NSK has been chosen to participate in a research study supported by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO). The project will pursue research that enables the large-scale deployment of floating offshore wind turbines in Japan.
The aim of the project is to research and develop technology that evaluates the wake effect phenomenon in floating wind turbines. Aside from NSK, project members include Kyushu University (Multiscale Offshore Wind Research Division), Toshiba Energy Systems Corporation and Hitachi Zosen Corporation. Professor Takanori Uchida of Kyushu University will lead the project.
Taking place in a large wind tunnel facility at Kyushu University, researchers have several objectives, including: to comprehend the wake effect unique to floating wind turbines and their mutual interference phenomena; to develop technology for their prediction and evaluation; and to set out the future pathway for technology development with an eye towards industry-academia collaboration.
As part of the project’s research, NSK aims to enhance the reliability of bearings for wind turbines by understanding the attributes of load changes acting on turbines as a result of the wake effect.
