Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 26-4 - 12

instrumentationand
measurementsystems
Tommaso Polonelli, Julien Deparday, Imad Abdallah,
Sarah Barber, Eleni Chatzi, and Michele Magno
Aerosense: A Wireless, Non-Intrusive, Flexible, and MEMS-Based
Aerodynamic and Acoustic Measurement System for
Operating Wind Turbines
W
12
ind energy as a renewable energy source has
gained in popularity in recent years as a viable
means to replacing fossil fuels [1]. Wind
turbines form extremely sophisticated systems, operating
under extreme and time-varying loads of polymorphic nature
(e.g., wind, waves) and under adverse environments
(highly varying temperatures and icing conditions). This implies
that beyond the operation of mechanical components
such as the gearbox, the robustness and resilience of structural
components are of the essence but certainly overlooked so
far in terms of monitoring. The operation of wind turbines
relies on the use of supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA) systems for their monitoring and control [2].
These systems typically measure operational quantities in and
around the nacelle [3], such as wind speed and direction, generator
temperature, as well as the generated power [4], and are
provided as ten-minute averages. Currently, no standard monitoring
solution exists that can be easily integrated to assess
the performance of critical structural components, such as the
blades (e.g., its aerodynamics) [5]. However, the need for this is
becoming increasingly important as wind turbine dimensions
rapidly increase and blades become more flexible [1]. Such integrated
monitoring systems would need to withstand harsh
weather and operational conditions on a blade, which is a nontrivial
task. This makes published measurements on operating
rotor blades in real conditions extremely rare [6]. However, recent
advances in electronics, wireless communications, and
micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have enabled the
acquisition of data directly on the blade, in a cost-effective and
energy-efficient way [7].
This work presents the design, implementation, and field
evaluation of an accurate and cost-effective aerodynamic and
acoustic wireless measurement system for the next generation
of wind turbine monitoring devices, which are thin, non-intrusive,
easy to install, low power, and self-sustaining, having the
potential to guarantee years of wind turbine operation with
minimal maintenance. The proposed system, named Aerosense
(Fig. 1), features multiple sensor nodes, comprising pressure
and acoustic MEMS sensors, an inertial measurement unit
(IMU), and edge computing solutions powered by photovoltaic
energy harvesting, combined with a base station and a digital
twin system. Aerosense uses Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 (BLE)
for wireless communication, automatically transmitting the
data to a digital twin server on the cloud, where it is aggregated,
stored and analyzed together with external incoming information,
such as weather conditions, and measurements from other
acquisition systems. After an extensive lab characterization,
Aerosense has been demonstrated through experimental evaluation
in the field to be suitable for installation on wind turbine
blades ranging in size from a few to hundreds of meters, with a
modular sensor unit that includes up to 40 barometers, 10 microphones,
and five differential pressure sensors (Fig. 2).
IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine
1094-6969/22/$25.00©2022IEEE
June 2023
Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 26-4

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