Project Number: 6209-13610-006-17
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Oct 01, 2008
End Date: Sep 30, 2011

Objective:
1. Performance and reliability testing will be conducted to demonstrate improved blade manufacturing quality control, performance, and reliability that reduces wind turbine blade manufacturing costs. Complete sets of wind turbine blades will be installed on one of the test machines and operated for several months. 2. In support of the blade testing, described in Task 1, the individual control programs for the Micon wind turbines will be updated with new algorithms for each unique set of rotor blades. The control instrumentation is also unique on each wind turbine, and because each wind turbine has a different set of wind turbines blades, the wind turbine operating parameters will also be unique. 3. Measure and document electric power quality issues (voltage drops, harmonics, etc.) for distributed power generation on rural electric grids.

Approach:
1. Two Micon 65/13M wind turbines (in a linear array of three) are used to field test new wind turbine blades now in development under the SNL Carbon-Hybrid Blade Design and Manufacture contracts. The west-most Micon wind turbine, at the test site, will be used as the baseline/control wind turbine. It will be outfitted with "older" SERI wind turbine blades. Each time the center wind turbine is outfitted with three new experimental blades, some minor modifications to the brakes on the test wind turbine will be required in order to ensure the safety of operating the new turbine blades. Because of the uniqueness of each set of blades, the control system will require some re-programming before continuous data collection begins. Acoustical noise data (sound pressure level, wind speed, wind direction, wind turbine power, wind turbine rotor speed) will be collected according to IEC 61400-11 noise standard for each new sets of blades. 2. Some of these control parameters can only be obtained experimentally. One particular algorithm that will need to be added will handle the synchronization between the ATLAS DAS and the routine to automatically calibrate the strain gages on the wind turbine thru a slow-role calibration routine. Re-programming of the ATLAS data system is required for each new set of wind turbine blades. 3. ARS will conduct performance field testing on small wind turbines, collecting data for the IEC certification tests. It usually requires about 6 months to complete an IEC duration test for each new wind turbine. Acoustical noise data (sound pressure level, wind speed, wind direction, and wind turbine power) will be collected according to IEC 61400-11 noise standard on each new small wind turbine.