The M5000 wind turbine

Tomorrow's wind energy will be generated in the open seas, AREVA has taken up the industry's challenges of developing high performance offshore parks with its M5000 Wind turbine.

AREVA’s M5000 turbine brings together all of the key attributes of an offshore wind turbine: reliability, efficiency and high performance. Its technology is tried and tested and perfectly tailored to the conditions on the open sea. The M5000 is manufactured and certified according to the latest international standards (DIN ISO 9001 certificate).

An innovative technology

Main characteristics

The mast can be as high as 130 meters
The rotor has 3 blades attached and each blade weighs 16.5 tons
The mast support the nacelle, the rotor and its 3 blades for a total weigh of 349 tons
Its power rate is 5MWe
It is suited for wind speed from 4 to 25 meters/second

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Offshore turbine - 3D presentation

The AREVA M5000 combines everything that makes a high quality offshore wind energy plant stand out: reliability, efficiency and high performance. Its technology is tried and tested and perfectly tailored to the conditions on the open sea. The M5000 is manufactured and certified according to the latest international standards (DIN ISO 9001 certificate).

Lightweight

The M5000 is a lightweight despite its output of 5MW. The nacelle and rotor together weigh only about 349 tons. This relatively low weight facilitates the transport and erection of the plant; a crucial factor when working on the open sea.
The nacelle is assembled on land, so that it can be lifted offshore onto the tower as a complete unit. This saves time and costs and guarantees a high degree of safety. The reduced weight of the nacelle allows cost-effective tower and foundation structures.

Compact

The M5000 is harbouring extensive technology in the smallest space. The specific configuration of the technical components in the relatively small nacelle is the result of studies on conventional plants. Its compact design is made possible by the intelligent integration of the rotor bearing, gearbox and generator, thus dispensing with the need for housings for plant components. The small plant dimensions lead to short paths for load transmission to the tower head – ideal for offshore wind energy plants.

Reliable

Deposited by helicopter on the M5000 a maintenance technician

As reliability is such a decisive factor for large offshore wind farms, this has been a top priority. The low rotational speed and the low number of rotating parts and roller bearings reduce the risk of damage to the central drive train of the M5000 to a minimum. In addition, all key auxiliary aggregates and sensors are installed in duplicate, so that their failure does not lead to a complete standstill. A special system permanently monitors the status of key components and reliably reports any irregularity. This makes maintenance work easier to plan and thus doubly efficient.

Protection

Protecting the turbine’s equipment from the corrosive marine atmosphere is vital to ensure the long service life of offshore wind energy plants. The M5000 is therefore equipped with a patented air treatment system to protect the plant technology. It sucks in the surrounding air and filters out the corrosive particles. An overpressure is created which encloses the entire system, thus protecting it from corrosive external influences.