Generators 101

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Excerpt: The wind industry uses induction and permanent magnet designs. There are many variations of these two, but in general terms, the induction generator must be spun at about 1,000 rpm or more to produce useful power. It produces current by first generating an electric field by passing current through a …

Commentary: Five reasons for optimism in wind, and more

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Excerpt: This edited commentary comes from Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, president and CEO of  permanent-magnet-generator manufacturer TheSwitch   The Switch came to the market five years ago on a mission to bring better drive train technology to wind power generation and allows more energy per turbi …

Software ready for designing electric machines (think generators)

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Excerpt: The latest release of MotorSolve, electric-machine design software, is now available. Engineers from a wide range of industries use Infolytica software to design and analyze applications such as electromechanical devices, non-destructive testing (NDT), induction heating, power electronics, senso …

Danotek will provide Tecogen with PM generators

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Excerpt: Danotek Motion Technologies (Danotek), a manufacture of permanent magnet (PM) rotating equipment for wind energy, will supply 40 PM generators to Tecogen Inc., 100-kW each. Tecogen of Waltham, MA, is a manufacturer of natural gas fueled engine-driven cogeneration systems. Since 2005, Danotek has …

Detecting generator defects

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Excerpt: Most of the recent end-of-warranty inspections in the US market seem focused on gearbox health. This is rightfully so because the component has a rather high failure rate and associated costs. But what about the generator? How do you inspect the generator which is also a high-ticket item to repa …

Wind projects soon to benefit from U.S. permanent magnet generators

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Excerpt: A developer of permanent magnet generators has passed a major milestone in the company’s growth following initial successful up-tower operation of its PM generators by a leading wind-turbine OEM. The milestone – the first up-tower validation of Danotek’s PM generator technology – followe …

R&D lab considers superconducting for 15-MW wind turbine

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Excerpt: The technology development arm of a large electrical firm says it has begun work on the first phase of a two-year, $3 million wind project from the U.S. Department of Energy. GE Global Research (ge-energy.com/wind) says it will begin work on a next-generation generator for wind turbines that cou …

Need for new magnet materials drives research

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Excerpt:   Increasing demand and a shrinking supply of rare-earth elements for magnets creates an opportunity for a research team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Minnesota. The goal is to create a recipe for a replacement that doesn't use scarce ingredients. The prospect of …

Driving down the cost of wind power with permanent magnet generators

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Excerpt: Dr. Daniel M. Saban, PE, SMIEE/Chief Technology Officer/Danotek Motion Technologies/www.Danotek.com Wind-turbine manufacturers are looking for a drivetrain that delivers high efficiencies at part load, increased availability, and with a simplified grid-tie that protects the generator from gri …

Tech-service firm devises magnetic design software for OEM

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Excerpt: Fast and accurate electromagnetic simulations can help wind turbine suppliers speed developments in wind-turbine design. The Siemens design team, for example, uses the Opera electromagnetic simulator from the Vector Fields Software product line of Cobham Technical Services to help it develop new gen …