The Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KIER) successfully established an integrated infrastructure capable of designing, manufacturing, and testing ultralarge wind turbine blades. This technology opens the era of domestically produced large wind turbines.
The Energy Research Institute noted on the 19th that the research team led by Director General Yu Cheol designed a 12 MW-class blade and obtained design certification from an international certification body for the first time in Korea.
Large wind turbines with over 10 MW capacity are evaluated to be key facilities for increasing domestic renewable energy generation, as they demonstrate higher economic viability and maintenance efficiency compared to the 5 MW-class small and medium-sized wind turbines currently mostly used in Korea. However, the localization rate of key components for wind power generation stands at only 34%. In particular, there are almost no domestic companies with in-house design and manufacturing capabilities for blades, the core component of 10 MW-class wind turbines, leading to reliance on overseas imports.
To address this, the research team developed a domestic platform for ultralarge blade design, 'KIER-BladeFORGE.' They built an aerodynamic-structural integrated design platform capable of real-time reflecting detailed design variables such as blade cross-sectional shape and twisting angle by applying the latest AI techniques and optimization algorithms.
Software that automates the entire process of blade design was also applied. This implementation succeeded in reducing the design optimization time by more than 50% compared to the existing labor-intensive manual methods that took over 3 to 4 weeks. The developed platform obtained Approval in Principle (AIP) certification from Korea Register of Shipping.
For the first time in Korea, an integrated infrastructure capable of testing the effectiveness and stability of designed blades throughout their life cycle was established. The constructed facility includes an automated blade interpretation and design room, a wind tunnel laboratory for the optimal blade shape implementation, a blade manufacturing room, and a blade structural testing laboratory.
Based on the established infrastructure, the research team designed a 107 m long, 12 MW-class ultralarge wind turbine blade. The blade designed by the research team is the first domestically designed ultralarge wind turbine blade to obtain design certification from the international certification body, DNV of Denmark.
Director General Yu noted, "This achievement is significant in that we have established an integrated research infrastructure that encompasses the entire process from design to manufacturing and testing using our own technology, and that the ultralarge wind turbine blade designed based on this has obtained international certification. We will continue to promote technological advancement and commercialization to enhance the international competitiveness of Korea's wind power industry."