Media Relations

Gaining a better understanding of power converter failure is vital in order to develop more effective protective measures and thus improve the profitability of turbine operation. For this purpose, field data from various sites and turbine types are being analyzed, damage models derived, and experimental tests performed on components.

Three 20 meter long rotor blades that were developed within the context of the SmartBlades2 project will be assessed under natural weather and wind conditions in Boulder, Colorado (USA), over the next four months. The measuring campaign with the SmartBlades2 research project aims to clarify how well the rotor blades with bend-twist coupling are able to effectively dampen peak loads during strongly variable wind speeds. 

Researchers from DTU and Fraunhofer IWES will - together with further partners - develop a design for a 40 meter blade with intentionally inserted errors, manufacture it and test it, in order to improve the understanding of a blade´s structural behavior and validate damage models. The vision is a digital twin of every blade manufactured that would allow a permanent condition monitoring for the entire life cycle.

Together with 14 project partners, Fraunhofer IWES, in the role of coordinator, launched the BladeFactory project at the beginning of October. IWES researchers will develop and test production methods with the aim of reducing the production time for rotor blades.  

Cylinders and mechanics for the application of real wind loads for the bearing test rig in Hamburg have been installed and are now operational. As such, the researchers are well within the schedule, which envisages commissioning of the entire test rig by the end of the year.