root cause analysis: understand why electronic parts fail in your wind turbine

Root Cause Analysis: Understand Why Electronic Parts Fail In Your Wind Turbine

q  This webinar will be available afterwards at www.windpowerengineering.com & email

q  Q&A at the end of the presentation q  Hashtag for this webinar: #WindWebinar

Before We Start

Michelle Froese Moderator

Windpower Engineering & Development

John Greulich Director of Sales

PSI Repair Services, Inc.

Aaron Lawson Project Manager

PSI Repair Services, Inc.

Root Cause Analysis: Understand Why Electronic Parts Fail In Your Wind Turbine

#WindWebinar http://info.psi-repair.com/wind-root-cause-analysis

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OUR LIVONIA CAMPUS

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OUR CAPABILITIES REPAIR

SERVICES ENGINEERING

SERVICES ONLINE

SERVICES SURPLUS SERVICES

•  ELECTRONIC • MECHANICAL •  BALL SCREW

• RAC® REPAIRABLE ASSET CONTROL

•  BUY SURPLUS PARTS •  SELL SURPLUS PARTS

•  ELECTRONIC DESIGN • MECHANICAL DESIGN • MANUFACTURING •  FAILURE ANALYSIS

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• Ford Motor • Bosch • General Motors • Chrysler • Delphi • Hyundai • Denso • Thyssenkrupp • Toyoda • Honda

• EDPR • EDF Renewable Energy • NextEra Energy, Inc. •  Iberdrola •  Invenergy • MidAmerican Energy

• NavAir • Raytheon • Naval Surface Warfare • Naval Air Warfare • Defense Logistics Agency • Tobyhanna Army Depot • NavSup Weapons Systems • Wyle • DRS

OUR CUSTOMERS AUTOMOTIVE

INDUSTRY WIND ENERGY

INDUSTRY MILITARY

INDUSTRY

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•  Texas Instruments •  Western Digital •  Cypress •  IBM •  Intel •  Freescale •  Samsung •  Maxim •  Seagate

•  Triumph •  Chromalloy Gas Turbine •  Boeing •  Honeywell

•  Kwikset •  Lufkin •  Corning •  SKF •  Black& Decker •  Briggs & Stratton •  Timken •  Honeywell •  Alcoa •  Eaton

OUR CUSTOMERS SEMICONDUCTOR

INDUSTRY AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

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WHEN YOU THINK ISP, THINK PSI

•  Hydraulic actuators •  Hydraulic pump •  Proportional valves •  Pitch motors •  Encoders •  Gear boxes – light duty •  Transducers

COMPONENT REPAIRS

•  Printed circuit board •  PLC •  Thyristors •  MET boards •  SCADA •  Pitch controls •  Monitors and displays

ELECTRONIC REPAIRS

•  Current controllers •  Anemometers •  IGBT banks •  Power converters •  Inverters

PSI is a leading independent service provider (ISP) to the wind industry. PSI offers component repair and engineering services for these component failures and more:

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The highest-level cause of a problem is called the Root Cause.

WHAT IS: A ROOT CAUSE

ROOT CAUSE

HIGHER-LEVEL CAUSE

FIRST-LEVEL CAUSE

VISIBLE PROBLEM

SYMPTOM

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A Root Cause is “the evil at the bottom” that sets in motion the entire cause-and-effect chain causing the problem(s). Our goal is to permanently eliminate these through design improvements.

Root Cause Examples for Electronics: •  Faulty or weak components •  External causes, e.g. power issues •  Poorly designed circuits, underrated components

WHAT IS: A ROOT CAUSE

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Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a term that describes techniques and tools used to uncover causes of problems.

WHAT IS: A ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

CAUSE

CAUSE

CAUSE

CAUSE

PROBLEM

SYMPTOMS

The symptom is just the Tip of the iceberg!

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Failure Root Cause Edges of Tire Worn Under Inflation

Center of Tire Worn Over Inflation

Knife Stuck in Sidewall You Really Upset Someone!

EXAMPLE: FAILED TIRES

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5 WHYS is a technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal is to determine the root cause of a problem by repeating the question "WHY?"

TOOLS OF RCA: 5 WHYS?

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BELT BEYOND

LIFE

BELT BROKEN

ALTERNATOR NOT

WORKING

BATTERY DEAD

CAR WON’T START MAINTENANCE

NOT PERFORMED

SCHEDULE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

TOOLS OF RCA: 5 WHYS?

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

ROOT CAUSE CORRECTIVE

ACTION

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Pareto Analysis is a technique used for the selection of a limited number of tasks that produce significant overall effect. It uses the Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule). Doing 20% of the work can generate 80% of the benefit of doing the entire job.

TOOLS OF RCA: PARETO ANALYSIS OR RED-X

80% RESULTS

20% EFFORT

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= 80% of the failures These are the most critical problems to address.

TOOLS OF RCA: PARETO ANALYSIS OR RED-X

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The Fishbone Diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem. It can be used to structure a brainstorming session. It immediately sorts ideas into useful categories.

Also known as: Ishikawa Diagram Herringbone Diagram Cause-and-Effect Diagram

TOOLS OF RCA: FISHBONE DIAGRAM

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TOOLS OF RCA: FISHBONE DIAGRAM

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•  Extend MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

•  Save LABOR costs •  Prevent turbine DOWNTIME •  Less EXPENSIVE than OEM solutions •  Avoid major RETROFITS or overhauls •  Prevent CATASTROPHIC failures

before they happen

WHY RCA: IS SO CRITICAL TO O&M BUDGETS

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.

