Partnership helps energy companies see the wind

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Excerpt: Weather data management company Second Wind and Canadian software developer Mistaya Engineering, have partnered to combine wind data collection with analysis software. The companies say the partnership will help energy firms evaluate and select the most productive sites for their wind turbines. …

Compact Ethernet switches added to line

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Excerpt: N-TRON Corp., an industrial networking company, has added six models to its family of fully managed Industrial Ethernet switches. Housed in compact, hardened enclosures, the 709FX, 710FX2, 711FX3, 712FX4, 714FX6 and 7010TX provide maximum performance in harsh industrial environments. A few highlight …

Its official: NREL says sodar data as good as from met towers

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Excerpt: Sodar or sonic detection and ranging, is a relatively recent tool for measuring wind speed and direction up to 200-m up. The task was usually relegated to meteorological tower that had to be built and often reached only 80-m up. Portable sodar units simplify the task. Recently, as part of contin …

Finally, vibration acceptance levels for wind turbines

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Excerpt: The wind energy sector presents many variables that make reliability and maintenance a challenge for all involved with wind power plants. Wind Turbines, by reason of their design, location of installation and operation, do not abide by any international standard for vibration. According to DIN IS …

15MW drivetrain test facility for offshore turbines

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Excerpt: The Brits apparently think 10 MW is not a limit to turbine outputs because U.K. engineers are planning a new drive-train facility to test the next generation of higher power wind turbines, up to 15 MW in offshore applications, according the country’s Energy Technologies Institute (ETI). The test r …

Laser alignment sets generators straight

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Excerpt: A laser aligning device lets maintenance crews align main shafts with generators for low vibration, thereby improving equipment reliability. Manufacturer Ludeca , Doral, Fla., says its Optalign Smart Wind comes with firmware features that ensure high measurement accuracy, and mounting hardwa …

Turbine drivetrain test lab goes to Clemson U

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Excerpt: DOE Secretary Steven Chu recently announced that Clemson University will receive up to $45 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the Stimulus bill) for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines. The D …

Fast Accurate Flow Solver for Wind Turbine Simulations

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Excerpt: AcuSolve, a general-purpose finite-element-based flow solver, has evolved through years of development, experience, and feedback. The software's advantages are its reliability, speed, and accuracy. Users can rapidly obtain quality solutions without iterating on solution procedures or worrying ab …

Simulations Key to More Efficient Wind Farms

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Excerpt: How can a wind-turbine OEM as well as their countless suppliers squeeze more power from the wind using already well  developed equipment? Even a small efficiency increase would be welcome. The viability of the business depends on it. The wind business is also counting on such gains to improv …

Automated gearbox testing builds in consistency

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Excerpt: A gear manufacturer shows how it automated formerly time-consuming manual tests. William L. Winterbauer, Ph.D. Principal Engineer QED Services Ann Arbor, Mich. The U.S. military has demanding requirements for the hardware it needs. Take, for instance, a set of gearboxes built by Excel Gear Inc. …