The Chalmers wind turbine is built to increase knowledge about how to design and operate wind turbines for the greatest benefit for society. The turbine is equipped with much more sensors than commercial turbines to create as much measurement data as possible. The wind turbine is connected to the electricity grid and delivers electricity when it is in operation, which will be when measurements take place. This version of the turbine was in operation 2021.
The wind turbine is designed by Swedish engineers from foundation to blade tip. However, the generator comes from England as a result of a previous EU project. The foundation is made of concrete with iron reinforcement and it is possible to measure the forces in the reinforcement. The tower is made of wood to reduce CO2 emissions from the tower material, which normally is steel. The tower is a prototype to test how wooden towers work and also see if towers can be made in modules. The blades are completely in carbon fiber to be as light as possible. The control system is developed by Chalmers in collaboration with Swedish industry.
Location of Chalmers wind turbine
The turbine is situated on the island Björkö at Skarviksvägen, 20 km west of Göteborg city. The site is available by public transportation and some walking.
The coordinates are: 57.71818820625921, 11.683382148764485
Technical description
Chalmers wind turbine has variable speed operation with a direct driven generator and a frequency converter. It also has a digital control system developed by Chalmers. The wind turbine has a rated power of 45 kW and rated speed of 75 rpm. The wooden tower is 30 m high, the blades of carbon fibres are 7.5 m long, and the turbine diameter is 15.9 m. The individually blade pitch system is electrical.
The wind turbine is equipped with a measurement and control system built up around the hardware Compact Rio from National Instrument. The code is made in Labview. The system has a control loop with the sampling period of 10 ms. Some measurements are done with the rate of 5 ms. The turbine controller with measurements is connected via EtherCat bus to an expansion chassis in the nacelle and tower.
Chalmers with its partners have designed and erected the wind turbine, with full control of design, drawings, hardware, and software. Turbine simulation models have been developed in FAST, Ashes and Vidyn. The control program is developed and implemented by the staff of Chalmers.
Research conducted at the wind turbine
Research that has been conducted or is being conducted with the turbine are:
• how wooden materials work in wind turbine towers
• how the operation of the turbine affects the lifespan of the various components
• how the turbine foundation can be constructed with less material
• how the wind turbine can deliver ancillary services to the electricity grid such as frequency and voltage control
• how different parts of the wind turbine should interact with the variations in the wind to minimize wear and provide a long lifetime
• how wind turbines can be run in island grids together with solar and batteries
Research possibilities
Chalmers is open to the wind turbine being used in more research projects. Feel free to contact us with suggestions.
