mem blade manufacturing assessment - ineel.mx · mem blade manufacturing assessment brian mcniff...

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MEM Blade

Manufacturing

Assessment

Brian McNiff [email protected]

MEM Project

Deliverable 3c

Outline

• Review objectives and goals

• Identify and describe required

skills and capabilities

• Survey capabilities of

collaborative partners

• Match in-country capabilities to

requirements - Identify gaps

• Propose how to augment

capabilities

• Weigh risks vs benefits to

manufacture in Mexico vs abroad

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From McNiff

MEM Project Objectives

• consolidate and advance skills and knowledge to

design MW wind turbines

• promote and strengthen a supply chain in Mexico for

wind energy related goods and services

• consolidate and advance local, high tech capabilities

needed to manufacture, assemble, test, certify,

install, operate and maintain MW scale turbines

• support the development of a 1.2 MW turbine for

distributed generation in Mexico and promote local

use by small power producers.

• Completion in 3 year period

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Nordex - 60 meter, 1.3 MW

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Gearbox

Generator

Main

Bearing

Tower

BLADES

Controller

from Nordex literature

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Component costs

6

Uniquely

Loaded,

Complex

Structures

…but with

common,

manufacturing

elements

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Blade Molds – Similar to Boats

Sinovel

S46

factory

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Complex

tooling

Skilled Labor

Industrial

Process

Knowledge

Requirements

Sinovel

S46

factory

Required Capabilities to Design

and Fabricate Blades (anywhere)

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1. Wind turbine blade design experience

2. High performance composite engineering

3. FRP manufacturing experience

4. Experience fabricating molds

5. Project planning & management

6. Quality & acceptance testing

7. Blade testing & certification

NREL

El diablo está en los detalles

• Geometric accuracy – airfoil performance

• Consistent laminates,

• Critical transitions & bond areas

• Minimize final finishing

• Handling & transportation issues

• Lightning protection – IEC 61400-24

• Blade structural testing – IEC 61400-23

• Blade manufacturing – IEC 61400-5 (draft)

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In-Country Capabilities

• Visits and survey of selected partners – Note: these were short visits over a narrow time period to

available nearby partners

• Many more organizations & companies

showing interest

• Research and follow up questions to

organizations aided the assessment

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In-Country Organizations Visited

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Organization Label Capabilities

Instituto Investigaciones

Electricas

IIE Electrical industry research and applied engineering;

developed initial MEM design; MEM project lead

Centro de Ingeniería y

Desarrollo Industrial,

CIDESI Industrial research center; applied research & broad

range of high tech services, e.g. developing unique

tooling and processes for manufacturing specific parts

Center for Advanced

Technology

CIATEQ Industrial research center; technical consulting in

manufacturing methods and materials; production

management, industrial & technical training

Autonomous University

of Querétaro

UAQ Advanced materials, graduate engineering research

center, built 7m blade using direct to mold CNC

Global Composites Manufacturer of large FRP parts for buses and other

applications, moving into aerospace industry

TEMACO FRP boat manufacturing, mature process & skilled

workers, skilled tooling and adapatable

Somerset Technologies Design and prototype engineering group (some WTG)

Dow Chemical Dow

Material knowledge; infusion methods & manufacturing

process advisory; quality systems,

Matched capabilities

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Item Required Critical Capabilities Organization Rating

1 Wind turbine blade design

1a – aerodynamic design and aero-elastic

modeling

IIE, CIDESI,

CIATEQ, UAQ

3

1b – planform design and structural integration

and analysis

IIE, CIDESI,

CIATEQ, UAQ

3

2 High performance composite engineering

2a – High strength/ weight, laminate knowledge CIDESI,

CIATEQ, Dow

5

2b – structural analysis, FEA modeling IIE, CIDESI,

CIATEQ

4

2c – use FRP material property & fatigue data 4

Rating: 5 is best, 1 is poor


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3 Process manufacturing experience using

FRP

Global, TEMACO,

Dow

5

3a – RTM or other well developed laminate

system

Global, CIDESI,

CIATEQ, Dow

4

3b – workers experienced in FRP fabrication for

material cutting, layup, inspection and finish

Global, TEMACO 4

3c – Mature quality system (9001) Global, Dow,

CIATEQ

4

4 Experience fabricating molds & tooling Global, TEMACO 4

4a – Multiple elements, clam-shell molds,

compound curves, joints, blind bonding,

steep laminate transitions

4

4b – Plug, molds, substructures (root, spar,

beams)

Global, UAQ,

CIDESI

4



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5 Project management IIE, CIDESI, CIATEQ

