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