ISO 17025:2005 accreditation requires periodic external audits.  Otech was successfully audited by personnel from IAS during December 2011.  This audit was also attended by personnel representing APLAC as auditors of IAS.

Otech personnel attended the AWEA Wind Resource Assessment Workshop in Seattle, WA.

Beginning July 1, 2011 Otech Engineering will apply a blockage correction (other than 1.0) to cup anemometer test reports.   This change is in accordance with our commitment to continuous improvement in test activities and a response to the results of Inter-Laboratory Comparison (ILC) program participation.  Please contact Otech Engineering for more detailed information at info@otechwind.com.

Otech personnel attended the American Wind Energy Conference in Anaheim, California.

Adam Havner presented “Verification Testing of Wind Speed Measurements from 2D Sonic Anemometers” at the 2011 Measurement Science Conference in Pasadena, California.

Otech Engineering, Inc. received shipment of a new wind tunnel at their test laboratory in Davis, California.  This is the third wind tunnel designed and built by Engineering Laboratory Design, Inc. of Lake City, Minnesota for Otech.  The new tunnel is a suction type with an enclosed test section of size 0.61 m x 0.61 m x 1.22 m (2′ x 2′ x 4′). This third tunnel incorporates design features unique to the requirements of a high precision calibration test laboratory and will expand Otech Engineering’s test capacity significantly.  Although assembled and running, Otech has a variety of verification and validation procedures to go through before it will be used for customer calibrations.  Otech expects the third wind tunnel to be fully operational by early 2010.  Update:  The third wind tunnel is up, running, verified and validated!

Otech Engineering was featured in IAS eNews article on calibration labs. Read the article here: IAS News Article Vol 5 Issue 1.

AWEA Windpower 2009 Conference and Exhibition will be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois on May 4th to 7th, 2009. This is an annual event where professionals and enthusiasts can learn more about the developments in the wind energy industry. The conference is expected to have more than 15,000 attendees and over 1,200 exhibitors.

This laboratory is accredited in accordance with the recognised International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005.  This accreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope and the operation of a laboratory quality management system (refer joint ISO-ILAC-IAF Communiqué dated January 2009). This accreditation was awarded by International Accreditation Service (IAS) on February 9, 2009 and accredits Otech for the measurement scope of airspeed up to 36 m/s. Instruments used for wind speed measurements in the Otech wind tunnels are traceable to NIST and are installed according to the individual manufacturer’s specifications. Download PDF

The ISO (The International Organization for Standardization) has released a new rotating anemometer test standard. ISO 17713-1:2007 (E), “Meteorology – Wind Measurements – Part 1: Wind Tunnel test methods for rotating anemometer performance”. This standard is an update to and extension of the earlier ASTM D 5096-02, “Standard Test Method for Determining the Performance of a Cup Anemometer or Propeller Anemometer”.