An artist’s rendition is of the 8 MW model with heli-pad.
You can’t accuse SCD Technology of thinking small or conventionally. SCD, for Super Compact Drive, has introduced plans for an 8 MW, two-blade, downwind, turbine intended for offshore work. Developer aerodyn engineering (scd-technology.com) says to forget ‘next generation’ technology. Just use today’s standards and what’s available now. “Old conventions should be seen as new challenges, not as restrictive factors,” says founder Soenke Siegfriedsen.
Aerodyn engineering says its knowledge and experience provide enough to develop ahead of the conventional thinking. Siegfriedsen, company founder and owner, says he wants to shape the future in the right direction. For him, that points to the SCD 8.0 MW turbine for offshore applications. The company has already built two-blade turbines of 3 and 6 MW.
The 8 MW unit sports a number of features that break from conventional designs. For instance, independent hydraulic cylinders on each blade and pressure accumulators will ensure redundancy and fault tolerance. The pitch system will provide main braking. And compared to a conventional large turbine, the company says the SCD 8 is easier to assemble and erect because the two-bladed rotor is smaller and weighs less than a conventional three-blade design. And forget the tower elevator. A helicopter will drop off service technicians on a helipad.
China’s Ming Yang Windpower is the customer of the first set of SCD technology licenses. That means Ming Yang owns production and marketing rights for the SCD 3 and 6 MW turbines for the Chinese market.
Two production factories have been built for the smaller units. One in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and one southeast of Beijing. The two factories have already produced a first batch of turbines. Aerodyne says it has worked close with Ming Yang engineers starting with supplier selection to optimizing the serial production. There is no word yet on a launch date. WPE
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