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Title: Main drive selection for the Windstorm Simulation Center

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/573161· OSTI ID:573161

Operated by the Partnership for Natural Disaster Reduction, the Windstorm Simulation Center (WSC) will be a structural test center dedicated to studying the performance of civil structural systems subjected to hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storm winds. Within the WSC, a bank of high-power fans, the main drive, will produce the high velocity wind necessary to reproduce these storms. Several options are available for the main drive, each with advantages and liabilities. This report documents a study to identify and evaluate all candidates available, and to select the most promising system such that the best possible combination of real-world performance attributes is achieved at the best value. Four broad classes of candidate were identified: electric motors, turbofan aircraft engines, turboshaft aircraft engines, and turboshaft industrial engines. Candidate systems were evaluated on a basis of technical feasibility, availability, power, installed cost, and operating cost.

Research Organization:
Lockheed Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-94ID13223
OSTI ID:
573161
Report Number(s):
INEEL/EXT-98-00089; ON: DE98052229; TRN: AHC29807%%26
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Feb 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English