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Wind Turbine Wireless Communication

Network & Heading Measurement System
(Feasibility Study)
CONFERENCE PAPER NOVEMBER 2010

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Wind Turbine Wireless Communication Network &

Heading Measurement System (Feasibility Study)
Hakam Saffour and Prof. A. S. Omar
Institute of Electronics, Signal Processing and Communications, Chair of Microwave and Communication Engineering
University of Magdeburg
39106 Magdeburg, Germany
Email: hakam.saffour@ovgu.de, a.omar@ieee.org

Abstract this paper reviews the technical possibilities and

challenges of building a wireless communication network for wind
turbines. Wireless network is utilized to transmit some measured
environmental and physical parameters of and around the wind
turbine to the main receiver station. The measured parameters are
temperature, humidity, wind speed and heading angle of wind
turbine. The purpose of measuring those parameters and
transmitting them on wireless radio link is to monitor the wind
turbine status and conditions for further optimization and
controlling. Suitable radio protocols and topologies for such
application are explored; also options for developing a heading
measurement system to determine the direction of the wind turbine
are highlighted.
Keywords: wind turbine, wireless sensor network, heading system.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Wind energy has great potential to provide clean and

renewable energy wherever wind is blowing. In 2050, 50% of
electric power needed for Europe will be supplied by wind
turbines [1]. With the importance of wind energy increasing,
monitoring and optimization of wind turbines operation
becomes more critical, and since wind turbines are expensive
and complex devices they require continuous monitoring and
frequent maintenance. Condition monitoring offers significant
value to a wind farm operator as the cost of downtime is
significant not only in terms of equipment repair but also in
terms of lost revenue [2]. Wireless monitoring of wind
turbines would provide an easy way to gather data related to
wind turbine especially in remote locations such as mountains,
hills and offshore wind farms.
II. OBJECTIVES & APPROACHES
As mentioned previously, the purpose of this research
project is to build a wireless communication network for wind
turbines. The wireless network will be utilized to transmit
some measured parameters of and around the wind turbine to
the main receiver station. The measured parameters are
temperature, humidity, wind speed and heading angle. The
purpose of measuring those parameters and transmitting them
on wireless radio link is to monitor the wind turbine status and
conditions for further optimization and controlling. For such
Sponsor: Federal ministry of education and research in Germany.

monitoring system, it is important to have a universal

monitoring system that can be installed on any wind turbine
regardless its model or manufacturing brand.
The objectives of this research project are:
1)
To build a wireless communication network that will
be installed on the hub and blades of the wind turbines (see
Figure 1). The wireless network will transmit the data
measured from different weather sensors (the red points in
Figure 1) to a transceiver station fixed on the hub.
2)
To build a wireless communication network that will
let each wind turbine pass its data to the next wind turbine in
a wind farm until the data reached to the main receiver station
(data collector) as shown in Figure 1 (the green dotted lines).
3)
To develop heading measurement system to
determine the direction of the wind turbine (Yaw angle) as
shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Position of wireless sensors on the wind turbine and individual

radio links. Red: radio link within the sensors; Blue: radio link for
transmitting the measured values to the transceiver station; Green: radio link
for passing through the measured values to other wind turbines till the main
receiver station [3].

Two dimensions are in our concern, the hub height (HH)

and the rotor diameter (RD), the hub height is needed to
calculate using Pythagoras' theorem- the distance between
transceiver station fixed on the hub and the main receiver
station as shown in Figure 1, and the rotor diameter is needed
to find the distance range between the wireless sensors which
will be installed on the blades and the transceiver station fixed
on the hub- which is in E126 example less than 63 meters.

Figure 2. YAW angle in wind turbine [4].

