8 March 2019

The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems has successfully commissioned a test rig for rotor blade bearings with up to 6.5-metre diameters in Hamburg. The large-scale test rig will be used to develop new methods for designing and configuring blade bearings that can minimise yield losses.

Manufacturers and operators will benefit from the BEAT 6.1 large-diameter bearing test rig: accelerated testing can increase the reliability of large-diameter roller bearings and pave the way for new calculation methods and designs. Bearings can be validated on the test rig long before they are used for the first time on wind turbines, which was previously not possible in this way. The aim is to reduce the development costs and yield losses in order to make the operation of wind turbines up to 10 MW more economical.

In laboratory tests, seven hydraulic cylinders simulate the movement of rotor blades and the rotor rotation of wind turbines during operation – with all their constant load changes, which represent an immense load for roller bearings. The test facility can simulate an operating life of 20 years within six months.

The first rotor blade bearings to be tested on the test rig comprise eight bearings with a nominal diameter of five metres and a weight of 9,500 kg. They are being tested until summer 2021 in functional and endurance tests in the HAPT (Highly Accelerated Pitch Bearing Test) research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Methods for the accelerated testing of blade bearings shall be developed together with the Institute for Machine Design and Tribology (IMKT) at Leibniz Universität Hannover and the IMO group of companies.

Contact

Matthias Stammler
Fraunhofer-Institut für Windenergiesysteme
Am Schleusengraben 22
21029 Hamburg
+49(0)471-14290-522

www.iwes.fraunhofer.de/en
Decorative picture
© Pixabay - Markus Distelrath

Wind power
Test rigs improve the performance of wind turbines

Investors and network operators place high demands on the performance of wind turbines. Tests are required to meet these demands. Test rigs provide reproducible conditions for certification tests and thus save time and money. Fraunhofer IWES has already put a number of test rigs into operation.

mehr
Octocopter, equipped with measuring electronics for on-site investigations
© PTB

Wind power
Effect of wind farms on radar and navigation systems

The approval of new wind turbines near radar or air traffic navigation systems often creates conflicts that sometimes end up in court. It is undisputed that wind turbines can affect the signals of radar systems and omnidirectional range radio beacons.

mehr
Among other things, EnArgus, the central information system for energy research funding, contains a database of all energy research projects - including this project.