Deutsche WindGuard Engineering GmbH and Sinoma Wind Power Blade Co., Ltd. have signed a long-term framework agreement for wind tunnel testing at Deutsche WindGuard’s large-scale wind tunnel facility in Bremerhaven, Germany.
Signed during the WindEnergy Hamburg trade show, the agreement covers testing activities from 2026 through 2030 and provides Sinoma with flexible access to a defined number of wind tunnel testing days under fixed commercial terms.
Sinoma, one of China’s major wind turbine blade manufacturers, is expected to use the facility for several testing weeks each year. The framework is intended to simplify the scheduling and administration of test campaigns while providing Sinoma’s rotor blade design teams with physical measurement data for blade development.
Wind Tunnel Testing to Support Blade Development
Under the agreement, Deutsche WindGuard Engineering will provide services covering the planning, design and installation of test setups, as well as the manufacture of airfoil models based on geometries supplied by Sinoma’s engineering team.
The company will produce airfoil models with a 1.25-metre span, along with customised components such as serrations and vortex generators. Deutsche WindGuard said it will use its in-house model-making capabilities and additive manufacturing technology to produce the required components.
The company’s large-scale, acoustically optimised wind tunnel features a 2.75-metre × 1.25-metre × 5-metre test section and can conduct measurements at wind speeds of up to 100 metres per second and Reynolds numbers of up to 6 million.
Testing to Assess Aerodynamic and Acoustic Performance
Wind tunnel testing is used by rotor blade manufacturers to evaluate airfoil performance, aerodynamic noise and the effects of surface contamination.
The testing can also be used to assess noise-reduction technologies such as trailing-edge serrations, as well as the impact of vortex generators and flaps on lift, drag and stall behaviour.
According to Deutsche WindGuard, testing can help determine the appropriate size and positioning of aerodynamic add-ons for different wind conditions and project applications, including low- and high-wind sites.
Thermography-based field measurements can also be used to complement wind tunnel testing campaigns.
Nicholas Balaresque, Managing Director of Deutsche WindGuard Engineering, said the company specialises in aerodynamic and acoustic measurements and provides support ranging from campaign planning through to testing.
China-Germany Cooperation
Wang Yang, Managing Director of Deutsche WindGuard (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., played a role in establishing the cooperation between the two companies.
Deutsche WindGuard said its presence in Beijing provides Chinese customers with access to its broader wind energy services and helped facilitate direct coordination with Sinoma during the development of the framework agreement.
Lu XiaoFeng, Vice President of Sinoma, said the agreement provides flexible access to wind tunnel testing and experimental data to support the company’s next-generation wind turbine blade development.
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