The research is conducted based on looking for a

communication system that meet the following requirements:

Also it is important to consider the average distance

between each wind turbine in a wind farm. Typical layout for
a wind farm is shown in Figure 4, the figure shows that in a
wind farm, the maximum distance between two wind turbines
is the distance between two consecutive wind turbines in the
wind direction which is five times the rotor diameter [6],
considering the rotor diameter of Enercon E126 wind turbine
shown in Figure 3 the distance will be 5x126=630 meter.

a)
Wireless based.
b)
Cost effective: wireless system will be much cost
effective compared to the costly process of pulling wire
inside and on the surface of the wind turbine.
c)
Easy to install: wireless network allows for quick
and relatively easy installation compared to wired network
d)
Stand alone: power required for the sensors and
wireless transceiver has to be generated independently by
using long life battery and power harvesting techniques.
e)
Reliable: data to be measured and transmitted has to
be accurate and sustainable.
III.

COMMUNICATION NETWORK

In this section characteristics of some communication

networks are presented in order to find out the proper and
efficient communication network for wind turbines. Firstly it
is needed to have an idea about the dimensions of wind
turbine in order to determine the maximum required coverage
area for the wireless network, for this sake and as an example,
one of the largest wind turbines in the market is considered.
Figure 3 shows the dimensions of E126 wind turbine from
Enercon [5].

Figure 3. Dimensions of Enercon E126 wind turbine, HH: hub height, RD:
rotor diameter, TC: tip clearance, TH: tip height.

Figure 4. Typical layout of wind farm [6].

A. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)

The idea behind the wireless sensor network is based on
installing wireless sensors in different locations and let those
wireless sensors communicate- via radio link- with each other
to pass through the measured data till it reach the base station.
Data are collected at the wireless node, compressed and
transmitted to the gateway directly or, if required, uses other
wireless sensor nodes to forward data to the base station, and
then the data are transferred to the monitoring system for
further analysis. See Figure 5.

Figure 5. Typical wireless sensor network architecture [7].

B. Network Topologies
There are number of different topologies for
communication networks, two of them are in our concern, the
star and mesh network topology. The star network topology
will be implemented on the individual wind turbine
communications; while the mesh network topology will be
implemented for the communications between the wind
turbines till the data reach the final destination. Refer to
Figure 1 and Figure 6.

2) Reasons of choosing mesh network topology: A mesh

network allows for any node in the network to transmit to any
other node in the network that is within its radio transmission
range. Mesh networks is self-healing, the network can still
operate when one node breaks down or a connection goes
bad. It allows for continuous connection and reconfiguration
around broken or blocked paths by hopping from node to
node until the final destination is reached. See Figure 7.

The reasons for choosing such network topologies for

such structure are based on the advantages and disadvantages
of each topology, the restrictions of the project requirements
and nature of the wind turbine structure. In the following two
sections, the reasons are explained in more details.
1) Reasons of choosing star network topology: A star
network allows for a single base station to send and/or
receive a message to/from a number of remote nodes. The
remote nodes can only send or receive a message from the
single base station. The advantages of star topology are the
opportunity to have a simple wireless network and the
minimum power consumption for remote nodes. In the other
hand the disadvantages of star network topology are the
dependency of a single node base station- to manage the
network and the base station must be within radio range of all
nodes.
Taking into consideration the advantages and
disadvantages of star network topology and the proposed idea
of using such topology for the individual wind turbine
communications, the following points are concluded:
a) Simple wireless network will be suitable and enough
to let the few sensors installed on the wind turbine to
send their data to the transceiver station. See Figure
1.
b) Since the sensors have to manage its own power by
using one of energy harvesting techniques, having
low power consumption for the wireless sensors is
an important requirement, and star topology fit that
purpose.
c) The condition of the base station being within the
radio range of all nodes is not an issue for the
discussed application, because the distribution of the
wireless sensors and the transceiver station fixed on
the hub guarantee that all wireless sensors will be in
the radio range of the transceiver station (radio
range will be discussed in section III part C).
d) The dependency of the network on a single nodebase station- is an acceptable price to be paid for
having low power consumption network.

Figure 6. Mesh and star network topology.

