Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Technology, Engineering, Mechanical, Engineering

Abstract:

In the period 2008-2010, a highly dynamic test facility for multi-megawatt wind turbine gearboxes has been installed and validated at Hansen Transmissions, Lommel, Belgium. The purpose of the test-rig is to introduce realistic loading conditions on a test gearbox. The rig is constructed as a back-to-back gearbox set-up and is one of the largest in the world. It has a nominal power of 13.2 MW and a peak power capacity of 16.8 MW. The complexity of applying dynamics was tackled by the concept of load cases. Each load case represents a specific part or phenomenon in the wind turbine behavior. The development process was split in four phases in order to ensure functionality and robustness in a safe way. Therefore a 1/600 scaled set-up was built on which the control architecture was developed that handles the complex interaction between the mechanical dynamics and the electrical controller of the test rig. The results on the scaled set-up were satisfying and led to the validation of the control concepts on the 13.2 MW test-rig with reproduction of the dynamic load cases for a test configuration featuring two different multi-MW test gearboxes. The test rig fits in R&D activities such as the experimental validation of dynamic load simulation models and an extension of the limits of standard prototype validation tests, including new durability approaches.