Measurement Uncertainty of Radiated Electromagnetic Emissions in In Situ Tests of Wind Energy Conversion Systems

Abstract. The electromagnetic (EM) emissions of wind energy conversion systems (WECS) are evaluated in situ. Results of in situ tests, however, are only valid for the examined equipment under test (EUT) and cannot be applied to series production as samples, as the measurement uncertainty for in situ environment is not characterized. Currently measurements must be performed on each WECS separately, this is associated with significant costs and time requirement to complete. Therefore, in this work, based on the standard procedure according to the “Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty” (GUM, 2008) the measurement uncertainty is characterized. From current normative situation obtained influences on the measurement uncertainty: wind velocity and undefined ground are evaluated. The influence of increased wind velocity on the measurement uncertainty is evaluated with an analytical approach making use of the dipole characteristic. A numerically evaluated model provides information about the expected uncertainty due to reflection on different textures and varying values of relative ground moisture. Using a classical reflection law based approach, the simulation results are validated. Thanks to the presented methods, it is possible to successfully characterize the measurement uncertainty of in situ measurements of WECS's EM emissions.