Tidal turbine drivetrain testing
Schottel Hydro, Sustainable Marine’s German engineering partner, has collaborated with the world-renowned Center of Wind Power Drives at RWTH Aachen University to test its latest generation SIT250 drivetrain.
The key component, manufactured by propulsion expert Schottel, forms the ‘powerhouse’ of Sustainable Marine’s pioneering floating tidal turbine, converting torque – or rotation of the blades – into electricity.
The ‘accelerated lifetime testing’ was successfully completed in a 6-month period, replicating five years of operation in the Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada – home to the highest tides on earth.
The site will play host to Sustainable Marine’s Pempa’q Project involving the world’s first floating tidal energy array, delivering up to 9MW of energy to Nova Scotia’s grid, powering around 3,000 homes per year.
A unique, tailor-made test rig was built within the University’s Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD), to test the drivetrain.
Ralf Starzmann, Vice President of Business Development at Sustainable Marine said: “The durability and survivability of our platforms is paramount alongside their energy generating capacity at competitive costs. It was particularly important to prove the drivetrain could withstand five years of operation at the Minas Passage site, with this being the planned maintenance interval period.”
By Jake Frith
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