanlagen mit elektronischen Betriebsmitteln