Siemens Energy has launched two key wind turbine Research and Development test centres in Denmark; one in Brande and the other in Aalborg.
The Brande test center would evaluate the main parts of their wind turbines such as main bearings, complete nacelles and generators, while the Aalborg facility would perform the full gamut of tests on wind turbine rotor blades, with the capability of testing the world’s longest blade, of length 75 meters.
CEO of Siemen’s Energy’s Wind Power Division, Felix Ferlemann emphasized the need for such an investment, saying that the rigorous test procedures ensure the significant reduction of technical issues with the wind turbines in the field, enabling them to deliver the most reliable as well as innovative wind turbines.
The two test facilities combined form the largest wind turbine R&D center, with a total surface area of over 27,000 square meters. The Brande facility boasts some of the most advanced nacelle test stands in the field, with the capacity to test Siemens’ biggest 6 MW-rated capacity turbine on their D6 direct drive platform, not to mention the capacity to test even bigger turbines.
The Aalborg centre’s seven blades test stand, combined with Brande’s three-blade facility make up the largest blade testing center in the world. With the capacity to test Siemens’ biggest wind turbine blade, the 75 meter B75, as well as the ability to test even longer blades, the facility caters for wind turbines which are now the world’s largest composite structures.
These test centres also feature Highly Accelerated Lifetime Tests (HALT) for all the key parts of both geared and direct drive platforms. These HALT tests can even take as long as six months, during which the test turbines undergo even more strenuous loads than they would in the field.
Ferlemann added that the procedure also involved compressing the largest loads over a short time since these were the loads that have the biggest impact on the turbine.
Siemens Wind Power, a pioneer in the industry, was the first to put up a Test and Measurement Department for testing modern wind turbine technology in 1988. Marking their 25th anniversary this year, Ferlemann confirmed Siemens Energy’s status in the Wind Power sector: “Siemens is the company with the greatest experience in testing and making field measurements in the wind industry”.
