ONSHORE WIND TURBINES ROTOR RIG
Holland
“IDOM completed the construction of the Onshore Wind Turbines Rotor Rig for LM Wind Power at December 2020. The rig is hosted by the LM windpower’s WMC Technology Centre at the Netherlands. The project was completed in a record time spanning over two years from inception to the commissioning tests. LM Wind Power entrusted IDOM to supply the rig as an EPC project involving the design, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning activities.
LM Onshore WT Rotor Rig is a unique worldwide test facility. Equipped with three load application systems installed at the end of three composite components mimicking the stiffness of real WT blades is able to replicate the forces and dynamics caused by the wind aerodynamics, centrifugal forces and gravity for WT up to 6 MW+. A counter-pitch system installed in the load application systems allows to apply a torque while the hub pitch oscillates to study the wear and fatigue failures in key WT components as the pitch bearings. Reproducing realistically the stresses and deformation caused by the three blades in the rotor allows LM Wind Power to accurately analyse the lifetime of critical components as the hub, pitch bearings, gearboxes and gears rims, and bolted connections to the main shaft and blades under demanding fatigue, extreme and wear conditions.”
Hanif Mashal, LM Wind Power Vice President of Engineering, stated: “Establishing the most advanced and largest rotor test rig of its kind shows our commitment to develop insights into rotor technology that go beyond blade production alone. With this innovative rotor rig, we will be able to verify in-house the pitch bearings and pitch system that fix the wind turbine blades to the hub and allows pitching blade maximizing captured energy while reducing loads on wind turbine. This capability will provide our customers with a better understanding of the dynamic behaviour of large onshore and offshore rotors and will help LM Wind Power design ultra-large rotor blades by stretching and improving the existing designs
