Yaw system concepts and designs

Abstract

The yaw system of a wind turbine is responsible for orientating the wind turbine rotor towards the wind. This chapter is intended to provide an insight into common yaw system concepts and designs. The focus is on active and friction-damped yaw systems with electro-mechanical drives, which are the most common concepts in multimegawatt upwind turbines onshore and offshore.First, the fundamentals are described, which are necessary for the general understanding of yaw systems. Second, the design loads are discussed in detail to create the basis for the subsequent sections. Third, common yaw system concepts and component designs with their advantages and disadvantages are presented. Finally, a yaw system is dimensioned for the Fraunhofer IWES wind turbine IWT-7.5-164 and some design aspects are discussed in more detail.