Wind Measurement Systems 101

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Excerpt: Wind measurement systems: Measuring wind speed and direction is now done at least three ways: mechanically (cup anemometer with a vane), with ultrasonics, or with laser-based devices. There are variations to each. Mechanical sensors, for instance, use moving parts and can connect to data recording d …

Bearings 101

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Excerpt: Turbines use a wide variety of bearings. Large ones include huge 2-m diameter main-shaft bearings with two opposing rows of cylindrical rollers to handle enormous thrust and radial loads. These support the shaft that holds the hub and rotor. Slew bearings mount between nacelles and towers to let …

OEM completes assembly of 1,000th nacelle at Penn plant

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Excerpt: Turbine OEM Gamesa Technology Corp. has announced the completion and shipment of its 1,000th nacelle manufactured at its Fairless Hills plant in southeastern Pennsylvania. The finished nacelle is among the 152 G90X-2.0 MW wind turbines comprising the 304-MW Blue Creek Wind Farm in Van Wert and P …

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 …

Cooling electronics in a hot nacelle

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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 …

New thinking in turbine design

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Excerpt: A novel turbine design uses two rotors of equal diameter, one each at opposite ends of a nacelle, to capture wind at greater capacity factors than conventional designs can do, say developer Airgenesis LLC (airgenesiswind.com). The developer says the rotors, offset from each other by 60°, will be tu …

Variable speed hard-geared transmission may improve wind power efficiency 5 to 10%

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Excerpt: A variable-ratio transmission that uses gears and chains, but no belts, has been introduced for licensing and production by inventor Gary Lee, CTO of VMT Technologies (www.theuniversaltransmission.com). The transmission works by expanding or reducing the diameter of a “moon gear” that drives …

Rugged Encoders Ready for Harsh Wind Work

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Excerpt: A manufacturer provides a line of reliable encoders to withstand harsh conditions and monitor them in the nacelle, blade, tower and foundation. The ultra-precise magnetic hollow-shaft encoders mount directly onto generator shafts up to 740-mm dia, and a 27-mm profile works well in limited-space envi …

Two-phase cooling for warm things in the nacelle

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Excerpt: A novel precision-cooled rack is now available for cooling critical wind turbine components. The precision-cooled rack of Parker’s Precision-Cooled Rack Solution features patented two-phase evaporative cooling that uses non-corrosive, non-conductive fluid, as it vaporizes and cools hot surfaces on …

Trends in cables

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Excerpt: The power cable in a nacelle may have a tougher job than the exposed wires on electric lines. In a nacelle, the power cable, from a generator has to tolerate millions of twists, oil, and cold winter temperatures. An improved tolerance to each of these conditions describe cable trends. Wind turbin …