Scale-UP-Proyect EN – Scale UP Project

RESEARCH INTO HYBRID TESTING METHODOLOGY TO SCALE UP TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIGH-RELIABILITY COMPONENTS IN WIND TURBINES

Project funded by the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government (HAZITEK 2024 Programme) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF 2021 – 2027)

CONTEXT

In recent years, wind turbines have significantly increased in size and power, with future models potentially doubling their current capacity. This advancement boosts energy production but also presents significant technical and logistical challenges.

The increase in dimensions directly impacts the design, validation, and maintenance phases, particularly in offshore environments. Large-scale testing is costly and has limited resources, which can cause delays if the results are not optimal. Moreover, the rise in loads and the complexity of components make ensuring reliability a crucial challenge for the safety, operability, and profitability of wind farms.

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CHALLENGE

The objective of SCALE-UP is to validate the reliability of large mechanical and structural components without the need for extensive test benches.

The development of this work will focus on three main lines of research: The aerodynamic scalability of properties obtained in scaled wind tunnels, the development of a new probabilistic structural calculation methodology and a methodology to validate scaled results and make them extrapolable. Likewise, the project methodology combines simplified tests, advanced virtual models, and upscaling techniques to predict the large-scale behaviour of critical components.

EXPECTED RESULTS

Validation of component reliability at current and over 20MW scales.
Optimisation of design and manufacturing processes.
Extension of lifespan for current and future turbines
Generation of knowledge on uncertainties affecting reliability, including material variability, manufacturing impacts, and stochastic fatigue.

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NEWS

PROJECT PARTNERS

The 9 companies collaborate with the aim of validating the reliability of large-scale mechanical and structural components in wind turbines.

Coordinator

R&D AGENTS

The participation of the seven agents of the Basque Network for Science, Technology, and Innovation will enable the successful tackling of the challenges and innovations proposed in the project.

ADVISORY BOARD

The Advisory Board is an external body that guides the project, consisting of experts and key representatives. Its role is to steer developments towards business needs, analysing progress and providing feedback and perspectives on the matter.

For more information, please contact:

Alfonso San Emeterio
alfonso.sanemeterio@nablawindhub.com