Method for monitoring of rotating machines

A method for monitoring of a plurality of rotating machines which are each provided with a plurality of sensors for detection of physical parameters and are operated in several variable operating states, the machines being wind power plants and the individual machines being cataloged by assignment of at least one of a plant characteristic relative to the type of components and the location of the respective machine, comprising the steps of:

• before commencement of monitoring of a selected machine, examining the selected machine and determining whether the plurality of the machines include another machine with the same plant characteristic a similar plant characteristic which differs by not more than a given value from the plant characteristic of the selected machine, and
• if another machine with the same or similar plant characteristic from the selected machine determined to be present, a starting model with a rule set for carrying out the monitoring which determines which parameters are to be monitored in which manner and with which weighting and which sensor data are to be obtained and used for this purpose is used that has been established knowledge-based on the foundation of start sensor data which have been obtained in at least one quasi-steady-state base operating state of the other machine, and either
• (a) reference SOM is prepared using the rule set with sensor data which have been selected using the rule set and which are obtained in a reference operating phase of the selected machine;
• or
• (b) a reference SOM of the other machine being adopted which has been prepared using the rule set with sensor data which have been selected using the rule set of the other machine and which are obtained in a reference operating phase of the other machine;
• during a monitoring operating phase, a time characteristic of the quantization error of sensor data which have been selected using the rule set is tracked with respect to the reference SOM;
• troubleshooting is started if the quantization error meets a criterion which is dictated by the rule set, in which
• using the rule set, at least one first diagnosis SOM with a subset of the sensor data obtained in the monitoring operating phase is prepared with respect to the measurement instants and/or the number of sensors and optionally with sensor data which have been obtained in the reference operating phase,
• at least one 3D graph of the at least one first diagnosis SOM is prepared and evaluated in order to identify a fault cause;
• if an unambiguous fault cause is not determinable from evaluation of the at least one first diagnosis SOM, at least a second diagnosis SOM with another subset of the sensor data which have been obtained in the monitoring operating phase with respect to at least one of the measurement instants, the number of sensors and with sensor data which have been obtained in the reference operating phase is prepared and evaluated in order to identify a fault cause;
• the starting model and thus the rule set are checked and modified as needed using evaluations of at least one of the at least one reference SOM and of the diagnosis SOMs;
• for other machines with the same or similar plant characteristic as the selected machine, at least one of the starting model which has been modified as needed and a reference SOM with sensor data obtained in the monitoring operating phase is made available as the reference SOM.