A project consortium composed of operators and manufacturers of turbines, semiconductors, and converters is working closely together with research and academic partners in the project Reliable Power Converters for Wind Turbines (ReCoWind), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economics Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
Within the three year project duration, field data from various sites and turbine types are being analyzed, damage models derived, and experimental tests performed on components.
The main focus of the project is on the power-semiconductor modules, their driver units as well as the DC-link components representing the core components of the converters. In view of results of previous investigations, particular attention is paid to the influence of moisture. The information base is to be expanded using special measuring techniques which are being developed specifically by the partners and also tested on commercial components under realistic conditions. Partners of the project are Bender, EnergieKontor, ForWind, Fraunhofer IWES, Infineon, innogy, Leibniz University Hanover, NordseeOne, Senvion, University of Bremen, Woodward.