Esteyco Wraps Up Telwind Tank Tests

Spain’s Esteyco has completed the extended tank testing campaign for its 5MW Telwind evolved spar floating turbine platform.

These scaled analyses were performed in collaboration with IHCantabria and took place at their facilities in Santander.

The main objectives were to assess the seakeeping attitude of the Telwind platform immersed in the usual metocean conditions for its production configuration. In addition, the most severe metocean conditions were simulated to demonstrate that the Telwind is able to withstand any expected conditions during its life-cycle.

According to Esteyco, one of the key components of this spar-shaped platform are the suspension tendons which link both bodies, making them move as a solidary rigid body. During this campaign, the tendons were one of the critical points to keep an eye on.

“Tendons are one of the challenges of the TELWIND. The platform integrity depends directly on the tendons response and we need to be sure they are performing as expected,” said Bernardino Couñago, Telwind Project Manager.

Esteyco engaged Cener to collaborate in this extended tank testing campaign. Cener is a technology researching center known for their disruptive methodology for the wind simulation in tanks tests, Esteyco said. The so-called SiL, “Software-in-the-Loop” is a computer analyzed real-time controller for the wind simulation in the tank. This methodology also enables the use of blade pitch controllers specifically designed for each platform.

“One of the FOWTs challenges is the necessity of developing new blade-pitch controllers for the turbines to mitigate the negative damping risk at high wind speeds,” said Joaquín Urbano, Working-Packages Leader.