August 17, 2011 - Softing released OPC components to support a Condition Monitoring System from ifm electronic for wind turbines. Vibration sensors (efector octavis) and visualization systems (CMSpro) from ifm electronic jointly form an online condition monitoring system that automatically monitors vibration indicators. The raw data is collected via an event-driven mechanism. Up to 24 freely configurable condition indicators are calculated from the enormous data volume of up to 25,000 vibration-values per second. These indicators are then monitored for infractions of a configured limit value. The resulting data is transferred to an industrial-PC (IPC) provided by Softing that is preconfigured with Softing’s leading OPC Easy Connect Suite to allow remote data management via an industry-standard OPC interface.
Early detection of potential equipment failure in a harsh environment supports the implementation of a cost-optimized preventative maintenance strategy to avoid serious and expensive damage to the wind turbine.
The solution to early problem detection is the permanent acquisition of strategic data. Condition monitoring systems (CMS) collect and analyze raw data from the process (or functional units) and monitor them for changes. This data is transformed into meaningful information that, in turn, ensures sound decisions for preventive maintenance of the system.
This system enables the remote monitoring of hundreds of wind farms from a central control station. Unintended failures of turbines are avoided, uptime is maximized, and the cost for operation and maintenance are minimized due to preventive maintenance measures. The different components of the condition monitoring system are preinstalled and preconfigured. Wind farm operators, therefore, receive a flexible and reliable, all-in-one solution from one supplier.
About Softing
In industrial automation, Softing is a specialist for fieldbus technology and has established itself as a world-leading partner for networking automation systems and control solutions. Softing provides customers the key technology to connect devices, controls, and systems with the leading communication technologies. In fieldbus technology, Softing is a world-class expert for FOUNDATION fieldbus, PROFIBUS, and CAN/CANopen/DeviceNet. The company’s wide range of expertise includes solutions for OPC, FDT, and Real-Time-Ethernet protocols such as, PROFINET IO, EtherNet/IP, or Modbus/TCP. Many of the products and services developed by Softing since the company was founded in 1979 have become reference standards throughout the world. In addition, Softing has established itself as a provider of sophisticated diagnostic tools for fieldbus systems.
