Operation Beyond Design Life
According to IEC 61400 [1], the lifetime of a wind turbine is a minimum of 20 years . However, differences between the design loads and the actual loads on site can lead to the possibility of operating the wind energy converter (WEC) longer than the design life. Using an aeroelastic simulation the individual overall lifetime can be calculated for each main component.
By Jürgen Holzmüller, President, 8.2 Group, Germany
Each WEC has an individual lifetime, which is affected by the on-site wind conditions. Using an analytical approach, the lifetime of each WEC main component can be calculated (examples are given in Table 1). Using this data, the weak points of a WEC can be determined and the risk of damage caused by fatigue can be reduced (Figure 1). Knowing the overall WEC lifetime serves as a basis for reliable organisational and financial decisions.
