ECN has developed patented sensor technology that enables very accurate and reliable measurement of loads (e.g. on blades or towers). These sensors are very interesting for OEMs working on Individual Pitch Control (IPC) and for wind farm operators to support condition based maintenance operations.
The FOBM measurement system consists of:
FOBM sensor - Patented sensor assembly, consisting of four strain and four temperature sensors per blade
Interrogator - Reads out the 12 fibre optic sensors and generates measurement data.
PC with Wi-Fi - Gathers the strain data from the interrogator and PLC data from the wind turbine and translates this into load data.
ECN’s proprietary software - Processes data, which integrates with turbine’s SCADA data to generate load statistics for other components than the blades
Other than conventional strain gages, the FOBM sensor:
Load based control system for on- and off-shore wind turbines
Condition based maintenance of on- and off-shore wind turbines
ECN is looking for a company or start-up that can demonstrate the technology in the field in close collaboration. Commerciallisation is the next step.
Type of transaction: license/joint venture/spin-off.