Multidiameter is an adaptable through-a-wall cable sealing device based on modules with removable layers (diameter adjustments) that make installations easy and safe. To size it for a cable, the installer peels off layers for a perfect fit for cables or pipes. It allows sealing traditional cables and optic fiber cables or pipes side-by-side. A small,…
Nordex USA Announces New Wind Farm Partnership in Nebraska
Way Wind LLC has entered into a joint venture with Nordex USA, Inc. for the co-development and later construction of a wind farm in Wayne County, Nebraska. The project was initiated in 2008 when Way Wind began securing land rights and performing wind studies. The company sought a partnership with Nordex to advance the project…
How lubricants reduce maintenance costs and increase wind turbine reliability
New designs, the demand for larger MW class turbines, and the goal of further improvements in reliability and protection under extreme conditions are driving the development of a new generations of high-performance industrial lubricants and greases. For example, Shell Lubricants recently announced the introduction of their new portfolio of lubricants and greases for the wind…
HEX-FLEX crimps increase connectivity for flexible cables
As flexible-conductor cabling becomes more common in wind turbine applications, new challenges are arising for electric installers. Due to the nature of flexible conductors, the traditional hex-style crimp can leave the connection vulnerable in certain applications to a reduction in pull-out rating. The indent-style crimp works better than the hex-style crimp on a flex cable,…
Offshore Foundations for Wind Turbines
European Offshore wind power showed a record growth of 51% in 2010 and is currently seen as the most promising source of renewable energy to achieve political targets. The costs of energy from offshore wind farms however are at present significantly higher than onshore wind. The economic feasibility of offshore wind farms depends on a…
Here’s What I Think: The truth about Windpower
Set a Google Alert for “windpower” and it finds many stories – some are positive, some critical, and some quite unfair. Fair criticism from honest people can be useful because it lets then you know what issues to address. But a lot of the criticism aimed at the wind industry is based on half truths…
Special Solutions for Exact Radius Requirements
Special tool capabilities from Seco provide numerous unique solutions including this 40mm radius milling cutter. The specific positioning of its tangiential inserts, available in different grades for a range of materials, produces the exact radius specified by the OEM. Additionally, the coated cutter body assists in optimum chip evacuation and provides long life for predictability…
How is wind measured for wind turbines?
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 still connect to data recording devices. The anemometer uses spinning cups for wind speed and…
How are wind turbine towers changing?
Every horizontal-axis wind turbine needs a tower. Turbines erected in the 1970s and 1980s may have been perched on lattice towers, a design that can scale to 200 ft and more. However, for the protection of the maintenance technicians who must climb the towers, it makes more sense to build them from rolled steel. These…
Why are turbine manufacturers important?
Original equipment manufacturers are the brand-name turbine producers. They do most of the turbine research although often with the assistance of government labs such as Risø in Denmark and the NREL in the U.S. These companies are responsible for most of what goes into the nacelle. Although they may not manufacturer it, they specify most…
What is the first step for installing a wind turbine?
A first step in the development of a wind farm is to identify land with sufficient wind to support a commercial project. This calls for a series of studies, one of which is the wind-study assessment that looks at historical wind data. There may be a meteorological or met tower in the area that has…
What is the difference between wind turbine owners and developers?
Owners and developers of wind projects play a crucial role in the industry, but it’s often unclear who does what. Developers are contracted by the project owner to plan and develop a project, often from the beginning stages of site assessment through the final stage of commissioning the project. Developers will start by selecting a…
What is the best way to maintain a wind turbine?
Maintenance crews acknowledge that frequent lubrications with small amounts of grease extend the working life of bearings and seals. But long hours of hub crawling is physically and mentally demanding work. A useful idea is a centralized and automated lubrication system for wind turbines. One version for lubrication tasks in a nacelle can also handle…
What are the logistics involved in wind turbine installation?
The growth in the size of wind turbines and their components have negatively affected America’s transportation industry. The wind industry has pushed high-load permits to high numbers. Four to five truck loads are needed for each turbine. By one count in 2009, 22,000 truck loads were needed to ship 5,000 wind turbines. Even a small…
How do measurement tests maintain the wind turbine?
Keeping the wide variety of machinery in a nacelle operating at peak performance requires a few test and measurement tools. On the mechanical side, vibration and alignment tests, are frequent tasks. Vibration has been a knotty problem because the location and operation of wind turbines made them “immune” to international vibration standards. According to DIN…
How is software used in wind turbine design?
The software worth noting for the wind industry simulates the myriad of conditions a wind turbine is likely to encounter, so that equipment designers and wind-site assessors can test a thousand different possibilities to find a best one. There are at least three different programs working in a turbine design facility: composite design, stress analysis,…
What are some tools used to maintain wind turbines?
The wind industry has spawned a range of equipment and tools for it use. Much of it centers around bolting and devices that make such tasks easier and safer. There is not much room to maneuver in a nacelle, so when bolt tightening is the task at hand a torque multiplier can be a better…
What are the modern wind turbine manufacturing techniques?
Like most complex machines, manufacturing a modern wind turbine is the story of materials, processes, and trends. The material story is mostly of composites. For instance, blades in particular are manufactured from fiberglass in an infusion process that excludes air. For other tasks, interest has been on a tooling resin and closed molding because the…
What are the issues with wind turbines and electricity distribution?
The technology for reaching the goal of energy independence is available today. The only thing lacking is a strong national energy policy and a modern electric transmission grid. The U.S. operates about 164,000 miles of high- voltage electric transmission lines. These are divided into about five grids. despite its vital role, the transmission grid has…
What are the legal issues in windpower?
These issues encompass much of what happens in the renewable-energy industry. Due to an increased value placed on wind, recent legal issues have emerged regarding wind rights. One legal expert says that, like many new developments, technology often progresses faster than the law. Some believe officials need to adopt legal changes to adapt to new…