5a – project planning, management and

execution

IIE, CIDESI, CIATEQ 5

5b – budgeting and resource management

planning

IIE, CIDESI, CIATEQ 5

6 Acceptance testing - manufacture

6a – As-built coupon strength and

composition tests,

CIATEQ, CIDESI 5

6b – Geometrical accuracy – airfoil &

planform

CIATEQ, CIDESI 3

6c – Inspections for poor bonds, voids,

laminate discontinuities, etc using NDT

Somerset (NDT),

CIATEQ, CIDESI

3

6d – Measuring weight and CG location,

stiffness, eigen-frequencies

Somerset?, need

WTG specific advice -



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7 Certification & Validation

7a – wind turbine blade testing experience 1

7b – experience in any product certification CIATEQ 2

7c – experience specific to wind turbine

certification

1

7d – lightning protection CIATEQ, CIDESI 1

Scenarios for Blade Procurement

1. buy a set of commercially available blades

- modify design of MEM around them

2. contract directly with a blade design/ fabrication group

- deliver the blades and /or molds

3. competitively bid the complete project (original IIE plan)

- to any worldwide entities

4. choose a Mexican group to lead the project organizing

and utilizing industrial partners in-country

- using in-country partners identified with the required skills.

- Write specifications for missing capabilities

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1. Buy a commercial blade

• None available from initial searches (of size)

• HT in China has one listed, but no evidence of

existing blades

• None of size listed as component certified

• Do not purchase uncertified

• May require re-evaluation of design loads

– Other components may need redesign

• Turbine certification requires all aerodynamic,

structural and material design details (IP?)

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2. Contract directly with design group

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• Groups that design all fabrication tooling and

process (- specialty)

• Will also provide, adapt, review design

• Different levels of sophistication and

knowledge of WTG (- careful selection required)

3. Competitively bid complete project

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• Open to consultancies, blade suppliers, plus

design/ fabrication companies & others

• IIE - TdR currently written this way

• Re-write to maximize in-country value-added

– Some use of in country skills and facilities

– Also require local training, technology share etc

• Careful selection and management required

4. Mexican group to lead project

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• Mexican group organizes and plans project

• Utilize partners in-country with required skills

– Maximize in country value added

– Experience accrues to Mexican companies

• Write specifications for missing capabilities

– Supplement the skills to fill identified gaps

– Require external consultant to train etc

• Re-write as MEM sub project

– Also require local training, technology share etc

External expertise Item Task Required activity Expertise

1a Aerodynamic

design

- Provide review, critical analysis &

recommendations to IIE aero design;

- perform independent aero analysis;

- Work collaboratively to converge

final design & design loads.

Extensive use of aero-

elastic codes and

standard engineering

design tools (CAD, FEA).

Thorough understanding

of root and root to airfoil

transitions areas

1b Structural

design

- Provide review, critical analysis &

design recommendations to IIE draft

structural design

- including complete laminate

schedule, internal structural elements,

blade bolt retention, root stiffness

transition, and lightning protection

system

understanding of high

strength FRP laminate

design, understanding of

unique elements of blade

structure – root,

transition, bonding, etc

3, 4 Manufacturin

g process

-Work collaboratively with team in

planning and detailing of all elements

of blade manufacturing

- including master mold and tooling,

selection of materials and process,

RTM manufacturing of

medium to large FRP

structures, closed mold

assembly, blind bonding 22

External expertise

Item Task Required activity Expertise

6 Acceptance - Advise on how to assure high quality is

maintained and verified throughout

manufacturing,

- contribute to developing final in-factory

acceptance testing of subcomponents and

complete blade

- to assure structural integrity and

manufacture consistency

Blade specific

experience

7c Certification - Advise on all elements of documentation

required for certification

Experience with

documentation for

design certification

7a Blade

structural

testing

- blade testing centers (NREL, CENER,

ECN, DNV/ DTU, etc) are experienced at

this, & requirements are well defined per

IEC 61400-23

best left to an

accredited blade test

lab (per IEC 17025)

that specializes

7 Lightning

protection

- good guidance in IEC 61400-24,

- should be supplemented. Testing not

required but will be soon

See report

recommendations 23

Evaluating and

Mitigating Risk of In-country Mfg

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Estimated In-Country

Manufacturing Schedule

Estimates from information provided in conversations with TEMACO (mold fabrication), Wetzel

Engineering (blade design and fabrication) , DNV-GL (certification) and NREL (testing).

Summary and Conclusions

• Sufficient capabilities exist in Mexico to

manufacture high quality MEM blades

• Risk of manufacturing in Mexico vs

abroad is not significantly different

• Achievable in less than 3 years based

on estimated realistic schedule

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mem blade manufacturing assessment - ineel.mx · mem blade manufacturing assessment brian mcniff...

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