ASC

ASC provides custom-tailored inertial sensor solutions for advanced applications. Made in Germany, the precision of ASC sensors means they are used for measuring and testing applications by engineers around the world over.

Predictive maintenance sensors to prevent wind turbine damage

Continuous monitoring for the early detection of critical changes in components is essential for wind turbine (WTG) maintenance. Accelerometers and gyroscopes from ASC measure the smallest vibrations and angular velocity in towers, nacelles, rotors and foundations to ensure the fail-safe operation of WTGs.

Measuring for climate protection

Many WTGs do not achieve optimum yield because rotor blade imbalances reduce their efficiency. State-of-the-art measurement technology can increase yield and detect damage to WTGs in the early stages. High-precision inertial accelerometer sensors from ASC detect even the slightest vibrations, ensuring operational reliability and increasing yield for WTGs.

Mass-related and aerodynamic rotor imbalances

Loss of efficiency, higher noise emissions, increased downtime and damage to WTG components can all be caused by rotor imbalances. Aerodynamic influences include changes in rotor blade angle or twisting of the rotor blades themselves, while mass eccentricity can be caused by asymmetrical ice formation as well as blade erosion or damage.

ASC gyroscope, uniaxial.

ASC accelerometer, uniaxial.

ASC accelerometer, triaxial.

ASC Inertial Measurement Unit, 6 DOF.

Imbalances related to mass and aerodynamic may result in unfavourable vibrations and forces in WTGs. The low rotational frequency of rotors makes the use of sensors that operate in a frequency range below 0.5Hz and feature amplitude resolutions below 20µg necessary for structural health monitoring (SHM).

Predictive maintenance

Early detection of critical changes in WTG components can be achieved through continuous SHM and condition monitoring. However, complex applications and parallel measurements need increasingly intelligent and compact sensors. The answer to these challenges is provided in the ASC AiSys VibroTherm smart sensor system, which simultaneously acquires and analyses critical vibrations as well as the temperatures of oil used on bearings and gears.

Furthermore, self-learning algorithms can predict the progress of WTG material fatigue or imbalances. These algorithms can provide a defining threshold value at which maintenance becomes necessary. Predictive maintenance is especially useful for providing effective maintenance and inspection intervals in difficult-to-access locations, such as offshore wind parks.

Custom-tailored inertial sensor solutions

ASC custom-tailored sensor solutions are used in many test and measurement applications, including crash tests, train monitoring, automated guided vehicle navigation and the development of water vehicles. Engineers opt for inertial sensors from ASC because they detect the smallest vibrations, from DC up to a wide frequency response range, and can locate moving objects with high precision.

Always a step further

Our engineers develop sensor solutions for the future. Smart sensor solutions analyse huge volumes of data in order to enable artificial intelligence (AI)-based concepts, including smart maintenance and condition-based monitoring.

Our customers appreciate the passion and persistence that ASC put into developing new sensor solutions. In the last 15 years, our specialists have cooperated with customers around the world to design sensors for numerous applications.

Customers from diverse branches of industry have trusted the quality, high-precision, individual configurability of our products for many years, making ASC a leading manufacturer in the field of capacitive acceleration sensors.