(a)

(b)

(c)
Figure 7. Mesh network structure. (a) all nodes operated. (b) broken
connection. (c) reconfigured connection around broken one [8].

The advantages of mesh network topology are redundancy

and scalability, the redundancy allows the remote node to
communicate to any other node in its range, and scalability
allows extending the range of network by just adding extra
node to the network. Higher power consumption is the first
disadvantage of mesh network topology due to the multi-hop
communication technique, additionally, as the number of
communication hops to the destination increase, the time to
deliver the message also increase. Taking into consideration
the advantages and disadvantages of mesh network topology
and the proposed idea of using such topology for
communication between the wind turbines, the following
points are concluded:
a) Since the purpose of this research project is to
monitor the wind turbine, it is crucial to have a
redundant system that guarantee sustainable
communication link.
b) The scalability of mesh network topology has a great
advantage in the sense of extending the rage of the
network by just adding the additional node to the
existing network.

c)

The higher power consumption is the price for the

advantages mentioned previously.
d) The issue of getting longer time to deliver the
message is not an issue in this specific application,
because of the small size of data that has to be
transmitted out from the wind turbine; where the
measured data consist of simple information about
temperature, wind speed and direction, heading
angle, etc.
C. Radio Options for Wireless Sensor Network
Four wireless standards are taken into consideration, the
WLAN (IEEE 802.11b/g), Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1), IEEE
802.15.4 and WiMax (IEEE 802.16). The four standards are
examined to find the proper one for this research project
requirement. The examination parameters are based on the
requirements the communication system has to meet (targets
are mentiond at the end of section II).
TABLE I demonstrates the comparison between the four
wireless
communincation
standards.
Taking
into
consideration the requirements of the communication system
listed in Section II, the distances between different sensors
installed on the wind turbine and the distances between the
wind turbines in a wind farm- as mentioned in section III, the
following analysis is presented:
1) All listed standards are for wireless communication,
which meet the first requirement.
2) Bluetooth standard is excluded from the selection due
to the short coverage range and the limited number of nodes
per network.
3) WLAN standard is also excluded from the selection
because of relatively high transmission power compared to
coverage range.
TABLE I . RADIO STANDARDS OPTIONS FOR WSN
WLAN
Bluetooth
IEEE
WiMax
IEEE
IEEE
802.15.4
IEEE 802.16
802.11b/g
802.15.1
2.4
2-11 & 10Frequency
2.4
2.4
(868MHz)
66
(GHz)
11000Data Rate
720
250 (20)
70000
54000
(kb/s)
1500 (for
Coverage
100
10
100-1500
mobile
Distance
station)
(m)
Virtually
Virtually
No. of nodes
<7
65533
unlimited
unlimited
per network
Transmissio
60
1
1 - 63.1
281
n Power
(mW)
Line, Tree,
Tree, Star,
Network
Star
Star, Mesh
Star
Mesh
Topology
Unlicensed
Unlicensed
Unlicensed
Licensed
License
Meduim
Low
Low
High
Cost
. In Europe. . Some common frequencies 2.3, 2.5, 3.5 GHz.

4) The two remaining standards are the candidates for

this research project due to the following facts:

a) Both of them support star and mesh network

topology.
b) Coverage distance is within the range required for
the research project.
c) Big number of nodes that can be connected to the
network.
5) IEEE 802.15.4 standard has low data rate compared
to WiMax, however this can be considered as an acceptable
speed due to the small amount of data generated by the
different weather sensors that has to be transmitted to the
transceiver station.
6) IEEE 802.15.4 has more credit than WiMax, this is
because IEEE 802.15.4 requires less power which is an
important feature especially in this project application- and
cost less in the sense of hardware and licensing issues.
IV.

