Application of Tuned Liquid Column Dampers in Wind Turbines
With increasing turbine size, dynamic loading of the tower increases. With dampers, these loads can be reduced. The mass of conventional pendulum dampers is approximately 4% of the total turbine. The Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD) provides a new solution that enables significant tower mass reduction, using only 2% of the effective mass. The tuning possibility facilitates on-site optimisation of damping characteristics. The TLCD enables reduction of the ‘cost of energy’ for both new and existing turbines.
By Arnold Wilmink and Ferdy Hengeveld, Mecal, The Netherlands