BFG International has a strong reputation for delivering next-generation composite design and innovation to a host of global industries and is renowned for being one of the world's most knowledgeable and experienced composite manufacturing partners for the wind energy sector.
With industry knowledge spanning more than 43 years throughout its integrated network of worldwide facilities, BFG International excels in providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions for wind energy parts including nacelles and spinners.
From an increasing need to meet the challenges faced by climate change, BFG International has recently been involved in a world-first to help production of the most powerful offshore wind turbine for unprecedented sustainable energy production.
The Challenge
Siemens Gamesa is a world leading manufacturer and supplier of wind industry solutions that provide clean energy for countries all around the world. The company installs onshore and offshore wind turbines that generate over 130GW globally.
Siemens Gamesa recently embarked on the production of its latest wind turbine model: the SG 14-222 DD — the world's largest wind turbine intended for offshore energy generation, with power rated at 14MW.
BFG International was approached in March of 2020 by Siemens Gamesa to provide an innovative solution to the wind turbine's spinner. It would be the largest wind turbine spinner ever manufactured, requiring a design that could support the turbine's rotor diameter of 222 metres. The spinner would also have to endure severe offshore weather conditions including extreme wind loads.
A major challenge involved the size of the component. The surface area of the spinner needed to cover over 100 sqm — enough to house three rotor blades, each measuring 108m in length. The blades would cover a total sweep area of 39,000 sqm.
The Solution
BFG International successfully undertook the challenge, providing a comprehensive solution in the form of a segmented composite spinner that adhered to the client's project requirements.
BFG International proposed a solution that complied with DNV Germanischer Lloyd guidelines — the world's largest offshore wind energy classification society. BFG's global knowledge in wind energy solutions helped benefit the project with prior understanding to requirements of the client brief.
The spinner was manufactured at BFG Bahrain. The part size of 100 sqm was too large to transport, so BFG manufactured the spinner into smaller components, ranging between 1 – 12 sqm. Spinner segments were small enough for travelling in standard size shipping containers. Once unloaded, parts were easily fitted onsite with technical assistance provided by BFG International.
Fibre Reinforced Polyester (FRP) was the chosen material for this project. The composite parts were lightweight for ease of unloading and assembly. FRP was chosen for its lightweight and tensile strength. To combat extreme weather conditions, the spinner was custom tailored to add strength in critical areas of exposure.
Evaluation
BFG International successfully provided Siemens Gamesa with the SG 14-222 DD spinner in segmentations that were safely transported and assembled onsite. This helped the client to reduce its capital expenditure and significantly reduced transportation costs by almost 90%.
By utilising the most appropriate and advanced materials for the project, BFG International was able to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and safety of the world's most powerful wind turbine. SG 14-222 DD is now set to move to serial production, with an expected 6 spinner sets from BFG International every month.
From the success of the initial collaboration, BFG International has partnered with Siemens Gamesa to supply its composite spinner to over 144 wind turbines over the next 2 years. The reduction in cost has made wind energy a more affordable and reliable source of energy generation, contributing to advancing the adoption of clean energy solutions and international goals towards net zero.