HEADING MEASURMENT SYSTEM

The second part of the research project is to develop

heading measurement system to determine the direction of the
wind turbine (Yaw angle) as shown in Figure 2. Like the
communication network previously discussed, the heading
measurement system has to be contactless, cost effective, easy
to install, standalone, and reliable. Several options were
explored to find out the appropriate solution for this specific
application.
A. Heading System using Global Positioning System (GPS)
At the beginning, it is necessary to have an idea of how
GPS works. GPS satellites transmit two low power radio
signals, designated L1 and L2. Civilian GPS uses L1
frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band [9]. The GPS
receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a
satellite with the time it was received. The time difference
tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Distance
measurements from at least three satellites are taken, then the
GPS receiver use triangulation to calculate the users exact
location.
The only information obtained from the satellite is the
time of the signal that was transmitted out from the satellite.
All other parameters, like distance, speed and direction are
mathematically calculated. The distance from satellite is
calculated by using the basic law of Distance = Speed x
Travelling Time, where the speed is the speed of the
electromagnetic waves which travel at light speed, and travel
time is calculated by subtracting the time when the signal
received by the GPS receiver from the time when the signal
was sent out from the satellite [9]. Also the speed and
direction of the GPS receiver is calculated by using two
calculated location readings from two different location , and
then by knowing two locations and the time difference
between them the speed could be calculated using Speed =
Distance/ Travel Time. The direction of the GPS receiver is
obtained by calculating the slope between the two calculated
location readings as shown in (1), where (x2,y2) is the
coordinates of the current position and (x1,y1) is the
Triangulation: is a mathematical method used by GPS receiver to
locate its position by using radial distances from at least three satellites to
that receiver and finding the intersection between them [10].

coordinates of the previous position [11] [12].

Direction =





(1)

It is important to highlight the fact that the GPS receiver

calculates the direction based on the current position and the
last saved position, so in order to have correct information
about the direction, the GPS receiver should be in moving
state. Stopping in a certain positioning and turning around
without moving at least for 10 feet will not give the correct
direction of the GPS receiver [13].
Considering the above explanation, it is found that using
GPS to determine the heading direction of the wind turbine is
not a feasible option for the following reasons:
1) Since two different locations is required to calculate
the direction, determining the direction of not moving object
wind turbine- is technically not possible.
2) Low accuracy of GPS receiver (in range of few
meters).
3) Complicated data processing especially for the
triangulation calculations.
4) High power consumption.
B. Heading System using Inclinometer
An inclinometer (or tilt sensor) is an instrument for
measuring angles of slope (tilt), or elevation of an object with
respect to gravity [13], see Figure 8. Different technologies
can be used within an inclinometer, these include electronic
accelerometer, gas, and pendulum designs. Electronic
inclinometer accuracy can typically range from 0.01 to 2.
Since the inclinometer measures the angle with respect to the
gravity, it cannot measure rotation around gravity vector [14]
[15].

one or more gyroscopes [17]. The incorporation of

magnetometer allows the IMU to report an accurate yaw
(heading) as well as pitch and roll [18].
Considering the above explanation, it is found that the
IMU can be used to measure the heading angle of the wind
turbine. Experimental studies have to be conducted to
investigate its feasibility.
V.

In this paper the feasibility of building wireless sensor

network on wind turbine has been investigated. Also the
options for installing a heading measurement system for wind
turbine have been explored. The feasibility study conducted
based on predefined targets. The paper shows that mesh
network could be very reliable, as there is often more than
one path between a source and a destination in the network.
Also it is concluded that IEEE 802.15.4 is the most suitable
communication standard for the wind turbine project taking
into consideration its special conditions and requirements.
Using GPS or inclinometer to determine the heading
angle of the wind turbine is technically not possible. However
the inertial measurement unit is capable of determining the
heading angle of the wind turbine.
VI.

