The UL Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility at West Texas A&M University is a unique collaboration between West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) and UL. The facility, located in the middle of the Great Plains Wind Corridor, is one of the largest of its kind in the world and is a premiere location for wind testing. Due to year round favorable wind conditions, turnaround time at the facility is unparalleled, making the facility the ideal testing resource for wind turbine manufacturers, component manufacturers, project developers, utilities, and other companies within the wind energy sector.
Byron Neal, Director of the UL Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility, works with wind manufacturers to provide certification of wind turbines and components, testing programs, consultations, and data collection. WTAMU faculty are actively involved in wind energy and wind technology research and provide an invaluable resource for the wind energy sector. If interested in working with WTAMU faculty researchers, please consult the list of researchers indicated below or email Byron Neal or Dr. Angela Spaulding.
UL is an independent safety science and standards development company offering simple and effective testing and certification processes. The company’s comprehensive wind turbine services enable manufacturers to serve the worldwide energy market through cost savings and expedited product to market time. For more information, please visit ul.com/wind.
West Texas A&M University, a member of the Texas A&M System, is a regional university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The University offers fifty-eight (58) undergraduate programs, fourty (40) master’s degree programs, and two (2) doctoral programs. WTAMU is consistently recognized nationally for quality and affordable graduate and undergraduate programs by U.S. News and World Report in addition to many other outlets.
Wind turbine manufacturers, component manufacturers, project developers, utilities, and other companies within the wind energy sector interested in testing, research, and working with the UL Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility may contact Byron Neal, Director, at 806-488-2135 or bneal@wtamu.edu for more information.
Byron Neal
Director, UL Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility
Office: 806.488.2135
Fax: 806.651.2733
bneal@wtamu.edu
WTAMU Faculty Researchers
Dr. Fisseha Alemayehu,
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas and Expertise:
Reliability of Renewable Energy Systems
Probabilistic Design
Probabilistic Multi-Body Dynamic Analysis and Probabilistic Prognostics
Dr. Nathan Howell,
Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering
Research Areas and Expertise:
Persistent Organic Pollutants
Chemical Analysis
Environmental Chemistry
Modeling, Statistics, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Civil Engineering
Photo Credit: FH JOANNEUM
Dr. Roy Issa,
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas and Expertise:
Thermal-Fluid Sciences
Transfer and Fluid Dynamics
Sustainable Energy Systems
Power Generation
Numerical Modeling
Air Mist Cooling in Metal Production
Dr. Kenneth Leitch,
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Research Areas and Expertise:
Structural Analysis
Materials Testing
Close-Range Photogrammetry
Finite Element Analysis
Impact Effects on Steel and Other Construction Materials
Energy Reduction in Heating and Cooling
Dr. Joshua Partheepan,
Assistant Professor
Research Areas and Expertise:
Hydrogen Energy Storage
Renewable Energy System Modeling
Design and Development of Oxy-Hydrogen Combustion Systems
Thermodynamic Power Cycle for Oxy-Hydrogen Combustion and Model Optimization
Dr. Anitha Subburaj,
Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering
Research Areas and Expertise:
Renewable Energy
Control Systems
Battery Energy Storage Systems
Battery Connected to Grid Applications
Dr. Yong Yang,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Research Areas and Expertise:
Numerical Analysis
Computational Fluid Dynamics