Development of test methodologies for experimental lifetime investigations of tidal turbines

As a regenerative energy source, tidal energy can significantly contribute to greenhouse gas reduction, even though the potentially achievable energy output is lower than that of wind or solar energy. The decisive advantage of tidal turbines lies in the simply and reliably predictable energy output. However, their commercial use has so far been impeded by the fact that on the one hand complex mechanical systems are required to convert energy of tidal currents and on the other hand multi-axial loading conditions caused by turbulent ocean currents act on the turbine. For this reason, field tests on prototypes are an essential part of the development strategy to ensure operational reliability. However, in-field tests do not allow for accelerated lifetime testing, so that test bench experiments are becoming an increasingly important alternative. Today, established procedures for testing the turbines main bearings and gearing system are already available, both for setting up the required test configuration and for determining the corresponding test loads. However, the use of advanced calculation methods, such as the finite element method for stress calculation, requires a deep understanding of the examined components and hinders the transfer of the approaches to other components.

To simplify the process of test loads determination, a general methodology is presented, which relies exclusively on standardized empirical calculation rules. Doing this, fatigue equivalent loads can be determined for any component in a simple process. It was shown that the achieved reduction in complexity opens further potential for test acceleration, since several components can be tested simultaneously.