Center for Wind Power Drives
| Center for Windpower Drives | |
|---|---|
 Building of the Center for Windpower Drives in Aachen |
|
| Category: | research Institute |
| Facility location: | Aachen , Campus Melaten |
| Subjects: | Engineering , natural sciences |
| Areas of expertise: | Wind energy , renewable energies , drive technology , network operation, acoustics , gears , network integration , generators , converter concepts , flow simulation , control strategies |
| Management: |
Georg Jacobs (Speaker), Antonello Monti, Wolfgang Schröder , Kay Hameyer, Dirk Abel , Rik W. De Doncker, Christian Brecher , Ralf Schelenz (Managing Directors) |
| Employee: | approx. 50 |
| Homepage: | www.cwd.rwth-aachen.de |
The Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD), founded on December 12, 2013, is one of the first integrated interdisciplinary institutes (I³) at RWTH Aachen University .
"I" serve the development of research priorities and the opening up of new interdisciplinary research fields with strategic relevance for the RWTH Aachen. They are based on a common research vision and a long-term contractual agreement between several professorships. "
Founding members
A total of seven institutes at the CWD are jointly researching wind turbines (WEA) drive systems. In addition to fundamental scientific investigations, these research activities also include industry-related research and development projects. The scientific and organizational responsibility for the planning, use and operation of the wind turbine system test bench is borne by the board, which is composed of the institute managers of the member institutes. The scientists at the CWD will be brought together in the CWD to intensify networking and promote innovation.
The founding members of the CWD are the following seven institutes:
- Institute for Automatic Control (IRT)
- Machine tool laboratory WZL of the RWTH Aachen
- Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems (ACS)
- Institute for Electrical Machines (IEM)
- Institute for Power Generation and Storage Systems (PGS)
- Aerodynamic Institute Aachen (AIA)
- Chair for Wind Power Drives (CWD)
The eighth member was accepted:
- Research Institute for Rationalization (FIR)
Research priorities
- Load determination
- Simulative system investigation
- Nacelle test rigs and test procedures
- Grid connection certification put to the test
- Development of new drive train, bearing and converter concepts
- Integration of wind turbines in smart grids
- Intelligent and predictive control strategies
- Establishment of condition monitoring systems and development of sensors
- Simulative and metrological investigation of the acoustic noise emission from wind turbines
Infrastructure
The test bench of the CWD enables wind nacelles with a weight of up to 100 tons and a length of up to 14 meters to be tested under practical conditions and is part of the “Cluster Heavy Duty Drives” on the Melaten campus in Aachen. A test bench with this structure is unique internationally. The CWD has the following test facilities:
1 MW system test bench
In 2011, the first 1MW system test bench in Hardware in the Loop was operated with the founding institutes of the center . The 1MW system test bench has shown for the first time that these tests are also possible on a test bench under realistic conditions. The Vestas V52 nacelle could be operated with the original control unit. An aerodynamic model calculated the wind loads such as thrust, yaw and pitching moments in real time and applied them to the rotor flange of the wind turbine using hydraulic cylinders. The converter of the nacelle was connected to a virtual power grid. From the findings of the test stand, load spectra and test procedures for the components in the wind turbine at risk of failure could be derived. The project was part of the high-tech NRW project "Improvement of the operating behavior of on-shore wind turbines with the help of a new system test bench".
4 MW system test bench on-shore wind turbine
Based on the findings of the 1 MW test stand, requirements for a 4 MW system test stand could be obtained. The CWD is currently active as a coordinating institute within the IEA Wind Task 35 Full Size Ground Testing of Wind Turbines and their Components , with the aim of defining requirements for test procedures and system test benches.
The 4 MW system test bench was put into operation in 2014. With the help of the 4 MW system test bench for on-shore wind turbines, the behavior of wind turbine drives in the multi-megawatt range can be examined in its entirety and under reproducible conditions. Since the entire wind turbine drive train and not just the individual system components can be examined, it is possible to map all system properties, in particular the strongly coupled, dynamic dependencies, on the test bench.
The integration of hardware in the loop models for mapping the rotor and grid side enables reproducible external loads to be simulated. The corresponding implementation at the performance level is carried out by a dynamic wind power simulator on the rotor side and by electrically coupling the wind turbine to the test bench converter with electronic switches for network load simulation.
Back-to-back transmission test bench
Preliminary investigations for the 1 MW system test stand and the measurement of a 3-stage wind turbine gearbox were carried out on the back-to-back test bench. The transmission was loaded with various torques in various test cycles such as speed ramps and long-term tests at constant speed. In addition to transmission-specific excitation variables, the displacement of the transmission as well as temperatures and surface accelerations are measured with various sensors.
Membership in professional organizations and cooperations
The CWD is a member of the following national and international organizations:
| Surname | country | place |
|---|---|---|
| EERA - European Energy Research Alliance JP Wind Energy | Belgium | Brussels |
| EAWE - European Academy of Wind Energy | Germany | Oldenburg |
| FGW e. V. - Promotion Agency for Wind Energy and Other Renewable Energies | Germany | Berlin |
A cooperation exists with:
| Surname | country | place |
|---|---|---|
| NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory | United States | Washington |
| Clemson University SCE & G Energy Innovation Center | United States | North Charleston |
| Catapult - Offshore Renewable Energy | UK | Blyth |
| Cener - National Renewable Energy Center Wind Turbine Test Laboratory (LEA) | Spain | Sangüsea |
| LORC - Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center | Denmark | Munkebo |
| OWI Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab | Belgium | Antwerp |
| International_Energy_Agency IEA-WIND | United States | |
| Energy Agency NRW | Germany | Dusseldorf |
Web links
- Institute for Automatic Control (IRT)
- Machine tool laboratory (WZL)
- E.ON Energy Research Center
- Institute for Electrical Machines (IEM)
- Aerodynamic Institute Aachen (AIA)
- Research Institute for Rationalization (FIR)
- Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD)
Individual evidence
- ^ Staff at the CWD homepage
- ↑ a b RWTH Aachen: I³ - Integrated Interdisciplinary Institutes
- ^ Founding members of the CWD Homepage of the CWD
- ↑ Wind gondolas on the test stand Press release from BLB Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW
- ↑ RWTH Aachen ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Heavy-duty drives cluster
- ↑ Aachener Zeitung RWTH Aachen: New buildings should attract clever minds
- ↑ Wind power industry in NRW
- ↑ "Center for Wind Power Drives" completed BLB Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW
- ↑ “Stormy Years” or “Gone with the Wind”? ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. tec2
- ↑ Wind turbine test in the Aachen test center ( memento of the original from April 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. tec2
- ^ Prestigious German University Partners with MTS advance wind turbine performance
- ↑ a b Advantages of Advanced Ground Testing Website of Windtech International
- ↑ Task 35 - Full Size, Ground Testing for Wind Turbines and their Components ( Memento of the original from September 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. International Energy Agency website
- ↑ Project start FVA-Gondel Forschungsvereinigung Antriebstechnik eV
- ↑ FVA Gondel at RWTH Aachen University ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Research Association for Drive Technology eV
- ↑ Industry leader wind energy in North Rhine-Westphalia 2015 brochure service
