Designers of a six-ft diameter turbine put permanent magnets at the tips of its blades and coils in a shroud for 95-lb unit that its developer says generates electricity in wind speeds from 2 to 40 mph. The design eliminates a gearbox, shafts, and traditional generator for an almost friction-free design. Homeowners will be able…
145 kV double-circuit cable connects wind farm to mainland
ABB, Zurich, Switzerland, will supply, install, and commission 116 km of underground cable and 56 km of submarine cable, to strengthen the existing transmission grid and allow using more wind power from the Rødsand II offshore wind park which will be commissioned late 2010. The 145-kV cable is intended to manage overload and has a…
Ansco now turns up to 78-in. diameters
Ansco Machine Shop, Peninsula, Ohio, has added a larger diameter vertical turning capacity and can now machine pieces up to 78-in. diameter and 54-in. high. The new Hankook VTC-160E also features a movable rail and live milling. The company, a full service contract machine shop, specializes in CNC milling and turning. It works with large…
Speed increasers for wind turbines
Wind-turbine gearboxes from GE Drivetrains, Erie, Pa., span four designs that handle 1.4 to 2.9 MW. On the low end, for instance, the CP 1.8 is a one stage compound planetary with one stage parallel shaft. The high end uses a two planetary (2P) gear trains. Middle two units handle from 1.8 to 2.3 MW…
10 years of wind-turbine coatings
BASF Industrial Coatings Solutions, Southfield, Mich, is celebrating 10 years of providing coating systems to the wind energy industry. The company says it was first to develop coatings specifically to protect the fiberglass and epoxy of wind power blades. “And with more than 25,000 wind power stations rotating globally with BASF coatings on the blades,…
How small tools generate big bolt tension
A Superbolt or multi-jackbolt tensioner is a direct replacement for hex nuts, covered nuts, and bolts. They spin onto existing bolt or stud and provide a better way to bolt up the joint. Multi-jackbolt tensioners consist of a hardened washer which protects equipment and provides a hardened, flat surface for the jackbolts to “push” against.…
Moog acquires servodrives and backup power company
After taking a 40% ownership stake in privately held LTi REEnergy GmbH last June, Moog Inc, East Aurora, NY, has acquired the remaining 60% of the Germany-based company . The deal lets Moog acquire two manufacturing and testing facilities, one in Unna, Germany and the other in Shanghai, China, along with an electric wind-turbine blade…
Epoxies and powders toughen turbine blades
To improve manufacturing efficiencies of high-performance wind-turbine rotors, BASF Industrial Coatings Solutions, Southfield, Mich., says it has developed materials based on epoxy resins and curing agents sold under the Baxxodur brand. The high-temperature resistant Ultrason thermoplastic, E 2020 P SR, in flake and powder form has a higher share of hydroxyl end groups to make…
BASF teams up to produce coatings for wind turbines
BASF SE and Leuna-Harze GmbH will cooperate to supply Europe with raw materials for epoxy resins for fiber-reinforced composites. Under the Baxxodur brand, BASF sells curing agents, accelerators, and additives for professional epoxy resin processing. In addition, the company offers customized epoxy resins for fiber-reinforced composites aimed at rotor-blade production. Leuan-Harze manufactures epoxy resins in…
GE Drivetrain sets up shop in China
GE Drivetrain Technologies, a unit of GE Transportation, and A-Power Energy Generation Systems in China have signed two letters of intent. One is to have GE Drivetrain Technologies supply A-Power, Beijing, with 2.7-MW wind-turbine gearboxes and a second establishes a Joint Venture partnership for a wind-turbine gearbox assembly plant. Under the first agreement, GE Drivetrain…
A brief tour of a bolt factory
All raw materials used to manufacturer products at AA Anchor Bolt Inc, Northville, Mich., is melted and manufactured in the U.S. by certified steel mills. The company inventories over 600,000 lb of material which allows for quick turnarounds. Threading capabilities range from ¼ to 5 in. The company manufacturers rolled and cut threaded products as…
Brakes for pitch and yaw drives
Emergency braking requirements of today’s large wind turbines under maximum wind conditions are comparable to those of a 40-ton mining truck driving down a 25% grade at 87 mph with a cliff just ahead. To meet these demanding requirements, Warner Electric , South Beloit, Wisc., an Altra Industrial Motion company, modified its ERS series of…
Where to place wind towers wins $10,000 prize
A clever idea from a French team of engineers and architects is to build vertical-axis wind turbines into existing towers that carry high-voltage power lines. The idea was good enough to win a $10,000 Metropolis Next Generation Design Prize. The team, Julien Choppin, 31, and Nicola Delon, 31, are partners in Paris architectural firm. Also…
Moog Inc. invests in blade-pitch control manufacturer
Moog Inc. has acquired 70% of the stock of Insensys Ltd. for $15.7 million. Insensys supplies pitch control and rotor-blade monitoring equipment for wind turbines. As part of the investment, Moog has an option to purchase the remaining 30% within a year. Pitch controls position the blade angles, thus controlling loads and efficiency of the…
Rugged slip rings replace an existing design
A recent slip-ring design, which is also a direct replacement for pitch-control slip rings on GE 1.5 MW series wind turbines, comes from Moog Industrial Group, East Aurora, NY. The AC7008 slip ring provides a reliable transmission of power and data signals from the nacelle to the control system for the rotating blades. The advantage…
Pitch control your way: Hydraulic or electric
Pitch control systems from Moog Industrial Group, East Aurora, NY, monitor and adjust the inclination angle of a wind turbine’s blades to control rotor speed. Moog has both electric and electro-hydraulic, blade-pitch control along with power and data-transmission equipment for the wind-energy market. “Wind-turbine OEMs want enhanced efficiency, increased reliability, and the highest safety,” says…
Generators and services for wind turbines
Electrical design firm Potencia developed a 5 kW wind turbine in 1975 but has evolved as a designer and supplier of generators for the wind-turbine industry. The company has since developed 500 kW induction generators, and 750 kW doubly-fed wound-rotor generators in the 90’s. More recently, the Mexico-based company has developed permanent-magnet generators for multi-megawatt…
High capacity cylindrical-roller bearings for the wind-energy market
A new high capacity cylindrical-roller bearing, intended for wind energy applications, bridges a gap in bearing performance by combining high-load and high-speed capabilities. The bearings come from NTN Bearing Corp., Mt. Prospect, Ill, which manufactures bearings for turbine OEMs, operations, and maintenance companies. The input side of a gearbox transmits low-speed torque from the turbine’s…
Power company buys 70-MW wind project
Duke Energy, Charlotte, N.C. says it is acquiring a 70-MW, wind-power project in Pennsylvania, the company’s first in the eastern U.S. The power company will purchase the North Allegheny Windpower Project from wind-turbine manufacturer and project developer Gamesa Energy USA. North Allegheny has 35 Gamesa wind turbines, each capable of producing two megawatts. The wind-power…
Nordex boasts of double-digit growth in Q1 2009
In the first quarter of 2009, the Germany-based Nordex Group says it hit a 17% increase in sales to €233.3 million (previous year: €199.3 million). Growth drivers, the company says, were rising business volumes in the U.S. and Europe (excluding Germany). Turbine assembly output increased by 25% to 262 MW (versus 210 MW in 2008).…