TÜV NORD has won the contract to perform type certification of an offshore wind turbine from Chinese manufacturer Sinovel. The six-megawatt turbine will be one of the first Chinese-designed offshore wind power systems with internationally recognised type certification.
“With the support of our colleagues at TÜV NORD China, we have identified considerable demand for internationally-recognised certification in China” , says Lars Sitzki , who heads wind power services at TÜV NORD in Hamburg , Germany . “Such certification enables manufacturers like Sinovel to demonstrate compliance with international standards. This is essential in order to play a part in global wind farm projects.”
Sinovel Wind Group was the biggest wind turbine manufacturer in China in 2011 based on its installed wind turbine capacity. Now the company is looking forward to working together with TÜV NORD during the turbine development phase. In order to demonstrate product quality Sinovel wishes to achieve certification from an independent party.
More and more countries require this certification before the wind power system can be operated on the high seas. The first step in type certification is the design assessment. This involves the experts at TÜV NORD critically reviewing the parameters calculated by the engineers at Sinovel.
In addition, some of the components undergo testing. This is followed by the type test, which will be performed once the prototype has been installed. On the basis of the measurements taken, the certification body determines whether the turbine is able to withstand stress and yields the specified output.
The final part of type certification involves production monitoring. Here, TÜV NORD conducts inspections at Sinovel and the suppliers of components to make sure that the products comply with the designs and quality requirements.
“We are very much looking forward to this first joint project with Sinovel”, says Lars Sitzki . “Together with our colleagues from TÜV NORD China, we will follow the development of the turbine very closely.”
Sinovel’s SL6000 wind power system has a capacity of six megawatts and a rotor diameter of 128 meters.
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Offshore WIND staff, July 11, 2012; Image: Sinovel