Our state-of-the-art multi-physics solutions include
Software
- The most complete simulation platform for engineering and certifying the next generation of integrated wind turbine drivetrains
- Rapid and intuitive exploration of drivetrain ideas to enhance the early product development process
- Trusted structural simulation and optimisation for the design of durable and robust electro-mechanical drive systems
- Advanced simulation of rolling element bearings including the influence of the surrounding structure
- Drivetrain efficiency prediction and optimisation
- Structural vibration prediction and embedded Actran acoustic capability
- Links with Adams for drivetrain and wind turbine multibody dynamic simulation
Services
We offer technical and strategic consulting, including technology transfer and training.
- Concept sizing and layout studies
- Drivetrain simulation and design risk assessment
- Independent review of bearing performance
- Structural optimisation to minimise drivetrain mass
- Electromechanical system behaviour prediction
- Efficiency prediction and optimisation
- Noise and vibration prediction and optimisation
- Expanded thermal modelling capabilities
- Manufacturing, certification and testing support
- Root cause analysis for component failures
Romax also offers full turnkey product development solutions through our Applied Solutions Design Services.
- We deliver drivetrain design and development for global customers across a range of industries, including automotive, emobility, aerospace and renewables.
- Our solutions provide full lifecycle development, from concept to deployment, with a proven track record of successful delivery to our customers.
- Our renewable energy solutions cover all drivetrain solutions, including gearboxes for wind, wave, tidal and hydroelectric power. We offer continued support even after the project has been delivered, and we share innovation and knowledge for process improvement and to save time and cost.
Expertise
Wide range of wind technology experience
- Complete design and simulation from concept to manufacture of high speed and medium speed drivetrains from 250kW to >11MW
- Modular and highly integrated drivetrain designs
- Experience of onshore and offshore (fixed and floating) applications
- Design and simulation of flexible planet pins and journal bearings
- Detailed performance prediction and risk assessment of rotor bearings
- Development and application of a model based ‘right first time’ drivetrain development process from concept to certification
- Simulating and designing wind turbine drivetrain test rigs
No.1 independent bearing experts
- Rotor bearings for wind turbines make up a significant portion of the drivetrain capital expenditure (CapEx), typically have long supply lead times and are expensive to replace if they fail prematurely. It is critical that they are specified correctly
- Romax has industry leading bearing expertise and simulation capability along with extensive knowledge of drivetrain design and bearing failure investigation
- Bearing simulation combining analytical and finite element modelling in a single easy to use yet powerful tool
- A simulation process that is fast enough to empower engineers to carry out ‘what if?’ studies to de-risk their designs
- Advanced capabilities include:
- Large bearing simulation as part of a full-system model, taking into account structural interactions, flexible raceways and bolted joints
- Bearing dynamics simulation to understand movement of bearing internals and predict phenomena such as skidding
- Detailed simulation of pitch and yaw bearings
Certification support
- Having achieved over 37 DNV-GL certifications of our own designs, we know exactly what is required in terms of simulation and reporting to ‘fast track’ drivetrain certification
- Romax Wind software has been officially certified by GL Renewables Certification (GL) as a recognised method of calculating gear loads, shortening the time taken to gain “A” Design Assessment approval
- We can provide software and consulting services to support the certification of your drivetrain
Example Customer Applications
Floating 6MW Drivetrain Concept Development
Objective:
To create a de-risked concept design for a highly integrated floating 6MW wind turbine drivetrain
Project Scope:
- Identification, review and ranking of multiple drivetrain concepts
- Initial design of 3 shortlisted concepts
- Extensive Romax drivetrain modelling of 3 concepts (gearbox and generator)
- Sensitivity studies – tower tilt angle, bearing type and clearance, housing stiffness, generator air gap eccentricity, planet pin position tolerance
- Risk assessment and identification of the preferred concept for detailed design
Benefits:
- Provided a de-risked starting point for the detailed design phase with a detailed understanding of the design sensitivities and interactions to be managed
- Reduced the risk of expensive design changes or re-work later in the development process
Customer feedback:
90% customer satisfactions achieved “Very satisfied with the service brought by Romax – Good reactivity and initiatives – Quality of the provided documents”
3MW Main Bearing Design Assessment
Objective:
To carry out a design review and optimisation of a 3MW wind turbine rotor bearing arrangement and support structure
Project Scope:
- Design assessment and optimisation for double-row taper roller main bearing.
