Adwen and Fraunhofer IWES have signed an agreement to test the drivetrain for Adwen’s next generation turbine of 8MW rated power. Under the terms of the agreement, the 8MW drive train will be tested in IWES´s new Dynalab (Dynamic Nacelle Testing Laboratory) site, a test stand located in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The process, to be carried out from December 2015, will cover mechanical testing on the integral chain of drive train components. By simulating operational conditions but as well offshore conditions for extreme and fatigue loads, a critical move forward will be achieved in the verification of gearbox, bearings, couplings, shaft, generator and converter. The process will allow individual and fully integrated subsystems’ validation as well as complete drive train operation at full power, paramount for de-risking before prototype erection in 2016. Its serial production is scheduled to start in 2018, at Adwen’s industrial sites in France and Germany.
