Sentient Science recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Adwen, a leading offshore wind turbine manufacturer, to validate the drivetrain for its next generation turbine of 8-MW-rated power, which has the largest annual energy production (AEP) on the market with the highest nominal torque drivetrain and largest rotor.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sentient Science’s DigitalClone computational testing software will be used to further validate the Adwen 8-MW platform’s drivetrain design and standards.
“Confidence in 20- to 30-year rotating equipment life is our crucial objective,” said Ward Thomas, CEO and president of Sentient Science. “The world’s largest equipment operators, gearbox and bearing manufacturers, and lubrication suppliers are turning to Sentient to confirm that their products will lower the cost of energy by 1 cent per kWh on land and 5 cents per kWh offshore. Sentient is proud to help confirm and validate the system under design and to make sure that Adwen has the world’s most tested drivetrain before our friends at Fraunhofer begin their physical testing.”
DigitalClone is designed to provide an exhaustive and comprehensive validation strategy in which thousands of gearbox validation test points are computationally created within weeks for a fraction of the cost of physical testing. This allows massive amounts of testing points and insights to be evaluated before physical testing begins.
“A front-end to our physical testing process with the newest computational test technology matches with our rigorous test and validation process, always with the final aim of increasing the reliability of the turbine,” said Maite Basurto, CTO of Adwen. “Using Sentient’s DigitalClone is a first step in our extensive validation program. It will contribute to having a faster certification process and, finally, a more reliable turbine available in serial production in 2018.”
The United States National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and Department of Energy (DoE) has invested more than $25 million in DigitalClone to make it as accurate as physical testing. Today, one in every 10 land-based wind turbines are contracted to use DigitalClone for life prediction and life extension and 30-year risk and failure analysis.
— Source: Sentient Science
For more information, go to www.sentientscience.com.
