Consultants provide technical assistance in a range of fast-changing disciplines such as engineering, environmental, financing, construction, and legal issues. Here are a few examples of what they provide. Consultants have a lot to say, especially outside the realm of what OEMs perform, as in condition monitoring. Many turbines are put into service with only SCADA…
Why are seals important in wind turbines?
Component design often overlooks the importance of well engineered seals. A properly engineered sealing system increases the mean time between component failures, reduces manufacturing costs associated with the use of exotic coatings, and reduces power consumption due to unnecessarily high friction. Application data required to select a seal includes: •Size – shaft, housing bore, available…
What are the lights on top of a wind turbine?
Flashing warning lights on turbine nacelles are mostly for the benefit of aircraft flying at night. The lights have progressed from incandescent to Led-based units. The details of several recent lights show advanced lighting systems. One model of obstruction light comes in a one-piece mount. An internal enclosure houses the flash circuitry and GPS synchronization…
How can you prevent wind turbine fires?
Automatic fire-suppression equipment has been developed to protect critical components in wind turbines regardless of location. The systems work without need of external power so it can activate around-the-clock without requiring manual activation or monitoring. Some claim to require no maintenance. One design starts with a cylinder filled with an extinguishing agent. A long length…
What are the safety precautions for wind turbine workers?
Safety in wind turbines is prompted by hazardous weather, working at heights, a potential for fires in the nacelle, and working around high voltages. From lightning: Wind turbine towers are a natural target for lightning strikes. A main lightning discharge is characterized by rapidly rising current that peaks at about 200,000 Amps and averages about…
What are the different types of motors & drives in wind turbines?
Pitch drives can be electric or hydraulic, although hydraulic units are prevalent on utility-sized wind turbines. Hydraulic pitch controls would use servovalves along with microprocessor-based electronics and one of several network connections, such as CANopen, Profibus, or Ethernet fieldbus interfaces. These allow digital communication for improved performance, enhanced remote diagnostics, and greater process control. A…
How is wind turbine construction different from other construction projects?
General contractors: These are the companies that run the construction show. They schedule the crews and equipment, build the roads and foundations, erect the turbines, and conduct the turbine commissioning, a sort of final inspection before the turbines are turned over to their owner. Most construction costs come from roads because wind farms are generally…
What types of metals are used in wind turbines?
The most used metal in a wind turbine is steel in the tower and other components. But a few more recent material ideas deserve mention. For instance, one solution to the climbing cost of all copper wire is in copper-clad steel. It is said to be reliable, cost effective, and can provide the wind industry…
What are wind turbine composites?
Composites are essentially two materials, a binder and a reinforcing material that work together. The resins and glass fibers that make fiberglass are probably the most well know composite. The wide variety of binders and reinforcing materials that are commercially available produce a wide range of materials. For instance, composites based on high-temperature-resistant epoxy resins…
How are coatings used on wind turbines?
These are rather specialized for particular components. For instance, coatings have been formulated for blades, tower, bolts, and magnets that might be used in generators. Coatings will become more important as more turbines are erected at sea. In the wind industry, most coatings are for blades because they are constantly moving in air and exposed…
How are wind turbine materials changing?
One recent composite material provides a way to treat and modify the surface of fiberglass to create a chemical bond between the glass and a resin matrix. This material substitutes standard fiberglass with short micro-fibers. The manufacturer says its liquid composites can be poured, pumped, or sprayed, and after curing can be drilled, tapped, and…
How are different lubricants used in wind turbines?
Manufacturers of specialty lubricants frequently add to their product lists for wind-power equipment. For instance, a recent lube, a high-performance grease, comes from a special blend of base oil and additives to cover different lubrication requirements of individual bearing applications in wind-power stations. The grease is well suited for most in-nacelle tasks. Recent ideas to…
Trends in wind forecasting and site assessments
Economic uncertainty and constrained capital have significantly increased scrutiny of potential wind projects. That makes accurate and timely site assessments more important for reducing financial risk. Even after projects are online, operators continue to look for ways to reduce O&M costs, while incorporating new technology to help them monitor farm conditions and alert them to…
Trends in Wind Energy Development
Project Development While wind-generated electricity continues to grow as a premier source of renewable energy in the U.S., project developers are being asked to find more efficient, cost-effective, and profitable ways to harness this resource. In 2010, the U.S. wind industry installed 5,116 MW, a nearly 50% decrease from the previous year’s record 10,000 MW.…
Trends in utility scale wind turbines
If money were less of an object, developers would always put the largest turbines on the tallest towers possible. That would ensure the highest possible capacity factors from about 5-MW units and give a significant boost to power production. It would also, however, be costly. To find the right mix of turbines for the wide…
How are hydraulics used in wind turbines?
Hydraulics will probably provide the heavy-duty muscle in the nacelle. The systems there will be made of two-position valves, proportional valves for precise control, hoses, lubricants, fittings, and pumps. Valve selection provides a good example of the complexity that comes in just selecting one component. Selecting a proportional hydraulic valve for pitch control is an…
Wind turbine generators: How do they work?
A wind electric generator 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 alternating current (ac) through a coil. A series…
How are gears & gearboxes used in wind turbines?
Gears and gear manufacturing: Uncontrollable and highly variable wind forces adversely affect the performance and reliability of planetary gears inside wind-turbine power transmissions. A couple developments can lower maintenance on rolling elements and carry greater load in a planetary gearset. The first idea is to equalize gear loads, reducing internal stresses and significantly extending wind…
Trends offshore
The offshore wind-industry trends are just taking shape, but they seem to center around the turbines, their foundations, and the equipment and vessels needed to place them. That an offshore industry is testament to the persistence of Cape Wind developers (10 years of persistence) and finally, an accommodating administration that has opened the doors to…
How to fasten & join wind turbine components?
Bolting with regard to wind farms mostly concerns fastening the tower to the foundation and the turbine to the tower. The topic divides neatly into fasteners, accessories, and tooling. Fasteners with tension indicators: Most bolts in a wind turbine are manufactured to OEM specs. The OEM also provides a torque value which the construction crew…