REFERENCES

[2]

[3]
Figure 8. Function of inclinometer [15].
[4]

C. Heading System using Inertial Measurment Unit (IMU)

IMU is an electronic device that measures velocity
orientation, and gravitational forces [16]. It consists of a
combination of three axis accelerometer and three axis
gyroscopes. The range of IMU is 360 and the accuracy can
reach to 0.5. The IMU works by detecting the current rate of
acceleration using one or more accelerometer, and detects
changes in rotational attributes like pitch, roll and yaw using

FUTURE STUDIES

Further studies are needed to find the effect of

electromagnetic field produced by the wind turbine on both
the wireless sensor network and the heading measurement
system. Also it is needed to investigate the possibilities to
power up the wireless sensor network by utilizing the already
existing magnetic field around the wind turbine.

[1]

Considering the above explanation, it is found that using

inclinometer to determine the heading direction of the wind
turbine is technically not possible, because the inclinometer is
not able to measure the angle around the gravity vector, and
the Yaw angle in the wind turbine is around the gravity
vector, as shown in Figure 2.

CONCLUSIONS

[5]
[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

Eddie OConnor, Chief Exceutive, Mainstream Renewable Power

2050 Challenge video interview on The European Wind Energy
Association website, http://www.ewea.org/offshore/ [retrieved on
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Martcon, Wireless sensor networks & wind farms, 10 February 2010,
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System A/S, Hannover Fair, April 2010 [verbal discussion], and
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[10] Rare Niche Web Sites, How does a GPS receiver figure its distance
from a GPS satellite?, How GPS Works, 2006-2008 Rare Niche Web
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[11] Rare Niche Web Sites, How does GPS triangulation work?, How
GPS Works, 2006-2008 Rare Niche Web Sites, http://www.how-gpsworks.com/faq/q0110.shtml [retrieved on 20.05.2010].
[12] Nel Samam, Global positioinig; technologies and performance,
chapter 4, 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[13] Gpsreview.net, What is an electronic compass?, 2005-2010
gpsreview.net,
http://www.gpsreview.net/electronic-compass/
[retrieved on 20.05.2010].
[14] Jonathan, Bob, "How Does An Inclinometer Work?." How Does An
Inclinometer Work?, August 2006, EzineArticles.com.ccccccccccccccc
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Does-An-Inclinometer-Work?&id=276738 [retrieved on 20.05.2010].
[15] Crossbow, CXTA tilt sensor datasheet, document part number: 60200013-01 Rev E, Crossbow Technology, Inc.ccccccccccccccccccccccccc
http://www.xbow.com/Products/Product_pdf_files/Tilt_pdf/CXTA_Dat
asheet.pdf [retrieved on 20.05.2010].
[16] SignalQuest Precision Microsensors, SQ-SI2X-360DA solid state
wide range MEMS inclinometer data sheet, September 2008,
SignalQuest, Inc. 1999-2008, NH 03766 USA,cccccccccccccccccccccc
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360DA_Wide%20Range%20MEMS%20Inclinometer%20Datasheet.pd
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[17] Wikipedia, Inertial measurment unit, Wikepedia the free
encyclopedia, May 2010,cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
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[18] Microstrain, Inclinometer and orientation sensors, Microstrain Inc.,
http://www.microstrain.com/pdf/Shortform%20Orientation%20Ad.pdf
[retrieved on 20.05.2010].
[19] Microstrain, 3DM-GX3-25 heading reference system data sheet,
Microstrain Inc.,http://www.microstrain.com/product_datasheets/3DMGX3-25_datasheet_version_1.04.pdf [retrieved on 20.05.2010].

Hakam B.E. Saffour is a PhD candidate in the field of

communication engineering at Otto von Guericke
University Magdeburg in Germany. He received his
B.Sc. in Electronics Engineering from Princess Sumaya
University of Applied Sciences in Jordan, and M.Sc. in
Electronics Systems & Engineering Management from
University of Bolton in UK and South Westphalia
University of Applied Sciences in Germany. His main topics of
interests are wireless sensor network, WiMax, and heading measurment
system.

Prof. A.S. Omar is a professor in the filed of high

frequency technology, and the head of Institute of
Electronics, Signal Processing and Communication of
the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.