Testing Small Wind Turbine Generators - Renewable and ...

3.1 OverviewOnce the dynamometer’s subsystems are complete and assembled, testing can begin.The goals of this first round of testing are twofold:1. Assess the performance of the dynamometer. Ensure that it works as designed, andcharacterize its operation as a function of measured quantities.2. Assess the performance of the CE&P generator.Based on the analytical methods developed in Chapter 4, these two goals are performedsimultaneously, using the simplifying fact that the generator and motor are identical. Ofconcern here is the problem of fulfilling these dual objectives within a very limited timeframe.It is entirely possible that the dynamometer could not work as designed; it could,say, fail at some current below the 30 amp design current. Such a failure would be a showstopper:testing could not continue without a functioning system, and diagnosing and fixinga fault could take a considerable amount of time.To address this concern, a testing sequence is chosen that begins by loading the systemas lightly as possible. By beginning with a high dump load resistance, both the electricalcurrents and mechanical torque are minimized. As testing proceeds the dump load resistanceis decreased, and the system experiences higher currents and torques. This strategy hastwo advantages. First, since currents and torques increase gradually, potential problemslike mechanical deflections, vibrations, overheating, or excess current draw can be identifiedbefore they cause damage. Second, even if a system failure does occur, a set of data upto the failure point will have been collected. This partial data set could help diagnose thefailure (or near-failure) and could even be sufficient to allow preliminary analysis of thedynamometer and generator.3.2 Test PlanWith this strategy in mind, the following test plan is developed:36