Case Study: NREL improves wind turbine drivetrain reliability with Romax Technology

Romax Expertise and Technology Supports an Essential National Resource for Wind Energy

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary renewable energy laboratory, needed to help the wind industry reduce the cost of wind power by improving the efficiency and reliability of wind turbine drivetrains and gearbox designs. Romax Technology supported NREL’s National Wind Technology Center with simulation, instrumentation, and design expertise, including Romax Wind software.

Romax Technology collaborated with NREL on the Gearbox Reliability Collaborative and the Next Generation Wind Turbine Drivetrain project, validating gearbox models against test data, redesigning a phase 3 gearbox, and supporting dynamometer testing and instrumentation. The work improved understanding of gearbox failures and led to better industry design practices, while the drivetrain consortium advanced a novel design intended to scale up to 10 MW and reduce wind power costs.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)