Simec Atlantis Energy and Asturfeito have completed a tidal turbine pitch system development project, as part of the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)
The pitch system connects the blades to the turbines rotor shaft and controls the blades pitch angle within the tidal flow.
The new pitch system enables the rotor diameter and rated capacity of the turbine to increase, and the new pitch actuator system will increase system reliability, Simec Atlantis said.
The testing was completed in December at Asturfeito’s site in northern Spain.
All performance requirements were successfully demonstrated, including successful operation under prolonged periods of ‘worst case’ tidal loads being applied to the system, simulating the rapidly changing loads that the turbine will experience in operation, Simec Atlantis added.
Atlantis Turbines and Services division director Drew Blaxland said: “We have demonstrated that by working with a great supply chain we can make significant steps forward in our mission of reducing the cost of tidal energy.
“I would like to recognise the huge effort made by our project partner Asturfeito, who produced many of the system’s components.
“I would also like to thank the major subsystem suppliers; Involution Technologies who designed and produced the gearbox system, SKF who produced the bearings and Nidec SSB Wind Systems who produced the motors and controllers.”
Asturfeito business development manager Álvaro Zarza said: “It’s great to see that testing has been so successful. We look forward to working with SAE in future serial production of pitch and other turbine subsystems.”