2nd International Conference E/E Systems for Wind Turbines

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: The 2nd International Conference E/E Systems for Wind Turbines will take place May 21-23, 2012 at the Swissôtel Bremen/Germany. This year, the agenda has been expanded to include the region’s leading utilities, who will speak about their expectations and future vision.  Also, OEMs will present t …

Hey buddy, can you spare a machinist?

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: At a recent conference, a colleague from Chicago-based machine shop Bley LLC showed me pictures of the huge parts his team manufacturers. A gearbox front housing with torque arms, for instance, appeares over 6-ft in diameter. Main shafts are some 6-ft long and 2-ft in diameter with 5-ft diameter …

Hall effect series with 4 to 20mA output

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: The continuous shortage of Hall Effect sensors is trouble for manufacturers. But Premo’s family of Hall effect sensors have an output current with a fixed range of 4 to 20mA. The new series provides a linearity <0.5% with a ±1% accuracy levels. The bandwidth is up to 6kHz with a response time …

Tough tubing tasks made much easier

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: The light, portable TurnPro tool can automatically assemble two ferrules and a high-purity-tube fitting to manufacturer recommendations. The tool is easy to handle because controls in the power house (motor body) accurately measure 1.25 turns from “finger tight” and then shut the motor off. The …

Alarm software texts you when things go awry

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: TopView software lets users configure alarms, monitor remote processes, signal notifications, and more. The software is a comprehensive, cost-effective alarm management and notification program that’s useful when data must be monitored, such as in wind turbines and other non-manned facilities. The …

Pinned joints assemble tubular transmission poles faster

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: The arms on tubular steel transmission poles typically attach using as many as 16 bolts. It takes a small crew about a half an hour to get an arm in place, attach all of those bolts and nuts, and then tighten to specifications. Engineers at Thomas & Betts developed a connection using a pinned jo …

Obstruction light runs on 2W

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: A medium-intensity obstruction light flashes red to mark structures at night that present a hazard to aviation. The L450-864-G has benefits of advanced LED and controls, as well as an effective intensity of 2,000 cd red, 20 fpm night flashing operating mode, horizontal beam coverage of 360°, vertic …

Cooling electronics in a hot nacelle

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: It’s no secret that wind-turbine capacity, particularly for offshore turbines, continues to grow each year with 6 to 10 MW on the horizon. Even with efficiency improvements, key power generation subsystems —including generators, power-conversion electronics and transformers—are challenged …

How ultracaps improve blade pitch drives

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: On modern wind turbines, each blade is adjusted by an independent electro-mechanical pitch-control unit. The electronic controller checks the turbine’s power output several times each second. Should the power output become too high, the controller signals the blade-pitch mechanisms to turn …

Polyurethanes build a better bond

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: The trend toward longer turbine blades means greater energy capture at lower wind speeds. However, with bigger blades comes increased weight and stress on the adhesive bond line. Polyurethane adhesives can improve the long-term performance of future blades while reducing total manufacturing cost. …