- Roller and raceway micro-geometry optimisation
- Roller and rib contact pattern optimisation
- Considering preload effects from mounting bolts
Benefits:
- Bearing design optimised for durability including the effects of the surrounding structure stiffness and mounting bolt pre-load
- Reduce the risk of premature main bearing failure in service
Medium Speed Offshore Drivetrain Development
Objective:
Carry out extensive cost of energy modelling, concept design and de-risking of a semi-integrated medium speed drivetrain family suitable for 3-10MW+ without fundamental changes in the architecture
Project Scope:
- Cost modelling and layout selection
- Design of 6MW drivetrain with feasibility checks at 3MW and 10MW
- Identify and design novel solutions to increase reliability and reduce the cost of energy (multiple patents awarded)
- Initiation of supply chain for high expense long lead items
Benefits:
- Increased reliability
- Supply chain flexibility
- Reduced time to market
- Flexible operations and maintenance strategy
- Intellectual property available to license for key design features such as elimination of expensive low speed coupling whilst minimising the transfer of off axis rotor loads to the gearbox
Novel Vibration Absorber for the Wind Industry
Objective:
- To reduce bearing damage caused by excessive contact stress during emergency shut-down braking events
Project Scope:
- Collaborative research project investigating novel inertance-based gearbox mounts for the wind industry
- Full wind turbine drivetrain modelled in Romax Enduro to investigate loading and misalignments of bearing and gears at rated power
- Full wind turbine drivetrain model exported to MSC Adams to investigate transient behaviour of emergency brake shock-loading in the time domain
- DOE study carried out to design optimal inertance-based gearbox mounts to reduce bearing contact stress (and hence damage)
Benefits:
- Romax and Adams have been used together to simulate and design a novel gearbox mounting system
- Results show a more than 20% reduction in contact stress on all bearing raceways during an emergency shut-down event
- This will reduce bearing failure rates (and hence operational cost) when compared to standard spring-damper mounting systems
Wave Energy Drivetrain
Objective:
Design, develop and test a scalable and adaptable wave energy drivetrain module, utilising technology from other industries
Project Scope:
- Concept design with digital validation
- Optimal layout selection from multiple architecture study
- Development of methods for interacting with hydrodynamic simulation
- Design and build small scale test rig
- Develop control and monitoring systems
Benefits:
- Development of a ¼ scale model including detailed design of gearbox
- Repackaging of generator into a combined module
- Provide extensive support through manufacture of prototype
Visit the Sea Power website here to learn more.
Tidal Energy Drivetrain
Objectives:
- To achieve a reduction in the cost of electricity of tidal energy through drivetrain selection and redesign
- Ensure reliability of a tidal turbine hub design
Project Scopes:
- Collaborative project with the goal of producing a drivetrain recommendation for prototype development
- Conduct robustness and cost assessments for a baseline tidal turbine drivetrain
- Provide expertise to support identification of drivetrain options and down selection to optimum concept against key metrics
- Development of selected gearbox concept as part of a controlled electromechanical drivetrain
- Conduct a fatigue analysis of a hub casting in 6 degrees of freedom, accounting for more than 800 load cases and the inclusion of bolt loads
Benefits:
- Successful identification and validation of optimal design, achieving the robustness and cost reduction targets
- Validation of a bolted hub design against reliability requirements
“We are happy to have worked with Romax these past few years, not only do they bring advanced development techniques for wind turbine drivelines but also a rapid response and excellent service. Romax is a company with boundless technology and know-how on transmission design, manufacturing and testing verification. With their support, we have managed to develop several world-leading wind turbine drivelines and we are determined to continuously invest in the wind business to drive green energy forward, thus improving the environment for the country.”
“Romax has a strong bearing simulation capacity. We have developed a long-term collaboration with Romax and have significantly benefited from our communication with them, especially in some special fields with special development requirements, such as large bearings, high speed bearings and journal bearings. As a very professional bearing development software, Romax Wind is an important tool in our design and development process.”
