We4Ce designs rotor blades for TouchWind’s floating one-piece rotor turbine
Tiltable, liftable one-piece composite rotor design aims to withstand storm-force winds, boost energy yield and enable more compact offshore wind farms.
The turbines are self-lifting and can withstand storm-force winds. Source | TouchWind
Rotor blade designer (Almelo, Netherlands) has announced the design of 10 rotor blade sets for Dutch wind turbine startup (Eindhoven, Netherlands) for testing on its floating TW6 turbine — a self-tilting, one-piece rotor design that breaks from conventional three-blade models. Engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 250 kilometers/hour —the highest wind class in wind industry standards — the future commercial version is expected to cost significantly less than traditional turbines while delivering higher energy yields.
Responsible for the blade design, We4Ce partnered with mold specialist (Hengelo, Netherlands) to produce both the molds and blades. TouchWind, backed by its main shareholder, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), contracted We4Ce as lead partner for the blades.
Delivery of the blades marks the next prototype phase of TouchWind’s tilting, one-piece rotor wind turbine. Featuring a 6-meter-diameter rotor designed for efficient energy capture, the 12-kilowatt turbines will be tested onshore and offshore. The turbines will be placed close to one another to validate the high energy density previously demonstrated in wind tunnel tests. Currently being assembled in Eindhoven, the wind turbine will start testing in summer 2025.
“We4Ce made a special structural design for the smaller blade compared to the default blades we see nowadays,” says Arnold Timmer, managing director of We4Ce. “For the aerodynamic design, the inventor, TouchWind’s Rikus van de Klippe, made a novel downwind self-tilting design. The rotor tilts upward, nearly parallel to the water surface at high wind speeds.”
The turbine functions similarly to a kite: Instead of pushing against the wind like traditional turbines, it “lifts itself” with the wind, using aerodynamic lift to stay stable and to regulate the power. This configuration enables the blade to harness strong winds more efficiently while reducing stress on the structure.
We4Ce and Kleizen worked together to produce the new rotor blade for TouchWind. Source | We4Ce
TouchWind’s design not only aims to reduce wind interference between wind turbines, a common issue in large wind farms, but also to improve overall wind farm power generation efficiency. It also reduces overall weight of both the wind turbine and its floating platform, contributing to simpler and more cost-effective deployment. Moreover, while conventional three-blade turbines shut down above 90 kilometers/hour to prevent load damage — a particular concern to the blade — TouchWind’s self-adjusting single rotor design minimizes load stress and remains operational in wind speeds up to 250 kilometers/hour.
To successfully produce the blades, We4Ce developed a novel production method using one-shot infusion for the central part of the rotor blade. By designing the aerodynamic shells to eliminate bonding lines in the nose area, the risk of leading edge erosion is significantly reduced — resulting in improved durability and higher annual energy yields.
Kleizen designed the complex mold that accommodated the blade geometry, tight tolerances and stringent performance requirements. “We were subsequently contracted to manufacture the entire rotor blades and we worked closely with We4Ce to apply the vacuum infusion approach for the production,” says Jeroen Maas, managing partner of Kleizen.
Kleizen used a two-component epoxy resin system, optimized for the resin infusion molding (RIM) process, which was combined with glass fiber reinforcement for strength, durability, and dimensional precision. The resin system underwent a carefully controlled post-cure process to achieve the mechanical properties.
Source | TouchWind
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