ForWind, the centre for wind energy research at the Universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Bremen, will be presenting its latest scientific and technical developments as well as training and further education activities at the Hanover Trade Fair (Hall 27, Stand F30) from 19 to 23 April 2010. One of the exhibits is the prototype of a spherical anemometer. In this device, a sphere is fixed to the end of a rigid tube, the other end of the tube is fixed in a holder. The construction bends only minimally when air flows through it. This allows wind speed and direction to be measured simultaneously and with high frequency. For companies in the wind industry, the spherical anemometer offers an ideal alternative to conventional cup anemometers.
Another ForWind exhibit is the so-called bubble curtain.
It is used to reduce noise immissions that occur during the construction of offshore wind turbines and can significantly affect hearing-sensitive marine mammals such as harbour porpoises. To create a bubble curtain, compressed air is pressed into a pipe system anchored to the seabed and escapes from the pipes through nozzles. The rising air bubbles form a bubble curtain, which significantly reduces the hydro noise level through reflection and scattering effects.
ForWind also presents a method for the dynamic determination of power curves of a wind turbine. Power characteristics or power curves provide important details on the functioning and economic efficiency of a wind turbine. ForWind has developed a method that provides much more precise information than the conventional method according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard.
High-quality training and further education with a clear practical focus is a characteristic of the ForWind research centre. The further education programme in wind energy technology and management and the seminars offered by the ForWind Academy will be presented at the trade fair. Both programmes are aimed at subjects and managers in the wind energy industry, as well as career changers. Practical problems are combined with the latest scientific findings.