Low frequency vibration monitoring of wind turbine tower based on optical fiber sensor and its potential for internet of things

Abstract

Among all renewable energy sources, wind energy is a cost-effective alternative energy source. The majority of wind turbines are built in harsh environments due to their power generation characteristics, which is one of the prime reasons resulting in frequent failures of wind turbine. Among various failures, the vibration of wind turbine tower cannot be ignored because it is a precursor of the failure of the wind turbine. The electrical vibration sensors have the problems of power supply and electromagnetic interference for the condition assessment of wind turbine tower. A vibration sensor based on optical Fabry-Perot (F-P) interference principle with high sensitivity is designed, fabricated and characterized to further meet the requirements of vibration detection of wind turbine tower. The mechanical simulation model of the diaphragm and optical vibration platform is constructed to verify the sensing characteristic of the F-P optical fiber vibration sensor (OFVS). The experiment results indicate a resonant frequency of the F-P OFVS of 223 Hz, an output sensitivity of 122.22 mV/m·s⁻² at 10 Hz, and a horizontal output of less than 6 %. In addition, the designed F-P OFVS possesses the superiorities of compact structure, passive and excellent anti-electromagnetic interference, and has a wide application prospect in the vibration detection of the wind turbine tower.