Challenge:
Clemson University wanted to build a real-time test bench simulation laboratory so that students or other non-experts could study the behavior of huge wind turbines in a controlled and repeatable environment.
Solution:
Clemson used Simpack multibody software to analyze the effects of full-scale mechanical and electrical loads on multibody models of a complete wind turbine nacelle.
Benefits:
Engineers and researchers at Clemson can now replicate and study wind turbine behavior safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
The single biggest challenge to studying system-level wind turbine behavior is the stochastic nature of its natural driving force―the wind. Wind profiles corresponding to many of the design load cases are generally rare events, and if you are lucky enough to experience one in the field with a prototype turbine, you’ll never see one just like it again.
In consequence, engineers build test benches to allow them to controllably and repeatedly apply full-scale loads to wind turbine components. Wind energy conversion systems have experienced a steady growth in size through their commercialization and use in utility scale power production. But as wind turbine size increases, so too must wind turbine test benches, which have become larger and more complex than ever before and are impressive dynamic systems in their own right.
Want to learn more?
Discover how Clemson University uses Simpack software to analyze the effects of full-scale mechanical and electrical loads on multibody models of a complete wind turbine nacelle.
