SAMCEF for Wind Turbines Selected by REpower Systems AG (Belgium)

The purchase of S4WT is the natural result of the confidence of REpower in SAMTECH’s software solutions. The choice of S4WT was further consolidated through the outcome of validation campaigns. These tests proved the higher accuracy of S4WT over other multi body and aero-elastic approaches when comparing numerical results and experimental measurements.

The S4WT solver SAMCEF Mecano was used for the first time in REpower’s Wind business in the year 2006 for the analysis of drive train dynamics of a REpower megawatt class wind turbine. The initially applied aero-elastic SAMCEF Mecano model accounted for the most relevant flexible wind turbine components, including a detailed gearbox model and the turbine control. A strong collaboration was then set-up in the frame of ADTS consortium to introduce key features in the innovative S4WT professional software product.

In the year 2007, REpower supported the creation of a consortium of leading industrial experts for “Advanced Drive Train Simulation/ADTS” so to improve further the S4WT power train model.

The ADTS consortium was an intensive technical collaboration in between REpower Systems AG, Schaeffler Group, Eickhoff Antriebstechnik GmbH and SAMTECH Iberica. Outcome of that collaboration where specific extensions of the S4WT solver for advanced power train modelling in order to match the needs of today’s wind industry.

About SAMCEF for Wind Turbines

20 years experience in the modeling of large flexible machines and more than 10 years expertise in Wind Energy have been concretized into S4WT, SAMTECH’s platform dedicated to Wind Turbine simulation. This expertise was built through partnerships with most of the major players in the Wind industry, among which REpower Systems AG.

S4WT can be used at different levels in the wind turbine engineering process which cover the computation of global design loads for certification, the evaluation of dynamics of complex flexible mechanisms using the Multi-Body Simulation capabilities of S4WT and finally the stress assessment of structural component design using the Finite Elements features of S4WT. The S4WT software package is delivered with pre-defined IEC-61400 design load cases and parameterized start up models which include as well the most common gearbox based power train concepts, as well as advanced direct drive wind turbine models.

About REpower Systems AG

REpower Systems AG, a Suzlon group company, is one of the leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops, produces and markets wind turbines with rated outputs of 1.8 MW to 6.15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 meters to 126 meters for almost any location. The company also offers a comprehensive portfolio of service and maintenance packages. The profitable and reliable systems are designed at the REpower TechCenter in Osterrönfeld and manufactured at its plants in Husum (North Friesland), Trampe (Brandenburg) and Bremerhaven as well as Portugal and China.

With more than 2,200 employees worldwide, the company, which has been listed since March 2002 and is headquartered in Hamburg, can make use of the experience gained from the manufacture and installation of around 3,000 wind turbines around the world. REpower is represented by distribution partners, subsidiaries and participations in European markets such as France, Belgium, the UK, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Poland and Spain as well as on a global level in the USA, China, Australia and Canada.

About SAMTECH

SAMTECH is a European leading provider of Computer Aided Engineering software. Founded in 1986, SAMTECH develops and markets the general-purpose Finite Element Analysis code SAMCEF, the Multi-Disciplinary Optimization platform BOSS quattro and the Open CAE Integration Framework CAESAM. These core engineering software tools answer to a wide range of industrial needs from the preliminary phases of design to the most advanced verification analyses. The software technology of SAMTECH has an unsurpassed reputation for its quality and reliability. It has been adopted by many major companies across all engineering disciplines as an integral part of their design process. SAMTECH Group has direct offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, China, Japan and US for technical support, sales and services, plus a network of technically advanced distributors in other markets. SAMTECH software tools are interoperable with major CAD systems available on the market. SAMTECH is certified to ISO9001: 2000 quality standards.

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Source: samtech , February 16, 2011