CASE STUDIES:

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Cumulative Percentage

80%

Majority of Failures Related to IGBT

CASE STUDY: YAW MOTOR MODULE

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Problem: •  35 AMP modules failing

OEM Solution: •  Retrofit cabinets with 45 AMP module

PSI Solution: •  Upgrade 35 AMP module to 45 AMP


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Issues with OEM Solution: •  New unit is wider •  Cabinets require modifications •  Retrofit labor is costly •  Larger units are costly

Result: •  Expensive solution


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Upgrades consisting of: •  30 AMP IGBT replaced with 45 AMP device •  Recalibrate current sense resistors •  This provides additional current handling

for peak energy


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Cumulative%

80%Mark

CASE STUDY: PITCH BATTERY CHARGER

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Testing Data: VA ratings exceeded of all style transformers at nominal input voltage.


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Original Design Problems: •  High failure rate •  Common component failures •  Transformer power exceeded •  Ambient temperature exceeded


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Transformer Failure Analysis: Primary winding failed due to excess power and ambient temperature.


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Upgrades Consist of: •  Higher power transformer and custom

adapter board •  Higher temperature IC’s •  Other high failure parts include

electrolytic capacitors replaced on each unit


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What happened? The Automatic Lubrication System failed. WHY? The power supply failed. WHY? The power supply has burned components. WHY? The components got too hot. WHY? The power supply produces a lot of heat. WHY? The power supply is an inefficient design. WHY? The power supply is old technology. Solution? Design an efficient power supply!

CASE STUDY: AUTOMATIC LUBRICATION SYSTEM FIVE WHYS?

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• Drop in replacement unit • Custom designed • Higher efficiency = low heat • High reliability •  Low cost

CASE STUDY: AUTOMATIC LUBRICATION SYSTEM

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FAILED UNITS

ENVIRONMENT

MATERIALS PEOPLE

Shipping Damage

ESD Damage Low MTBF

Bad Design

Poor Ratings

Power Surges

Low Temp

High Temp

CASE STUDY: RFID TAG READER

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Root Causes of Main Failures: •  Component temperature exceeded •  Poor antenna design •  Poor antenna matching circuit


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Poorly Designed OEM Antenna Antenna Redesign and Optimization

Copper Tape Style

Non-Optimized Style

Multiple Designs Simulated and Tested

In-House Prototypes Production Design with Coax Cable

SPICE Simulations


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•  Custom designed and optimized antenna •  Range increased from 2.5cm to 5cm •  Higher temperature components •  Coax cable to antenna •  Brighter LEDs •  Over 1,000 field installations


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What did the customer like most about the new design? •  Increased range? •  Longer life? •  NO?

Brighter LEDs can be seen more easily

Original LEDs


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WHY? OLD TECHNOLOGY

TRANSISTORS WHY?

POOR QUALITY CAPS

WHY? CAP ESR TOO HIGH

WHY? TRANSISTORS

GENERATE TOO MUCH HEAT

WHY? CAPS LEAKED AND SHORTED TRACES

WHY? TEMPERATURE WAS

EXCEEDED

WHY? IT HAS BURNED

CAPS

WHY? THE PCB IS BURNED

WHAT HAPPENED? PITCH DRIVE FAILED

WHY? AMBIENT TEMP GETS TOO HIGH

5 WHYS? Multiple Paths and

Multiple Root Causes

CASE STUDY: PITCH MOTOR DRIVE

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Problems with original design: •  Extremely short life: <2 years in most cases •  Catastrophic failures – Many units non-repairable •  Units up tower in hub – Expensive to replace •  Poorly rated capacitors and transistors •  Inefficient design generates excess heat •  Damaged threads on ground lug hole


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New Design Features: •  Higher efficiency: 25ºC cooler than OEM •  Allows repair of catastrophic failures •  FETs with lower on resistance •  Capacitors handle higher ripple current •  Thicker copper traces on PCB •  Over 3,000 field installations •  MTBF reduced by over 80%


Steel Inserts create more durable ground lug threads.

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CASE STUDY: CURRENT CONTROLLER

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Pareto Analysis: Large variation in failures

VRCC Rotor Current Controller

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•  Component rotates with generator •  High vibration environment •  Short MTBF •  High ambient temperatures


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Original Design Problems: •  Broken solder joints on capacitors •  High vibration during operation •  DC-DC converter failures •  Rotating component is poorly balanced


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Upgrades: •  Tab style mechanical connections on

snubber capacitors •  Through hole solder joints eliminated •  Resistant to damage from vibration •  Repaired units balanced with custom,

mechanically secured weights. •  Improved DC-DC converters

New PSI Snubber Board Design


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WHEN YOU THINK ISP, THINK PSI To learn more about Wind Energy Life Cycle Solutions, visit http://info.psi-repair.com/wind-root-cause-analysis, or call John Greulich at 734-853-5360.

Questions? Root Cause Analysis: Understand Why Electronic Parts Fail In Your Wind Turbine

John Greulich Director of Sales

PSI Repair Services, Inc. [email protected]

Aaron Lawson Project Manager

PSI Repair Services, Inc. [email protected]

Michelle Froese Moderator

Windpower Engineering [email protected]

Thank You q  This webinar will be available at

www.windpowerengineering.com & email

q  Tweet with hashtag #WindWebinar

q  Connect with Windpower Engineering & Development

q  Discuss this on EngineeringExchange.com