STTR Phase I: Triboluminescent sensor system for quasi-distributed load sensing on wind blades for active control of wind turbines

这个小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目是为了开发一种摩擦发光传感器系统（ITOFPress），用于沿风力涡轮机叶片长度的准分布式负载传感，用于主动控制风力涡轮机。据专家介绍，这项创新可以通过增强主动涡轮机控制的输入和更好地了解叶片跨幅的负载分布，从而使风力涡轮机的发电量增加20%。随着风力叶片变得越来越大，安装得越来越高，这些知识是至关重要的。这个新系统还将有助于保护叶片和其他昂贵的部件免受损坏和过载，从而降低运行和维护（O&amp；M）成本，使风能对投资者更具吸引力。安装ITOFPress系统将使大型风力涡轮机的初始资本成本增加很少（约0.5%），为涡轮机制造商和运营商创造了强大的价值主张。预计该系统的市场潜力在2018年将达到15亿美元。该项目的智力优势解决了开发拟议传感器系统的技术障碍。ITOFPress技术对变形激发高度敏感，可以承受高载荷循环。该传感器结合了ZnS:Mn的发光特性和光纤非常理想的特性（即它们重量轻，体积小，不受电磁干扰，并且具有分布式传感的能力）。ITOFPress在传感位置或信号传输到叶片轮毂时不需要外部电源，这使得它在风力涡轮机中非常有吸引力。该传感器可以准确地检测到依赖于流入传感器（如风速计）输入的模型未预料到的负载。在这项工作中，将通过涉及关键设计因素的实验设计研究来提高传感器的灵敏度。传感器的长期稳定性将通过使样品经受弯曲和压缩载荷循环来研究。将进行有限元分析，以建立传感器响应，传感器变形和施加载荷之间的关系。应变计和负载传感器将用于传感器校准。实验室大小的风叶片也将在压缩循环载荷下进行仪器和测试，以演示新传感器系统的准分布式负载传感。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is for the development of a triboluminescent sensor system (ITOFPress) for quasi-distributed load sensing along the length of a wind blade for active control of wind turbines. According to experts, this innovation could result in a 20% increase in wind turbine power generation through enhanced inputs for active turbine control and better understanding of the load profile along the span of a blade. Such knowledge is critical as wind blades become larger and are installed higher. This new system will also help to protect the blades and other expensive components from damage and overload, thereby reducing operation & maintenance (O&M) costs and making wind energy more attractive to investors. The installation of the ITOFPress system would increase the initial capital costs of a large wind turbine by a very small amount (about a half a percent), creating a strong value proposition for turbine manufacturers and operators. The estimated market potential for this system is expected to be $1.5 billion in 2018. The intellectual merit of this project addresses the technical hurdles in developing the proposed sensor system. The ITOFPress technology is highly sensitive to deformation-induced excitation and can withstand high loading cycles. The sensor combines the light-emitting property of ZnS:Mn with the highly desirable features of optical fibers (i.e. they are lightweight, smaller, immune to electromagnetic interference, and have the capacity for distributed sensing). The ITOFPress does not require external power at the sensing location or for signal transmission to the blade's hub, which makes it very attractive for use in wind turbines. The sensor can accurately detect loads that are not anticipated by models which rely on inputs from inflow sensors like anemometers. In this effort, increased sensor sensitivity will be achieved through experimental design studies involving critical design factors. The sensor's long term stability will be studied by subjecting samples to flexural and compressive load cycles. Finite element analysis will be performed to establish relationships between sensor response, sensor deformation and applied load. Strain gages and load sensors will be used for sensor calibration. A lab-sized wind blade will also be instrumented and tested under compressive cyclic loading to demonstrate quasi-distributed load sensing with the new sensor system.