Diagnosis system of lubricating oil and diagnosis method of lubricating oil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852294-B2
Application number	US-202017638414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2020
Priority date	Nov 13, 2019
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a diagnosis technique with high reliability when a state of lubricating oil of a rotary machine such as a wind power generator is diagnosed by a state monitoring sensor. A diagnosis system of lubricating oil includes a lubricating oil utilization device, a lubricating oil tank for storing lubricating oil to be supplied to the lubricating oil utilization device, and a sensor which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil. In this system, the state of the lubricating oil is diagnosed by using sensor data obtained after a time required for air bubbles in the lubricating oil generated at the time of use of the device disappear elapses since the lubricating oil utilization device is regularly or irregularly stopped.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A diagnosis system of lubricating oil of a wind power generator, comprising:
a nacelle of the wind power generator;
a lubricating oil utilization device disposed within the nacelle;
a lubricating oil tank, disposed within the nacelle, for storing lubricating oil to be supplied to the lubricating oil utilization device;
a circulation line, within the nacelle, through which lubricating oil circulated between the lubricating oil tank and the lubricating oil utilization device flows; and
a sensor, disposed within the nacelle, which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil; and
a server, disposed within the nacelle, that is coupled to the sensor and is configured to:
acquire sensor data of the sensor, which is used for diagnosis after more than a predetermined time elapses since the lubricating oil utilization device enters a stoppage state, and
determine whether a value of the data of the sensor is below a predetermined threshold,
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is below the predetermined threshold, present a notification indicating replacement of the lubricating oil is necessary, and
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is not below the predetermined threshold, estimate a replacement time for replacing the lubricating oil.

2. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stoppage state is unexpected stoppage due to an external factor.

3. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor is one or more sensors selected from among a chromaticity sensor, a particle counter, a dielectric constant sensor, an electrical conductivity sensor, and a viscosity sensor.

4. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lubricating oil utilization device is a speed increasing machine of the wind power generator.

5. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 4 ,
wherein the acquisition of the data of the sensor is performed after more than a predetermined time elapses since the speed increasing machine enters an unexpected stoppage state due to an external factor.

6. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 5 ,
wherein the acquisition of the data of the sensor is performed after more than a predetermined time elapses since the speed increasing machine enters a stoppage state for a wind condition of a cut-out wind speed or more.

7. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 4 ,
wherein the sensor is a chromaticity sensor, and
wherein the acquisition of the data of the chromaticity sensor is performed when a value of a deterioration index based on the data of the chromaticity sensor is in a predetermined range.

8. A diagnosis system of lubricating oil of a wind power generator, comprising:
a nacelle of the wind power generator;
a lubricating oil utilization device disposed within the nacelle;
a lubricating oil tank, disposed within the nacelle, for storing lubricating oil to be supplied to the lubricating oil utilization device;
a circulation line, within the nacelle, through which lubricating oil circulated between the lubricating oil tank and the lubricating oil utilization device flows; and
a chromaticity sensor, disposed within the nacelle, which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil;
a sensor, disposed within the nacelle, which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil; and
a server, disposed within the nacelle, that is coupled to the sensor and is configured to:
determine whether a value of a deterioration index based on sensor data of the chromaticity sensor is in a predetermined range,
upon determining the value is in the predetermined range, acquire sensor data of the sensor,
determine whether a value of the data of the sensor is below a predetermined threshold,
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is below the predetermined threshold, present a notification indicating replacement of the lubricating oil is necessary, and
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is not below the predetermined threshold, estimate a replacement time for replacing the lubricating oil.

9. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 8 ,
wherein the deterioration index is a deterioration index based on ΔE by the chromaticity sensor.

10. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 8 ,
wherein the deterioration index is a deterioration index based on a B value by the chromaticity sensor.

11. The diagnosis system of lubricating oil according to claim 8 ,
wherein the predetermined range is a range which uses, as an upper limit, a deterioration curve of the lubricating oil obtained from past data and is between the deterioration curve and a threshold value.

12. A diagnosis method of lubricating oil of a wind power generator, which includes a nacelle of the wind power generator, a lubricating oil utilization device disposed within the nacelle, a lubricating oil tank, disposed within the nacelle, for storing lubricating oil to be supplied to the lubricating oil utilization device, a circulation line through which lubricating oil circulated between the lubricating oil tank and the lubricating oil utilization device flows, a chromaticity sensor, disposed within the nacelle, which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil, a sensor, disposed within the nacelle, which measures characteristics of the lubricating oil, and a server, disposed within the nacelle, the method comprising:
using the chromaticity sensor to measure characteristics of the lubricating oil;
determining whether a value of a deterioration index based on sensor data of the chromaticity sensor is in a predetermined range;
upon determining the value is in the predetermined range, acquire sensor data of the sensor;
determine whether a value of the data of the sensor is below a predetermined threshold;
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is below the predetermined threshold, present a notification indicating replacement of the lubricating oil is necessary; and
upon determining the value of the data of the sensor is not below the predetermined threshold, estimate a replacement time for replacing the lubricating oil.

13. The diagnosis method of lubricating oil according to claim 12 ,
wherein the stoppage state is an unexpected stoppage due to an external factor.

14. The diagnosis method of lubricating oil according to claim 13 ,
wherein the apparatus is a speed increasing machine of a wind power generator, and
wherein the unexpected stoppage state occurs when the speed increasing machine enters a stoppage state for a wind condition of a cut-out wind speed or more.

15. The diagnosis method of lubricating oil according to claim 12 ,
wherein a deterioration curve of the lubricating oil is obtained by using a B value based on the data of the chromaticity sensor.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Kojima Kyoko
• Saeki Mitsuru
• Aikawa Shinichiro

Classifications

• F16N29/00 Primary

  Special means in lubricating arrangements or systems providing for the indication or detection of undesired conditions; Use of devices responsive to conditions in lubricating arrangements or systems · CPC title

• F03D80/70

  Bearing or lubricating arrangements · CPC title

• G01N21/27

  using photo-electric detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence){; circuits for computing concentration (logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J)} · CPC title

• G01N33/30

  for lubricating properties · CPC title

• F05B2260/98

  Lubrication · CPC title