R&D Test Systems has delivered a dual-axis blade exciter to the US-based Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Wind Technology Testing Center (WTTC).WTTC, that performs large wind turbine blade testing, ordered a new test bench with the size and power to test wind turbine blades up to 130 meters long. This was part of the US$ 4 million dollar US DOE and MassCEC’s grant to upgrade the blade testing equipment to accommodate the new and longer blades for the larger offshore turbine models. The blade exciter consists of two units that can deliver individual force and power up to 120kN and 210kW, respectively. The two units can be used in combination for parallel or dual-axis operation or separately on other test areas. Using the exciter units in dual-axis operation allows the OEMs to perform flap- and edge-wise fatigue tests using only one test system. Furthermore, the multi-axial setup enables entirely new test scenarios that closely simulate what the blades are exposed to offshore. The test bench was assembled in Denmark and then shipped to Boston, US. During April, R&D Test Systems installed and commissioned the system on-site.
