At SyncWind Power Limited, we 'Synchronise the Wind' directly into the grid.

 

SyncWind Power Limited and its engineers create quality and reliable solutions for renewable wind power and grid stability to support a cost-effective transition to the zero-emissions future.

 

The SyncWind Power Limited company-logo symbolises, that SyncWind excels at harnessing and directly 'Synchronising the Wind' into the grid.


 

 

Home
Grid Stability
Products & Services

Overview

Synchronous Power-train

Windflow™ 500

Media & News
Gallery
About & Contact

 

Executive Flyer

Power-train Brochure

The Windflow™ 500

Proven mid-size turbine design for a wide range of applications. Our wind turbines are cost-effective, because they have a world-leading ratio of energy output to turbine weight, and they eliminate the need for power electronics.

 

SyncWind. will work with established or start-up wind turbine manufacturers who are interested to build the Windflow™ 500 turbine. Please see the photo gallery and the details below.

Te Rere Hau, New Zealand

1.  Introduction and Summary

2.  Windflow™ 500 Track Record

3.  Proven 500 kW Wind Turbines, IEC Certified Design

4.  SyncWind 's Proprietary Technology

5.  Intellectual Property

 

1.  Introduction and Summary

The Windflow™ 500 turbine combines synchronous generation with SyncWindi's proven 2-bladed rotor with pitch-teeter coupling (PTC) and its advanced teeter control system (TCS). This is ideal for turbulent, hill-top sites where the light-weight, mid-size turbine facilitates road access and craneage, and the 2-bladed rotor's PTC and TCS handle turbulence with robustness and stability.

Past projects are testament to our commitment to quality, and to the proven quality of our cost-effective certified wind turbines that have extensive field experience in arduous conditions. These include our wind farms in high wind sites in New Zealand (Gebbies Pass and Te Rere Hau) and Scotland (Westray, New Holland and Ludenhill in the Orkneys, Monan in the Outer Hebrides, Easter Aberchalder in the highlands above Loch Ness, and Kingseat near Edinburgh). See our project gallery for photos.

The Windflow™ 33-500 is independently certified . Windflow’s 500 kW turbine has been International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) certified by Lloyd's Register (class 1A to IEC 61400-1:2008, Edition 3) and has a track-record of more than 1000 turbine-years of synchronous wind power operation at over 95% availability. This means low risk to you and your project, and more confidence in financing.

With more than 1000 turbine-years operating experience and a fleet-wide average availability of 95%+, the Windflow™ 500 has proven its robust design and high reliability in some of the most challenging wind conditions in the world.

Top

2.  Windflow™ 500 Track Record

New Zealand, Te Rere Hau

See our project gallery
for more photos.

New Zealand, Te Rere Hau

Ninety-seven Windflow™ 33-500 turbines were installed at the Te Rere Hau wind farm near Palmerston North, New Zealand between 2006 and 2011. This site exhibits some of the most challenging wind conditions in the world, with greater than 10 m/s average annual wind speed. Some of the turbines on site see monthly-average wind speed above 15 m/s. Many of the turbines experience significant hill effects, and extreme turbulence and wind shear. Despite these challenging conditions, the Windflow™ 33-500 has proven itself by accumulating more than 1000 turbine-years of operation at higher than 95% availability.

Scotland’s Highlands and Islands

See our project gallery
for more photos.

United Kingdom

From 2013 to 2016, seven Windflow™ 33-500 turbines and one Windflow™ 45-500 were installed in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands. Despite the remote locations, all are grid-connected turbines feeding power into the local utility grid. Most of the turbines see complex terrain effects and high turbulence.

Top

 

Lloyd's Register IEC Certified Design

Independent Type Certification

3.  Proven 500 kW Wind Turbines, IEC Certified Design

SyncWind. currently offers two wind turbine products: the proven Windflow™ 33-500 for high wind speed sites and the Windflow™ 45-500 for medium wind speed sites.

The Windflow™ 33-500 wind turbine has been designed for a 20-year life at a Class 1A site in accordance with IEC 61400-1:2005 (Edition 3). It is a robust machine designed for sites with up to 10 m/s average annual wind speed, and storms gusting up to approximately 70 m/s. Independent Type Certification was awarded in September 2010 by Lloyd's Register.

The Windflow™ 45-500 has been designed for a 20-year life at a Class 2A site in accordance with IEC 61400-1:2005. It is designed for sites with up to 8.5 m/s average annual wind speed, and storms gusting up to approximately 60 m/s. Prototype Windflow™ 45-500s have been installed and site commissioned in Texas, USA in early 2015, and Scotland in late 2016.

