Material manufacturer Covestro announced on August 6 that it has successfully developed the world's first 64.2-meter all-polyurethane resin fan blade with fan manufacturer Goldwind Technology and fan blade manufacturer Zhongfu Lianzhong, realizing the use of this material in large fan blades. A major breakthrough in the application field to meet the needs of the wind power industry for a new generation of longer and stronger blades.
The blade is made of polyurethane resin material from the main beam, web to the blade shell, which is the first case in the global wind power industry. After passing the static load and dynamic fatigue tests of the blades to verify the long-term operational reliability of the blades, it is planned to realize small-scale production in 2020.
"Through the joint research and development cooperation with China's wind power industry leaders Goldwind Technology and Zhongfu Lianzhong, the excellent performance of polyurethane resin has been further verified in this trial production." said Dr. Li Qian, vice president of R&D for the Asia-Pacific region of Covestro's polyurethane business unit "We are confident that Covestro’s solutions will contribute to the sustainable development of the wind power industry."
Help wind power companies reduce costs and increase efficiency
Research and development test results show that, compared with traditional epoxy resins, polyurethane resins can exhibit superior mechanical properties. Due to the low viscosity of the polyurethane resin system, short infusion time and no need for post-curing, the blade production efficiency will be greatly improved, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of blade manufacturers. In addition, polyurethane resin has a significant cost advantage compared with epoxy resin.
At the same time, Goldwind can better utilize the advantages of polyurethane in terms of mechanical properties and perfusion efficiency by optimizing the design of the blade structure, ensuring the smooth production of all-polyurethane resin fan blades.
Wen Birong, head of Goldwind's blade development team, said: “Polyurethane is a very cost-effective material and will provide strong support for wind power companies to face the same price policy after 2020. Both parties will Increase investment in the development of new materials, and study how to apply these technologies to large offshore blades to improve the competitiveness of Goldwind blades. This will help promote the replacement of wind turbine blade materials and promote continuous innovation in the entire blade material industry. "
Jitendra Bijlani, R&D Director of Zhongfu Lianzhong, said: “Using polyurethane resin can improve blade production efficiency. This not only improves the cost competitiveness of blades, but also reflects our flexibility in material technology and can better serve customers. This So that we are always in the forefront in an increasingly fierce market environment."
With the rapid development of the wind power industry, the large-scale wind turbine blades have become a trend, which puts forward higher requirements for wind turbine manufacturing, including the requirements for infused resin materials. As the inventor and application leader of polyurethane, Covestro has always been committed to providing innovative products and cost-competitive overall solutions for the wind power industry to comply with industry development trends. Covestro will further work with industry partners to continue to develop a new pattern of high-efficiency development in the wind power industry.