Extends the life cycle of NASA's wind tunnel

ABB Motion modernized a frequency converter for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of a OneCare service agreement. This will extend the life of the wind tunnel at the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, by at least ten years. The wind tunnel is used to optimize aircraft performance and fuel consumption by simulating flight conditions at high altitudes and near the speed of sound. It has been used to test the Boeing 777, the Space Shuttle and its launch vehicle.

In 2021, NASA engineers determined that the wind tunnel's medium-voltage propulsion system needed to be modernized due to aging of the propulsion components. ABB had supplied the 101-megawatt propulsion system, which was then considered the most powerful of its kind in the world, in 1997. It can be used to test models in air or nitrogen at speeds close to the speed of sound, both at ambient temperature and in the cryogenic range. This allows NTF to simulate a wider range of flight conditions than any other wind tunnel, enabling engineers to gain valuable insights and optimize aircraft designs.

In a first step, ABB service experts evaluated the performance and mechanical connections of the existing drive. A solution was then developed that is based on modern, highly efficient power electronic components, matches the original drive's maximum performance and ensures high availability and reliability. The drive was modernized by replacing key components within the existing system with the latest ABB technology. This also included modernizing the control unit, which minimized the duration of the project. In addition, waste and logistical effort were kept as low as possible in line with the circular economy.

“For the reliability and maximum availability of its National Transonic Facility (NTF), NASA relied on ABB's expertise, technology and services to maximize the availability of its test programs and optimize the service life of its facilities,” said Oswald Deuchar, head of Modernization Services at ABB Motion. “Extending the life of the wind tunnel by at least 10 years will help NASA achieve its operational goals, while upgrading key propulsion components exemplifies circular economy efficiency.”

The modernization project was the first action commissioned by NASA under a OneCare service agreement from ABB Motion that also includes spare parts and maintenance. This type of agreement provides players like NASA with the flexibility to bundle the services they want to optimize the lifecycle of their engines, generators and drives.