Dedication to blade monitoring raised big attention on Wind Expo 2015 in Japan

Since its launch in 2013, the show has been successfully expanded. While HBM participated the show before, this time it was fully dedicated to HBM FiberSensing with its blade monitoring solutions.

HBM FiberSensing S.A. is a worldwide reference in the development and production of advanced monitoring systems based on optical Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology. 

The company has deployed hundreds of FBG systems to determine stress, temperature, acceleration and tilt in a wide variety of structures and environments where conventional technologies have reached their limits.

As for October 2014, the company was acquired by HBM Test and Measurement, the technology and market leader in the field of test and measurement, concentrating all optical sensing activity of the world-renowned Group and making part of a team with over 1700 employees. HBM FiberSensing optical products are available worldwide through HBM global sales network in over 80 countries.

WindMETER Blade Monitoring

Wind blade monitoring is becoming crucial due to the increasing capacity of generators and, consequently, of larger blade sizes. Moreover, the increasing number of off-shore facilities creates a need for reliable real time monitoring solutions.

HBM FiberSensing WindMETER system is a complete optical monitoring solution specifically designed to be installed in wind generator blades. The system consists of an interrogator and a set of passive fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain and temperature sensors, featuring inherent insensitivity to environmental induced drift. The system allows high resolution to be attained even for long fiber leads and connections with losses.

Interrogator

HBM FiberSensing WindMETER interrogator is fanless and, due to its NEMA4X stainless steel enclosure, prepared to perform under harsh environmental conditions, meeting the specifications for the most demanding field deployments.
Fast continuous swept laser scanning enables simultaneous acquisition of tens of sensors up-to 100 S/s.

Sensors

HBM FiberSensing strain and temperature sensors feature high accuracy and resolution, and immunity to electric sparks and EMI/RFI.

Operation and control

HBM FiberSensing WindMETER interrogator has Ethernet interface allowing its remote connection to any standard PC. The interrogator can be fully controlled using ASCII text commands. User-friendly software – WindMONITOR – is available to be installed on the control PC for configuration, measurement and diagnosis. Optionally, the interrogator can be configured with Profibus or other communication protocol upon request.

Application

WindMETER can be used to implement solutions for:

• Pitch control
• Condition monitoring
• Load assessment
• Vibration monitoring
• Blade design validation
• Ice detection

WindMETER is a flexible system that can be customized to attend customers’ needs. OEM agreements are also possible.