THE TEST OF A WIND TURBINE

Turbine test facilities: The quest for reliability
Andrew Williams, 29 July 2010 (Wind Energy Update)

"…[C]oncerns have been raised that, in terms of measuring reliability, the current standards governing turbine technology testing are neither meaningful nor worthwhile…In response…the National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) in the UK plans to build a £15m marine test-rig in Blyth, Northumberland to enable it to perform certification activities, reliability and performance appraisal of new devices. The facility will become one of the world’s largest open-access indoor test facilities for offshore wind turbines.

"…Commercial wind turbines currently pass through a 3rd-party Type Certification process against international standards…Full certification includes fatigue testing of blades plus verification of loads, power performance, noise and grid characteristics on a full-sized pre-production prototype turbine…However, reliability and maintainability are not formally considered, leading to calls for standards and guidelines that cover all aspects of turbine performance and which constantly evolve to keep pace with changes in the industry…"

From nebusiness via YouTube

"The NAREC facility, due to be in action by late 2011, will test wind turbine nacelle up to 10MW in ‘real world’ wind conditions and enable Type Certification testing of new turbines, as well as model verification and proof testing of prototypes…[It will also do] ‘post-mortem’ testing of in-service turbines, to reproduce measured loads and help diagnose the root causes of failure, and the running-in of new turbines to screen out early-life failures before offshore installation…The test-rig will allow the whole turbine nacelle to be tested onshore and indoors before being taken offshore, thus reducing the technical and commercial risks of mass-production and deployment…

"In the US, Clemson University has announced plans for an open-access facility in the state of South Carolina to provide high quality testing services to the wind turbine industry for turbines, drivetrains or gear boxes…[It] will be housed in a former Navy warehouse adjacent to existing rail and ship handling infrastructure, and will be capable of full-scale testing of advanced drive-train systems for wind turbines in the 5-15 MW range."

From NRELPR via YouTube

"…[A] National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) project is underway to test small wind turbine systems to industry and international standards…[and] NREL is working with the US Department of the Environment in defining its Regional Test Centers project, and is also collaborating with AWEA's Standards Coordinating Committee (SCC) and wind industry experts to develop national guidelines…

"…As the wind industry expands, it is likely that large-scale test facilities such as those due to be established by NAREC, Clemson University and others will become increasingly important in improving reliability and helping companies to address the major challenges posed by working in very harsh environments…International collaboration will also be a vital element in standardising component capabilities, bringing down testing costs as well as building scale…"