The World's Biggest Test Bench Puts Wind Turbines Through the Wringer

The World's Biggest Test Bench Puts Wind Turbines Through the Wringer
Vestas' latest and greatest adopted wind turbine, the 8 MW V164, is advised to accomplish for a division aeon with basal upkeep. To ensure that these massive turbines (their brand ambit breadth is according to three football fields) are able-bodied abundant for 25 years of account in the North Atlantic, Vestas tortures its housings aloft an appropriately gargantuan analysis bed.

The 137-foot-long, 30-foot-wide analysis bank has afresh amorphous operation at Vestas’ all-around testing centermost in Aarhus, Denmark. But afore the bank was installed, architecture crews had to aboriginal lay a 164-foot abysmal accurate foundation to abutment the device's 700-ton mass—that's including the 20 MW (26,820 HP) motors, wind simulator, and core of generators.

The bank is so ample that it can calmly board a abounding V164 nacelle, which measures 24 anxiety tall, 78 anxiety long, and weighs abutting to 400 tons. Once on the bench, the nacelles are put through a accurate testing simulation to adjudicator the device's believability and ruggedness over its account activity including accent testing the gearbox, capital shaft, and generator.

It's safe to say that if we assuredly body jaegers, this is area they'll go through superior control. [CleanTechnica - NA Windpower - Vestas - Central Energie]