CFD’s Role in the Windpower Industry

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Excerpt: Recent advances in CFD (computational fluid dynamics) codes and the availability of large scale computer “clusters” are guiding the design work of the next generation of wind turbines. Developers should be able to model a turbine’s power output versus wind velocity, and then the power output f …

Portable particle counter tattles on dirty oil

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Excerpt: The opto-mechanical LaserCM particle counter features a continuous wave, single-point source laser. Automatic Particle Counters (APC’s) have been widely used for many years to monitor the condition of hydraulic fluids. However, only recently have APCs become flexible enough to leave the lab and wo …

Turbines get testing and certification

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Excerpt: A company that conducts product safety testing and certification says it will begin offering testing and certification of wind turbines in accordance with a new UL safety standard. The new service of Underwriters Laboratories, offered in partnership with Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a leading wind e …

Laser inspection boosts blade production

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Excerpt: Fiberglass and epoxy-based composites have replaced aluminum and steel as primary materials in the large blades of recent wind turbines. Production of large blades, some of which reach over 50m, also requires increased precision. To improve accuracy and production rates, Carter Products, Grand …