A systems engineering analysis of three-point and four-point wind turbine drivetrain configurations
Abstract
This study compares the impact of drivetrain configuration on the mass and capital cost of a series of wind turbines ranging from 1.5 MW to 5.0 MW power ratings for both land-based and offshore applications. The analysis is performed with a new physics-based drivetrain analysis and sizing tool, Drive Systems Engineering (DriveSE), which is part of the Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model. DriveSE uses physics-based relationships to size all major drivetrain components according to given rotor loads simulated based on International Electrotechnical Commission design load cases. The model's sensitivity to input loads that contain a high degree of variability was analyzed. Aeroelastic simulations are used to calculate the rotor forces and moments imposed on the drivetrain for each turbine design. DriveSE is then used to size all of the major drivetrain components for each turbine for both three-point and four-point configurations. The simulation results quantify the trade-offs in mass and component costs for the different configurations. On average, a 16.7% decrease in total nacelle mass can be achieved when using a three-point drivetrain configuration, resulting in a 3.5% reduction in turbine capital cost. This analysis is driven by extreme loads and does not consider fatigue. Thus, the effectsmore »
- Authors:
-
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Technologies Office (EE-4W)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1341391
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5000-66339
Journal ID: ISSN 1095-4244
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Wind Energy
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 20; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 1095-4244
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 17 WIND ENERGY; 42 ENGINEERING; systems engineering; drivetrain design; sensitivity analysis; cost optimization
Citation Formats
Guo, Yi, Parsons, Tyler, Dykes, Katherine, and King, Ryan N. A systems engineering analysis of three-point and four-point wind turbine drivetrain configurations. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1002/we.2022.
Guo, Yi, Parsons, Tyler, Dykes, Katherine, & King, Ryan N. A systems engineering analysis of three-point and four-point wind turbine drivetrain configurations. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2022
Guo, Yi, Parsons, Tyler, Dykes, Katherine, and King, Ryan N. Wed .
"A systems engineering analysis of three-point and four-point wind turbine drivetrain configurations". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2022. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1341391.
@article{osti_1341391,
title = {A systems engineering analysis of three-point and four-point wind turbine drivetrain configurations},
author = {Guo, Yi and Parsons, Tyler and Dykes, Katherine and King, Ryan N.},
abstractNote = {This study compares the impact of drivetrain configuration on the mass and capital cost of a series of wind turbines ranging from 1.5 MW to 5.0 MW power ratings for both land-based and offshore applications. The analysis is performed with a new physics-based drivetrain analysis and sizing tool, Drive Systems Engineering (DriveSE), which is part of the Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model. DriveSE uses physics-based relationships to size all major drivetrain components according to given rotor loads simulated based on International Electrotechnical Commission design load cases. The model's sensitivity to input loads that contain a high degree of variability was analyzed. Aeroelastic simulations are used to calculate the rotor forces and moments imposed on the drivetrain for each turbine design. DriveSE is then used to size all of the major drivetrain components for each turbine for both three-point and four-point configurations. The simulation results quantify the trade-offs in mass and component costs for the different configurations. On average, a 16.7% decrease in total nacelle mass can be achieved when using a three-point drivetrain configuration, resulting in a 3.5% reduction in turbine capital cost. This analysis is driven by extreme loads and does not consider fatigue. Thus, the effects of configuration choices on reliability and serviceability are not captured. Furthermore, a first order estimate of the sizing, dimensioning and costing of major drivetrain components are made which can be used in larger system studies which consider trade-offs between subsystems such as the rotor, drivetrain and tower.},
doi = {10.1002/we.2022},
journal = {Wind Energy},
number = 3,
volume = 20,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 24 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Wed Aug 24 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
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- Wind Energy, Vol. 22, Issue 11
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- Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Vol. 11, Issue 3
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- Rohrig, K.; Berkhout, V.; Callies, D.
- Applied Physics Reviews, Vol. 6, Issue 3
Comparison of Planetary Bearing Load-Sharing Characteristics in Wind Turbine Gearboxes
posted_content, June 2018
- Keller, Jonathan; Guo, Yi; Zhang, Zhiwei
- Wind Energy Science Discussions
A review of wind turbine main-bearings: design, operation, modelling, damage mechanisms and fault detection
posted_content, May 2019
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- Wind Energy Science Discussions