April 25, 2012
Germany

Vestas solves V112 fire riddle

James Quilter, Windpower Monthly, 25 April 2012, 2:11pm, www.windpowermonthly.com 25 April 2012

GERMANY: The recent fire in a Vestas V112 3MW turbines was caused by a loose connection in the electrical system, the manufacturer has revealed.

The incident, which completely destroyed the nacelle, occurred earlier this year at the 51MW Gross Eilstorf wind farm in Lower Saxony, Germany. It resulted in a number of other V112s being shut down.

In a statement, Vestas said the fire started in the “Harmonic Filter Cabinet as the result of a loose connection that caused an arc flash”.

The company said it would be replacing the type of washer used in the cabinet in other models. The nacelle of the affected turbine has now been replaced and “most” of the paused turbines have been restarted.

The Gross Eilstorf incident is the first serious turbine failure for the V112 since 2010 when a section of blade fell of a prototype in Denmark.

The V112-3.0MW flagship prototype is arguably Vestas’s most important product since the lightweight V90-3.0MW turbine was introduced in 2003. The V112 can be used in both onshore and offshore locations.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/25/vestas-solves-v112-fire-riddle/