Remote Vibration Control Systems for Rotating Machinery Units Fault Detection

Alternative energy is a phenomenon that is rapidly transforming from exotic to commonplace. The main driving force behind the use of such energy sources as the force of wind, sea waves, the heat of the earth's depths, and the like, is the rapid rise in the cost of non-renewable organic fuels and the threat of their depletion. The second most important reason can be called the environmental threats posed by traditional energy. But whatever the factors that give impetus to the development of the industry, the phenomenon of wind energy is noteworthy, first of all. The fact is that wind power began to be used long before methods of converting thermal energy into electrical energy were invented, and even more so—to the atomic. Over time, however, sailing ships and windmills have become rarities, and history can provide us with many examples of how some forms of energy were supplanted by others. Moreover, the development of energy and the irreversible transition from one type of energy source to the mass use of another type can, perhaps, be considered the main driving force behind the change in technological and economic structures. In this light, the wind energy renaissance seems to be an exemplary (though not the only) exception to the rule. The rapidly developing industry leads to a catastrophic deterioration of the environmental situation in the world, and the growing demand for electricity requires an increase in capacity. This explains the growing popularity of wind energy every year as an environmentally friendly, renewable and economically profitable source of energy. Electricity needs were covered by the installation of one wind turbine, then since the 1970s and 1980s, after the 1973 global economic crisis, as a result of which the prices of oil and gas increased significantly, the first wind farms began to appear in Western Europe and the USA, now numbering dozens of machines. In 1957, Denmark launched the 250 kW Gedser turbine, a machine that became the prototype of modern turbines. And in 1978, through the efforts of investors and the Danish scientific community, a turbine with a capacity of 1 MW was built. Modern wind turbines are three-blade installations with a horizontal axis of rotation, the height of which is more than 100 m and the diameter of the blades is up to 150 m, with a power of up to 6 MW. For efficient operation, turbines must be installed on dungs or open areas with a high average annual wind speed and close to power grids, therefore, wind farms are usually located close to the production and social infrastructure of society.