Wicetec® Blade Temperature Estimator (BTE) is a smart virtual sensor for wind turbine blade heating. It is meant to replace traditional blade temperature sensors and all other needed hardware from blades and rotor with just one small component inside nacelle.

Key benefits:

• Cost savings – Eliminates blade sensor material and installation costs
• Maintenance-Free – No more costly blade sensor repairs and down times
• Minimized Lightning Risk – Blade lightning protection is greatly simplified when wired sensors are not needed
• Optimal Performance – Temperature control across the blade and through the material layers
• Easy – One small footprint component, implementation without complicated R&D projects

How it works?

Wicetec® BTE models the blade temperatures based on standard operational data received from turbine and using a thermal model of blade structure and surrounding air flow. The software is distributed in a modern industrial PLC for easy implementation.

Heating control  with wired sensors

Needed: sensors, sensor cables, surge protectors, IO components, blade cabinets, communication to rotor.

Material and installation costs 15 000 €

Sensor repair cost (single incident) 20 000 €

Lifetime costs at least 35 000 €!

Heating control  with Wicetec® BTE

Wicetec ® BTE eliminates all the sensors related components from the rotor and blades.

Savings more than 30 000 €!

Wicetec® BTE is operational in 3 different wind farms, in Sweden and Canada. Turbine sizes 2 MW and 6 MW.

Validation method

• Wicetec® BTE was used for heating control
• Comparison with physical blade temperature sensors and thermal cameras

Results

• Safe operation without material overheating in all conditions
• Performance similar to or even exceeding that of sensor-based control

Case 2: Winter, turbine operating.

Easy to implement

Wicetec® BTE is easy to implement in 4 simple steps:

1.Order the product from Wicetec.

2.Configure control locations (locations where the virtual temperature is modelled), material properties and structure of the blade, and communication details with WTG controller.

3.Install the PLC and connect it to WTG through Ethernet.

4.Start blade heating control.

Interested in ensuring that your blades keep spinning through the winter?