The 25MW drivetrain is designed to test turbines in the 16-18MW range
Danish engineering firm R&D Test Systems has launched a highly accelerated lifetime testing (HALT) test bench for turbine nacelles. It is capable of testing offshore prototypes of up to 18MW.
The test bench, located at the Lindø Offshore Renewables Centre (Lorc) in Denmark, was designed to meet the growing demand for testing larger turbines that are required to operate in extreme offshore conditions.
The new HALT XL test bench, said to be the largest and most powerful on the market, is mounted on a 30m-long concrete base.
Featuring a 25MW drive motor with a 15-metre diameter, it can deliver a tilt moment of 85 million Nm, allowing for the simulation of the harshest of wind conditions. Lorc chief executive officer Torben Lorentzen explained that this is “equivalent to the pulling power of 67 family cars dangling from the end of a turbine blade 100 metres long”.
The 25MW drivetrain is designed to test turbines in the 16-18MW range. By applying larger torque and wind loads than the turbine would experience in real life, it allows for an accelerated testing time of less than a year, for 25 years of operation, a spokesperson told Windpower Monthly.
The test bench is capable of performing functional testing on a 25MW turbine, but only by running it at rated power and without any wind loads, she added. The test bench can accommodate one turbine at a time.
According to R&D Test Systems, exposing prototype turbines to pre-defined HALT tests will allow manufacturers to make accurate assessments of their reliability, significantly shortening time to market. Windpower Monthly - link - Nadia Weekes - link - more like this - link
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