Blade Dynamics says its D49 has completed structural testing for GL certification at the NREL test facility in Boston.
Blade Dynamics recently announced GL certification of the new “Dynamic 49” wind turbine blade. The company says its Dynamic 49 blade sets new standards for wind power generation. Weighing only 13,560 lb (6,150 kg), the D49 is the lightest blade of this scale in the world and leads others in manufacturing accuracy, lightness, quality, and durability. The D49 and all Blade Dynamics rotors can be transported in two separate sections and finished locally, saving logistics cost. The D49 improves the performance of 2-MW machines with a larger rotor, boosting its annual energy production along with the profitability of the wind farm. On an AMSC designed 2-MW turbine, the D49 increases annual energy production by up to 12%, depending on wind resource.
The 49m turbine blade has successfully completed full structural testing for GL certification at the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) test facility in Boston. The D49 blade was developed by Blade Dynamics with blade fabrication completed at its new U.S. facility at NASA Michoud, New Orleans. Following testing, the blade has passed full GL certification.
The D49 blade was developed with the assistance of the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. The company has begun serial manufacture of the D49.
The D49 blade uses several proprietary technologies developed by the company to achieve its low weight. These include a high-performance carbon fiber spar and a patented root-attachment method that significantly increases strength and reduces weight and cost. The modular construction allows transporting the blade in two shorter sections that can be seamlessly joined on site using a proprietary technique. The blade also uses a slim aerodynamic profile that gives a higher energy yield for equal turbine loads and this is made possible by the blade’s advanced composite engineering.
The blade is well suited to many turbines in the 1.5 to 2-MW range, says the company, and can transform power curves with its high yield, low-loading characteristics.
The two-piece approach means each can be manufactured to a higher quality and accuracy, while using lower cost tooling than that used for conventional blades. Company engineers say the technology in the D49 blade can scale to blades for 10-MW turbines, and there are already designs for blades almost twice as long as the D49. These blades will be lighter than existing ultra-large blades, and can make a large improvement in the delivered cost of wind energy, especially in the fast growing offshore sector.
Blade Dynamics
www.bladedynamics.com
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