ES 
EN CALIBRATION LABORATORY
Accurate wind speed measurement is essential in many fields. Weather forecasting or wind prospections for wind energy projects require the measurements to be very precise. The optimization of wind energy extraction and the study of the wind conditions (which can generate safety issues for citizens) depend on the correct measurement of the wind speed. Our laboratory calibrates many types of anemometers to fulfill this objective.
The Calibration Laboratory of our Institute, LAC IDR/UPM, is accredited by three different entities:
- The Spanish National Accreditation Body, ENAC, in the area of "Fluid Velocity" according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, with accreditation nº 134/LC10.095 since 2003.
- Measuring Network of Wind Energy Institutes, MEASNET, the European network aiming at the harmonization of measurements related to wind energy, in particular the calibration of anemometers; and its procedures are based on IEC standards.
- IEC System for certification to standards relating to equipment for use in renewable energy applications, IECRE, which certifies compliance with the standard IEC-61400-12-1 Annex F for the case of anemometry.
In order to perform the calibrations, a specific wind tunnel has been designed and built. The flow in the test section of the S4 meets all the requirements of the three entities.
INSTRUMENTS WE CALIBRATE
The facilities, equipment and quality system in LAC/IDR allows the calibration of many type of anemometers. Amongst them, cup anemometers are the most calibrated. In the past, we have calibrated anemometers from brands such as Thies First Class, RM Young, Vector, NRG, Kestrel, Alnor Compuflow and Testo.
The S4 wind tunnel has been designed and built specifically for the calibration of anemometers. The flow in the test section and the procedures followed by the LAC/IDR comply with all the requirements of ENAC, MEASNET and IECRE. It has been in operation since 2003 and has since calibrated more than 37,000 anemometers.
The wind tunnel has a closed test section (5). The flow generated by the four fans (1), each one with a nominal power of 7.5 kW, goes through a relaxation chamber (2), flow straighteners (3) and a contraction (4) before the test chamber. After the test chamber, a diffuser (6) reduces the velocity of the flow. The whole room works as a return chamber.
The section of the test chamber is a square, with a side of 0.9 m. The length of the test chamber is 1.2 m. The maximum speed that can be reached is 30 m/s. The non-uniformity of the flow is less than 0.1%, and the turbulence intensity is also below that level.