Moog Industrial Group says it has signed a contract to supply a test system to the National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) to evaluate and test wind turbine blades at NAREC's new 100-meter-blade testing facility in Blyth, Northumberland, U.K.
Wind turbine blade manufacturers will use NAREC to test prototype blade designs and manufacturing processes. The new facility, scheduled to open this summer, will accommodate blades being designed for larger offshore wind turbines up to 100 meters in length.
The new 100-meter-blade test facility will provide an independent and confidential environment to accelerate the development of new blade designs before they are taken offshore, Moog explains, adding that the center will be the largest facility of its type in the world.
Moog will supply and commission a test controller and monitoring system to control the NAREC Control Resonance Mass (CRM), which excites natural frequencies in the blade structure to evaluate the blades' resistance to fatigue under representative dynamic loading conditions.
The scope of supply will also include a very-high-flow PLC-controlled hydraulic power unit designed to interface with the NAREC primary control system. The power unit, which comprises six Moog RKP radial piston pumps, has an installed power of 675 kW, delivering a flow of 1,200 lpm (317 gpm U.S.) at a pressure of 280 bar (4061 psi).
A dedicated PLC controls and monitors the performance and health of the unit, and a water cooling system maintains the temperature of the hydraulic fluid. High-pressure hydraulic fluid is circulated around the facility by a custom-designed distribution network, Moog adds.
