Many wind turbine blades are worn due to rain, especially in the tip section, when the coating of the blades is destroyed by rain. When the covering is destroyed, the wind turbine's efficiency is reduced and expensive repairs are necessary. Rain erosion is therefore a frequently discussed challenge that both wind turbine manufacturers and park owners have a great interest in solving.
DTU is a leader in rain erosion research on wind turbines and in the last several years has participated in several projects that try to solve the problem. Now the research institute has invested in a new machine, a so-called Rain Erosion Tester (RET), which will contribute to future research.
A RET is a testing machine which is based on a 3-wing helicopter principle, where a test item is rotated at high speed and exposed to raindrops. The RET provides a framework for the most realistic test conditions in a controlled environment, where it is possible to simulate different types of rain and test accelerated lifetime of leading edge protection.
The supplier of the new machine to DTU is R&D Test Systems, with whom DTU has participated in several projects over the past several years. It is therefore extra exciting that DTU is now getting its own Rain Erosions Tester, which will be used across several different research projects, says an announcement from R&D Test Systems.
New features must provide new test methods
The RET that DTU has bought will be the most advanced on the market, it will be able to emulate rain with three times the intensity because the rain field can be opened up to 1,800 needles instead of the standard 600 needles. In addition to increased rain density, DTU has also chosen to incorporate a heat pump to heat the ventilation air, in addition to reducing energy consumption, it also provides increased opportunities to control the temperature.
- It is a known problem that a test acceleration at increased speed can cause erosion phenomena that do not replicate reality. With three times more drops, DTU will investigate the possibilities of accelerating the erosion tests without compromising the results, says Niels Pedersen, who is key account manager at R&D Test Systems, and elaborates:
- Time is money, so our customers always have an interest in shortening a test period if it can be done without compromising the results, therefore we are very much looking forward to developing a machine where the tests can be accelerated to a greater extent by increasing the rain density, elaborates Niels Pedersen.
The new test machine will be installed at DTU's Risø Campus, where a new test facility will be built for the machine.
- For the first time, we made a specially designed test chamber, so DTU was able to get exactly the dimensions they wanted. DTU wanted both a larger test chamber and more space for the operators, who at the same time get one of Denmark's best views directly down to Roskilde Fjord, says Niels Pedersen.
amp
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
