Avoid maintenance surprises: Summit 2010, Sept 7 to 9

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Excerpt: SmartSignal, a condition monitoring firm, will host its Summit 2010 on Sept 7 thru 9 at the Fairmont Hotel, Chicago. Find more conference details, download a pdf agenda, and register at: www.smartsignal.com/summit.aspx At Summit 2008, over 200 SmartSignal customers gathered to discuss best prac …

An intro to torque multipliers

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Excerpt: Or, how a small push can generate high torque There is not much room to maneuver in a nacelle 60m up so when bolt tightening is the task at hand, Norbar Torque Tools, Inc., of Willoughby, Ohio says a torque multiplier can be a better and safer alternative to a long wrench. A torque multiplier i …

Climb assists for Kit Carson County Wind Project

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Excerpt: Power Climber Wind recently supplied their IBEX™ 1000 Climb Assist system to 34 new wind turbines in the Kit Carson Windpower Project near Burlington, Colorado. The addition of the new General Electric 1.5-MW turbines adds 51 MW of renewable energy to the 44 electric cooperatives in the Tri-St …

And the winner is…

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Excerpt: The National Safety Council has given the 2010 Industry Leader Award to Composites One. This award is given every year to the company who achieves the best safety performance within its industry. In all, 81 companies received the award. Winners are selected based on NAICS code, lowest total incid …

Ventilated safety helmet prevents heat buildup

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Excerpt: Heat is a hazard that is too easily ignored. To make it worse, wearing semi or non-permeable protective equipment adds to the risk of overheating or fatigue which leads to accidents on the job. The ventilated safety helmet from Gateway Safety can help minimize heat buildup under the shell of …

Calibration lab certifies high-torque wrenches

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Excerpt: MobileCal Inc., a provider of on-site calibration for high capacity torque wrenches, has been certified by The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation of Maryland by certificate number 3040.01. This shows that MobileCal’s system meets requirements of ISO17025 proficiency testing, and …

Handling lightning on a North Dakota wind farm

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Excerpt: North Dakota’s flat plains and strong, steady winds make it ideal for wind farms. But this part of the country is especially susceptible to extreme weather conditions. Summer brings the threat of lightning strikes to the 300-foot tall turbines and brutally cold temperatures are commonplace in …

An alternative to copper-based grounding

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Excerpt: Michael Mattera, Consultant, Bridgeport, Conn. commscope.com Wind turbine towers are a natural target for lightning strikes. A good grounding system plays a critical role guarding against catastrophic damage to the blades, electronics, transformer, nacelle, and collector system out to the subs …

A safer way to inspect turbine blades

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Excerpt: Power Climber Wind works with leading wind turbine OEMs, owners, and service companies to develop safe, reliable platforms, rigging equipment, and work procedures to make up-tower work more efficient than previously possible. For most blade inspections, maintenance, and repair operations, suspended …

Does the oil need changing? Debris monitor tells

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Excerpt: Wind turbines have historically suffered various recurring failures. Some have been eradicated, but other breakdowns continue to plague the industry. Gearbox reliability is one such issue. Early failures were mainly attributed to micro-pitting in gears (or grey staining) but that is now almo …