Cel
The objectives of this project are:
- to undertake a design review of an advanced large wind turbine in order to define measures and procedures for improvement of the reliability and availability of the machine;
- adaptation of reliability analysis methods to the specific demands of the design and operating stage of large wind turbines.
The results of the project will be:
1. Well documented experience with the application of reliability analysis methods to large wind turbines through the execution of a design review and the use of operational data.
2. Demonstration of the feasibility and value mostly of qualitative analysis methods.
3. Recommendations to improve RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety) of the NEWECS-45 from identified weak spots in the design, operation strategy, maintenance and inspection procedures and functional tests.
To minimize the likelihood of a structural failure of wind turbines, they are being designed in accordance with deterministic design rules. As wind turbines increase in size and power, these rules may not be adequate to ascertain a safe and well-balanced design. The rules neither facilitate the quantification of the degree of conservatism, nor explicitly address the reliability and availability of the wind turbine. The lessons learned from operating experience are not systematically used during all phases of the lifetime of a wind turbine, viz. during design, manufacturing, assembly, and operation. The safety and reliability of wind turbines can be
enhanced by adoption of reliability based methods from other branches of industry.
The NEWECS-45 is a 1MW machine equipped with two lightweight glass fibre reinforced plastic rotor blads, and integrated drive train and a soft tower design. Furthermore, the machine is equipped with fast blade pitch adjustment and variable rotor speed. The machine is in operation since 1985 and a lot of operating experience is available and documented. The availability and thus the actual energy production appears to stay far behind the preliminary estimates due to technical troubles.