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1950-1955 : The prototypes
The choice of the site
Construction
EDF or BEST photographs
Access to the site
Establishment of the site
The team
Design features
The wind turbine commented
Sights on the wind turbine
Close-ups on the wind turbine
The measuring station
Tilting the wind turbine
1959: Record of production
Disassembling the generator
Some figures
Documentation
1966: the scraping
What is left of the wind turbine?
Great power wind turbines
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Lucien Romani
L. Romani & l'O.N.E.R.A.
Rauline Report and the N.A.S.A.
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Chronology
Date   Event
     
1950-1955   Project study, preliminary experiments on the 10 KVA wind generator at the Chalais-Meudon wind tunnel (O.N.E.R.A.), at Saint-Cyr l'Ecole (I.A.T.) and at the wind tunnel of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d'Aérotechnique at Poitiers (France).
January 1, 1955   Pierre Jean Cavey is recruited to the BEST by Lucien Romani.
December 1955   First civil engineering works on the Nogent-le-Roi site.
1956  

Assembly and erection of the wind rurbine by the Société des Monteurs-Levageurs.
April 1957   First start-up without the fairing.
November 1957   First connection to the EDF grid. The wind turbine is not yet enclosed and all the measuring equipment is not yet in place.
June 19, 1958  

Tilting the wind turbine for fairing.
September 23, 1958   The wind turbine is completed with all its equipment.
October 27, 1959 shortly after 11:15 pm   Record production (1,025 KWh) almost double the nominal power (650 kW).
April 30, 1960   Pierre Jean Cavey leaves the BEST. Marc Leguillette (1919-5 octobre 1996) is his successor.
April 12, 1962   Installation of a new, faster blade train.
During 1962  

Rupture of a blade when testing a new faster propeller. Stop of trials.
During 1962   EDF stops funding wind energy research.
May 1966   The wind turbine is scrapped.
 
Technical specifications
Name   Value
Rated power   800 KVA or 870 hp or 650 kWh.
Peak power   1025 KW(October 27, 1959).
Height (blade tip)   46 meters.
Height of the propeller axis   31 meters.
Diameter of the propeller   30.19 meters
Height of the pivot   20 meters (including the part in the tripod).
Height of the tripod   16 meters.
Length of the nacelle   11.420 meters.
Height of the nacelle   2 meters.
Diameter of the cap   3.160 meters.
Mass of the propeller and of the nacelle   30 tons.
Mass of the pivot   20 tons.
Mass of the tripod   100 tons.
Total mass   150 tons.
Mass concrete foundations (North)   150 tons each.
Mass of concrete block (South)   100 tons.
Type of propeller   Fixed-pitch tri-blade with an aircraft wing structure.
Operation   « Wind vane » mode, propeller backwards to the wind direction.
Length of each blade   15 metres (compared to the wingspan of a Douglas DC3 which is 28.90 meters).
Nominal rotational speed   47 rpm then 71 rpm with the second propeller
Nominal speed at blade tip   74 m/second or 266 km/hour with the first propeller and 112 m/sec. (402 Km/h) with the second propeller.
Maximum speed (record)   100 m/second or 360 km/hour at the tip of the blade (27 October 1959, first propeller).
Minimum wind speed required   2.5 beauforts or 4.6 knots or 8.5 km/h or 2.35 m/sec.
Maximum wind speed supported   7 beauforts (record of 27 October 1959) or 33 knots or 61 km/h or 17 m/sec.
Alternator type   6-pole synchronous.
Alternatorr voltage   3,000 volts converted to 15,000 volts for connection to the EDF network.
Alternator speed   1,000 rpm (regulated by the 50 Hz frequency of the EDF network).
Actual operating time   5,400 hours (with the first propeller only).
Optimum performance   85% of the Betz limit.
tilting   1 hour and 15 minutes.
Winches   Mine type used in traction or restraint.
Winch blocks   25 m3 of concrete.
Cables   6 and 8 strand lead type. 40 mm diameter.
Workforce   Seven permanent staff plus two guards.
Land area   2.5 hectares (i.e. 6,7 ac).
     
Last update: Jun-10-2021 16:42:56 CEST

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