Lindoe Nacelle Testing (LNT)
With the ambition to assist the wind industry in achieving more reliable products and a shorter time to market, Lindoe Nacelle Testing (LNT) will offer realistic testing of full-sized wind turbine nacelles.
The test bench will be a wind turbine simulator, enabling full-scale testing of large offshore wind turbines where real site conditions are simulated to the smallest detail. The test bench is designed in close collaboration with leading players in the wind power industry and is thus designed on the basis of the immense experience of many of the first movers in the industry. LNT will be located at Lindoe Industrial Park (LIP), a former shipyard, which is home to LORC and many companies in the offshore industry. The infrastructure and skills are thus already in place, including sufficient crane capacity and suitable buildings.
A holistic approach to testing and demonstration
Testing must be carried out in an environment that addresses all unforeseen events, which cannot be calculated in a straightforward manner. It must involve all of the vital components in the complex system of a wind turbine nacelle. First, problems must be identified and addressed, after which they can be solved and verified by testing. An example of solving a problem could be:
- Change the component design, and test it again
- Change the controller algorithm
- Change the environment to which the component is subjected.
Offshore challenges
When operated in the field, a wind turbine nacelle is subjected to a wide range of boundary conditions. The main interfaces with the surrounding environment are:
- Wind loads/mechanical loads
- Electrical conditions
- Thermal conditions.
An advanced, dynamic grid simulator will perform realistic testing of the nacelle and simulate its operation in a grid of offshore wind turbines. This permits verification of wind turbine performance against any grid code, including low voltage ride through (LVRT) and temporary overvoltage (TOV) tests.
In order to realistically test a nacelle in a test rig, it is vital to reproduce as many of these boundary and transient conditions as possible. At Lindoe Nacelle Testing, the nacelle will be tested under controllable and repeatable conditions.
The test bench is in the design phase and is expected to be commissioned and ready for use during 2013.
The LNT facility is supported by the GreenlabsDK, the Business Innovation Fund (Fornyelsesfonden), and Region South Denmark (Region Syd).