Thermal modelling and analysis of a wind turbine generator

The generator is one of the critical components in a wind turbine. This will become even more true in the future direct drive wind turbines, where the component count is reduced by 50%. The generator loading is thermally limited and is usually controlled by measuring the electrical quantities, i.e. current, voltage, etc. These give an indirect measure of the temperature in the wind turbine, but the internal generator temperature will be extremely dependent on the local weather conditions. As such the same wind turbine could be higher loaded on a cold winter day as compared to a warm summer day.
The purpose of this project is therefore to lay the foundations for a condition monitoring scheme, which continuously measures the generator temperatures using a thermal imaging camera. Thermal models will be developed using thermal networks and finite element analysis. The developed models will be compared to a previously built prototype, and will be used as a reference in a control scheme, that will ensure that the internal temperatures of the generator stay within limits, thus optimally loading the generator during normal operation and protecting the generator during faults.