Collaborating with VESTAS for 20 years
A close, mutually supplementary collaboration with Vestas continuously provides exciting and challenging tasks and helps FRECON attract the most qualified employees.
Over the past two decades, FRECON has built up extensive experience in designing and constructing solutions for the Wind Power Industry. Many of the tasks were carried out for and in close cooperation with Vestas Wind Systems A/S. FRECON has supplied solutions for a wide diversity of tasks in the development of new technologies, wind turbines and peripheral equipment.
Vestas is a world leader in the wind power industry and has amassed more than 30 years of experience in developing, manufacturing, and servicing wind turbines. FRECON has been a loyal and reliable external supplier and partner of Vestas for the past 20 years. This has included the supply of conceptualisation, engineering, FEM/FEA, and documentation, e.g. with the design of complete WTG platforms, towers and internals, hubs and drivetrains, and the development of testing, transport and installation equipment.
Synergy through collaboration between internal and external expertise
Leif Christoffersen, senior consultant and partner at FRECON, has played an active part in the cooperation with Vestas over the years.
“We have closely cooperated with Vestas’ in-house engineers on all tasks. This interaction functions really well and efficiently, because Vestas provides deep domain knowledge about its own products and solutions, and we can supplement this with our vast knowledge and experience from tasks and solutions carried out for Vestas and other industries,” Leif Christoffersen says.
3D modelling and complex calculations on a hub module
The redesign of a hub module for a wind turbine exemplifies the close collaboration between Vestas and FRECON. The hub was exposed to extreme fatigue loads and the challenge was to minimise weight in consideration of the conditions in the bearings, blade bolts and the advanced geometric shapes.
“Using advanced 3D modelling and complex calculations, we succeeded in optimising the design to significantly reduce the thickness and material weight,” Leif Christoffersen says.
This enabled Vestas to cut substantial costs in its value chain
The collaboration led to a significant optimisation of the hub module, which meant that Vestas could significantly reduce costs, not only for the hub itself, but also in large parts of its value chain. FRECON provided the project with extensive experience in the handling of complex geometry, large cast components, and a broad understanding of how extreme forces affect a wind turbine structure of this type.
For these tasks, FRECON has also been able to provide well-qualified senior professionals in the areas of 3D design, parameterisation, calculation and structural analysis (FEM/FEA).
Collaboration on the V164 offshore wind turbine
FRECON has also collaborated closely with Vestas on the development of many parts for the V164 offshore wind turbine. “In this process, we have built up extensive knowledge of the wind turbine platform and designed many of its central components and systems,” Leif Christoffersen says.
The collaboration with Vestas helps FRECON attract the most qualified employees
At FRECON, we are both proud of and humbled by the long-standing collaboration with Vestas. “Having such long-term customer relationships is valuable and educational for us,” Leif Christoffersen says. “The collaboration with Vestas is continuously developing, which we are pleased with and proud of. The tasks are always exciting and challenging, and also help ensure that FRECON can attract the most qualified employees. We believe this is highly value-creating for both the customer and FRECON.”