 

Windflow™ 33-500

Windflow™ 33-500 Turbine

Windflow™ 45-500

Windflow™ 45-500 Turbine

 

 

Top

4.  SyncWindi's Proprietary Technology

SyncWindi utilizes several cutting-edge technologies to enable lightweight but high-performing and extremely robust wind turbine designs. These include:

  • Two-bladed rotor, with SyncWindi's proprietary Teeter Control System™, which combines passive load shedding with improved stability and energy capture.

  • The patented Torque Limiting Gearbox™, which enables the use of a synchronous generator directly on line without the need for expensive and unreliable power electronics.

  • SyncWindi's proprietary Low Variable Speed System™ reduces blade tip noise in low wind conditions and improves energy capture.

On all wind turbines turbulence, wind shear, tower shadow, pitch imbalance and yaw error cause an imbalance of loads on the rotor. Three-bladed machines have no simple means of mitigating these loads, and without sophisticated controls they are transmitted into the drivetrain and gearbox causing substantial design and reliability problems.

Two-bladed rotors lend themselves to the use of a teeter hinge, a well-tested and understood technology that passively relieves most of the imbalanced loads on the rotor. Loads simulation comparisons indicate a 50%+ reduction in main shaft bending fatigue loads for teetering two-bladed machines versus comparably-sized three-bladed machines. This translates into substantial reductions in weight and cost throughout the turbine.

Top

Teeter Control System™

Teeter Control System™

a)   Teeter Control System™

SyncWindi's design extends this idea to incorporate pitch-teeter coupling, which improves both energy capture and teeter stability during transients. These features are embodied in SyncWindi's proprietary Teeter Control System™.

The success of this design philosophy is evident in the Windflow™ 500 products having the highest annual energy production (AEP, measured in MWh/year) per tower top mass (measured in tonnes) in their respective design classes. And since this is achieved through load reductions rather than through exotic materials, it translates into an extremely cost-effective design.
 

Energy-to-Weight Ratio, Class 1 Turbines

Energy-to-Weight Ratio, Class 2 Turbines

Top

Torque Limiting Gearbox™ (TLG) Diagram

Torque Limiting Gearbox™ Diagram

b)   Torque Limiting Gearbox™ (TLG)

Just as the Teeter Control System™ provides a passive means of mitigating rotor imbalance loads, so does SyncWindi's patented Torque Limiting Gearbox™ (TLG) provide a passive mechanical means of removing torque transients from the drivetrain. The TLG provides near-instantaneous response to torque transients, whether induced by the wind or by electrical grid disturbances, thereby reducing torsional fatigue and impact loads throughout the power-train. This results in a highly reliable, low maintenance turbine.

The TLG has two output shafts. The majority of the wind power captured by the rotor is transmitted through to the main output shaft, which drives a synchronous generator, synchronized to the grid at 1500/1800 RPM.

The second output shaft drives a low-inertia torque limiting pump. This pump energizes a proprietary hydraulic subsystem which manages any rapid fluctuations in the input wind power by a combination of storage and dissipation means.

The TLG protects the power-train from torsional impact and fatigue and enables the use of a synchronous generator directly on line. Synchronous generators eliminate the need for power electronic frequency conversion, saving both upfront and maintenance costs. They also enable abundant reactive power support for weak or unstable grids. This is a major advantage in the markets seeking to maximise renewable energy capture.

Top

c)   Low Variable Speed System™

SyncWindi's proprietary Low Variable Speed System™ enables the turbine rotor to run 40% slower than its maximum RPM while maintaining the output shaft speed constant. This improves aerodynamic efficiency and turbine output at lower wind speeds, enables cut-in at lower wind speeds, and reduces blade tip noise in low wind conditions.

Top

SyncWind Power Ltd Logo

5.  Intellectual Property

The intellectual property SyncWindi has available for manufacturing partners includes:

  • 600+ turbine component drawings.

  • 150+ drawings of special-purpose tooling.

  • 50+ procedure drawings for nacelle assembly and erection processes.

  • 20+ detailed specification documents.

  • Detailed factory commissioning and field commissioning procedures.

  • Operating manuals, maintenance manuals and various repair procedures.

  • Bladed software models of the turbines for mechanical loads analysis and performance simulations.

  • 4000+ pages of detailed calculations to achieve IEC Type Certification.

  • Comprehensive Type Testing reports for the Windflow™ 33-500.

  • PLC turbine control software.

  • Turbine and wind farm SCADA software.

  • Extensive team know-how in 2-bladed wind turbine design and control.

 

Top

   

Copyright © 2023 Webdesign by Dolphin's Design Wolfgang W. Rehfus

Last modified: 31.03.2023