owi-lab: improving reliability in the wind turbine industry
Post on 28-Nov-2014
223 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Wind turbines and their individual components need to be
tested to make sure they can withstand extreme
environmental conditions:
1. Mechanical environmental factors: shocks and
impacts, low frequency vibrations from waves (in the
case of offshore turbines), accelerations due to
emergency stops, strong blasts of winds and storms.
2. Climatic environmental factors: extreme
temperatures, salt, rain, pressure, humidity, ice, solar
radiation.
The need of reliable turbines and optimized operation
and maintenance (O&M) strategies, is even more
pronounced for remote wind farms where interventions
may be very costly.
At locations with harsh environments (extreme winds,
waves, temperatures, snow, …), repair works may be
postponed because of adverse weather conditions. This
negatively affects the wind turbine availability and its
business case. Avoiding unplanned reparations is crucial
in these cases.
In order to reduce these O&M costs two approaches can
be defined:
1. Improving component reliability
2. Reducing costs to perform maintenance
This poster will focus on the first approach and has a
direct link with the activities of the OWI-Lab test facility.
Improving Reliability in the Wind Turbine Industry
Pieter Jan Jordaens ; Sirris ; Belgium
www.owi-lab.be
Abstract
In General
The wind turbine industry is rapidly expanding in remote
areas where wind turbines need to work under extreme
conditions. Operating temperatures can vary from -40°C
tot +60°C depending on the location (Inner Mongolia,
Finland, Canada, India,...).
Another trend is building turbines offshore or high in the
mountains were maintenance tasks are difficult. High
reliability for every component is key for these machines
to avoid expensive maintenance tasks in these locations.
Advanced reliability testing is paramount in this evolving
industry.
Testing & Test Infrastructure
Project Partners OWI-LAB
Large Climate Chamber
Improving Product Reliability
Conclusion
OWI-lab’s large climate chamber will be available to test
different wind turbine components up to 150 ton:
Mechanical components
(gearboxes, yaw & pitch systems,...)
Electrical components
(transformers, switch gears,...)
Electro-mechanical equipment
(generators, hybrid gearboxes,...)
Power electronics
(convertors, ...)
Hydraulic components
(hydraulic gearboxes, oil filters,...)
Cooling and heating systems
The test chamber can handle components with maximum
dimensions up to 10m x 7m x 8m (Length x Width x
Height) and is located nearby a breakbulk quay to handle
the large and heavy objects. A specialized trailer is
foreseen to mount the test specimens and to move them
into the climate chamber were they can be tested in a
temperature range from -60°C to +60°C. Special cable
penetration holes are foreseen to connect electrical wiring
inside the chamber. High power to feed drives and other
electrical components for system testing can be foreseen
by mobile generators up to 1MVA. Larger power capacity
is possible by connecting multiple power units and mobile
transformers deliver appropriate voltages for system
testing of broad range of components.
Reliability means: ‘the ability of a system to perform a
required function, under given environmental and
operating conditions and for a stated period of time’ .
It is a competitive differentiator and therefore deserves
enough attention. In order to confirm that a product will
meet established reliability goals design verification tests
and environmental tests need to be performed.
Ideally, testing is done throughout the product
development cycle, from the first prototype to the
beginning of serial production. Testing allows to assure
that the component or turbine meets all of its
specifications (verification), to validate models, and to
confirm it’s robustness and reliability.
Wind turbines consist of different mechanical, hydraulic
and electrical components. Obviously different system
tests need to be developed and performed for all these
components in their specific working conditions:
Wind turbine field testing
Nacelle and drivetrain testing
Drivetrain component testing
Sub component testing (i.e. bearings, individual gears)
Blade testing
Tower & foundations testing
The trend towards bigger multi-MW wind turbines leads
to a need for specialized test equipment and
infrastructure which can handle these large weights and
dimensions. Also larger torques, power, cooling
capacity,… are needed to test these machines and it’s
components. Different companies and knowledge
centers are currently investing in specific test stands.
Besides that, new test methodologies and certification
procedures are introduced in the industry in order to
make sure that wind energy for remote areas gets it’s
reliability boost.
.
Extreme Temperature Testing
Climatic environmental tests, in particular temperature
testing is one of the essential tests for wind turbine
components. Differences in temperatures and extreme
temperature values can have their impact on:
Differential thermal expansion of
(sub)components and materials
Lubricants become more or less
viscous which effects the oil flow
in bearings and raceways
Metals can become brittle at
very low temperatures
Cooling system can experience overheating problems
during extreme heat
Cold start problems and effect on production time
One specific extreme temperature test which is needed
for certification of gearboxes is a cold start test. Usually
on- and offshore turbines are designed to operate in a
temperature range of -10°C to +40°C but in some
locations low temperatures can reach -40°C. A proper
cold start procedure, starting up the turbine after idling in
cold conditions, has a big influence on the reliability and
productivity of these turbines. Manufactures rightly take
this at heart and develop and test this procedures
thoroughly.
WWW.OWI-LAB.BE
Reliability is key for remote located wind turbines
Extreme environmental scenario’s have to be tested
Trend in wind energy R&D: advanced testing becomes
more and more important to reduce the time-to-market
of turbine components, ensure reliability to clients and to
obtain certification.
(Extreme) temperature testing is needed for the
validation of certain components
OWI-lab invested in a large climate chamber in order to
support manufacturers in the testing process
Risø National Laboratory blade test ; RWTH’s "Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD) ;
FAG bearing test stand ; ZF Wind Power Antwerpen NV gearbox test stand
Clemson University 15MW and 7.5MW drivetrain test stand – Renk test systems
Cold start test ZF Wind Power Antwerpen NV
OWI-Lab large climate chamber test stand
Remote located wind turbines in harsh environmental conditions: arctic wind turbine and offshore wind turbine
top related