LeWL Wind Logger
LeWL Wind Logger
Find out more about the Logic Energy Wind Logger
wind | generalAs we discussed in our article
Survey Wind Speed at Turbine Site, it is vital to accurately measure
wind speeds over a course of weeks and months at any site where a
wind turbine is to be installed.
An
anemometer is a device used to measure the wind speed at any instant. For that information to be of any real use, readings much be taken at regular fixed intervals and stored in order that
average wind speeds,
peak wind speeds, and so on can be calculated, and the suitability of a location for a wind turbine to be determined.
LeWL Wind Logger
The
LeWL Wind Logger is a new wind speed logger from Scottish company
Logic Energy. With its sealed (IP65) case, and ultra low power consumption, this logger is ideally suited for use in even the most remote locations to collect wind speed data for later analysis.
LeWL has two sensor inputs - one analogue and two digital channels. Therefore data from two anemometers can be collected at the same time as recording the
wind direction. Where the logger is used at a site with an already installed wind turbine, one of the digital channels can be connected to an SO pulse output
kWh export meter so that accurate
power curves and performance checkups of the wind turbine can be undertaken.
Readings can be taken automatically every 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 10 minutes (user-specified interval). Thanks to the internal real time clock, the stored data (saved in
CSV ASCII format) is archived into monthly or daily files for ease of analysis later. Data is stored on a removable SD/MMC flash memory card - and just one 512 MB card would be sufficient to store 25 years of collected data logging at one minute intervals!
When downloaded to a computer, the collected data file can be opened straight into a
spreadsheet for analysis as shown below:
If wind direction input is used a
potentiometer type
wind direction sensor is required. The LeWL has 16 wind direction
bins - therefore it will store the highest wind direction incidence as N, NNW, NW, WNW, W... etc. All wind speed and direction readings are stored with a date and time stamp, and
average and maximum wind speeds are also logged. Stored data can be analysed and processed with any
spreadsheet application.
The LeWL has a
serial port* to interface with a PC in order to download data or setup the logger. LeWL is fully compatible with any USB-RS232 converter enabling easy connection to any PC with a USB port.
*
RS232 serial connection was chosen rather than USB to keep power consumption to a minimum and to enable the logger to work standalone for extended periods of time on one set of batteries.
Additional LeWL Technical Specifications
LeWL has an operating temperature range of -15 degrees C to +50 degrees C. One set of good quality alkaline 1.5V C size batteries will power the logger for up to
1 year (with a 1+ minute logging interval). Including batteries LeWL weighs in at
450g and is just
160 x 80 x 55mm in size. LeWL also features a built in PCB mounted
temperature sensor.
For more information click here to view the
LeWL installation and user guide from the
Wind Logger website.
Buy an LeWL Wind Logger
The
LeWL is available for
£169+VAT direct from the manufacturers
Logic Energy in Glasgow, Scotland. This price includes the LeWL stand alone
wind logger with waterproof
IP65 enclosure, a 3 cup
anemometer,
memory card, and two C-type
batteries.
Article Last Modified: 14:07, 28th Jan 2009Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
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