Comparison of multibody simulations and measurements of wind turbine gearboxes at Hansen’s 13 MW test facility

Abstract

Continuous up-scaling of wind turbine size into the multi-megawatt class, together with developments for off-shore installation are calling for new wind turbine configurations and technologies. High product reliability is a key factor in these developments, cascaded down to each component manufacturer in the supply chain. Increasing the reliability of wind turbine drive trains for wind turbines with ever increasing size requires dedicated simulation models which can provide more insight in the internal gearbox dynamics in the early stages of the design process. However, simulation models can only add value to the design process if their results prove to be representative and reliable. Therefore validation based on measurements on real multi-megawatt wind turbine gearboxes is an absolute necessity. For this reason, Hansen Transmissions developed a back-to-back 13MW test rig set-up capable of dynamically testing gearboxes and validating their dynamical models. This validation is based on three foundations: validation of model parameters, validation in the frequency domain and validation in the time domain. The initial results of the validation of model parameters, validation in the frequency domain and validation in the time domain already demonstrate the added value of multibody gearbox models. Therefore the confidence level in the applicability of multibody simulation models in gearbox design is increased.status: publishe