WEG, a leading global motor and drives manufacturer, will supply two drive motors for a test rig being developed by the Danish wind turbine test specialist,
R&D Test Systems, a company that develops projects and validates new technology with turnkey test systems. With two 30MW motors from WEG, the test rig will be the world’s most powerful powertrain and gearbox ‘test bench’; and at 60m long it will also be the largest.
ZF Wind Power will be the final user of this test rig, which will be housed in the company’s test and prototype centre in Lommel, Belgium. It will simulate the multiplicity of wind loads that a nacelle powertrain might experience in its lifetime, helping to improve product reliability and shorten time to market — and it will be able to test two nacelle components, for example, two powertrains or two gearboxes, simultaneously.
Marek Lukaszczyk, WEG’s Europe and Middle East marketing manager, said: “WEG has extensive experience in supplying motors for renewable projects, so we are confident that our motors will help to ensure that this test rig operates at peak performance. Rigorously testing new technologies for renewable energy generation is essential for our planet’s future. The two motors from WEG will be delivered in October 2023, and the system will ultimately be delivered to ZF Wind Power in 2024.”
Ralf Nieschler, R&D Test Systems’ key account manager, said: “The wind loads and directions can vary greatly, and each change creates loading on the nacelle powertrain. This new test rig must be much more powerful than the powertrain it tests, providing proof that the next generation of offshore turbines can operate reliably in extreme offshore conditions over the defined lifetime. The test rig will simulate the effect of 20 years of wind conditions, in just a few months.”