A 2010 scheduling calendar and metric conversion chart is available free from Boker’s Inc, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of stampings and non-standard washers and spacers. The 2010 calendar serves as a one-page scheduling tool—complete with an easy-to-use metric conversion chart on the back. The calendar spans 15 months, with Sundays and holidays conveniently marked in red.…
GE buys more than a 3.5-MW turbine manufacturer
GE says it has acquired ScanWind, a developer of advanced gearbox-free drive trains aimed at offshore deployment. The company manufacturers and markets direct-drive wind turbines from its headquarters in Trondheim, Norway and a design-engineering center in Karlstad, Sweden. Direct drives connect the rotor to a generator that operates at low rotational speeds creating a simpler…
Wind consultants to use more sonar data
A company of wind energy consultants will expand its services with Second Wind Triton Sonic Wind Profiler from Second Wind Inc., Somerville, Mass. (secondwind.com) following a year of deploying the sodar units with its clients. The sonic wind profiler, a sodar unit (sound detection and ranging) detects wind speeds and directions at several intervals up…
225-kW Aeronautica turbine aims at community wind
Turbine developer Aeronautica Windpower, Plymouth, Mass, says the wind industry has been looking for a turbine that produces more than 100 kW, without having to go to the size or expense of a 600 or 700 kW machine. The Aeronautica 29-225, one solution to the problem, can generate 225 kW yet sit on a 40-m…
Planning a Better Battery for Wind
The people at IBM’s Almaden Institute say its goal is to catalyze long-term, concerted efforts to create rechargeable next-generation batteries with ten times higher energy density, than the best current Lithium-ion batteries. IBM thinkers recognize that renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, fluctuate continuously, yet society requires a steady, dependable electricity supply.…
Capacitor Delivers High Current and Low ESR
A passive components manufacturer has developed a multilayer capacitor (MLC) chip that uses a dielectric and internal electrode materials that allow for a significantly lower equivalent series resistance than previous versions. Designated the UQ Series by developer AVX Corp, the chips are well suited for RF/microwave applications ranging from 10 MHz to 4.2 GHz. “The…
Direct-drive generators find more followers
No gearbox will ever fail in our turbines, says Northern Power Systems VP James Stover. The reason for that is there are no gearboxes in the company’s turbines. Stover says his company’s Northwind 100 can still match the power needs of many local applications, whether municipalities, schools, farms, or business campuses. The turbine’s physical size…
Big battery stores wind power
Big battery stores wind power A flowing chemical electrode lets a durable battery store up to 50 kWh in a self contained unit. Unlike more traditional batteries, the ZESS (zinc energy storage system) is based on fuel-cell ideas and combines aspects from both battery and fuel-cell technologies. When mounted with other modules, most any capacity…
GE designs an “overcoat” for 2.5 MW turbines
GE Energy says its most advanced wind turbine, the 2.5xl, is now available with a Cold Weather Extreme (CWE) package. It ensures that the wind turbine operates in temperatures as low as -30C, and in survival mode without operation, at temperatures as low as -40C. The CWE package is important for wind turbines that operate…
Cylindrical Towers are the Secret to Capturing More Wind
A classical image of fluid flowing around a cylinder shows it speeding up at the sides and slowing or stagnating at the front and back. This let Majid Rashidi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cleveland State University, realize that placing wind turbines in the naturally forming high-speed areas at the sides would let them generate…
Moog slip rings replace an existing design
A recent slip ring design, which is also a direct replacement for the pitch-control slip ring on GE 1.5 MW series wind turbine, comes from Moog, East Aurora, NY. The AC7008 slip ring provides reliable transmission of power and data signals for the rotating blades from the control system. The advantage of the recent design…
Portable particle counter tattles on dirty oil
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 work on-line and produce credible and accurate results. The LaserCM and several…
Vertical-axis turbines starts generating at less than 3 m/s
There are two basic types of wind turbines: vertical and horizontal axis. Each has pros and cons. Horizontal-axis turbines tend to capture more power per square meter of wind, but are noisier, vibrate more, present hazards to birds, require more empty space around them, and must be elevated away from people. Vertical-axis turbines, on the…
Torque tester tests accuracy of all torque wrenches
The Professional Torque Tester, Series 2 Pro-Test, is an accurate and easy to operate instrument for testing and calibrating all types of torque wrenches. In addition, the Pro-Test, from Norbar Torque Tools, is priced to make in-house testing a viable proposition even for smaller industrial and automotive shops that use torque wrenches. A few features…
Slip rings for wind turbines
Moog Components Group has announced the introduction of a new slip ring that is a direct replacement for pitch control slip rings on the GE 1.5 MW series wind turbines. The AC7008 slip ring provides reliable transmission of power and data signals from the nacelle to the control system for the rotary blades. The advantage…
A wake dynamics study to consider
Turbine developer Greenward Technologies has opened an invitation for others to participate in a joint program that will study potential benefits of the company’s Wake Convergence and Swirl Cancellation hypothesis using its patent-pending Quad Array design. Company CTO and president Ed Salter says he will consider applications from universities, and interested governmental and non-governmental organizations…
Turning vibration into useful dc voltage
The Joule-Thief energy harvesting modules and demonstration kits are first-of-its-kind random vibration dc power supplies. The design, from AdaptivEnergy, Hampton Roads, Virginia, scavenges and converts ambient mechanical energy, such as vibration and impact events, into a standard dc voltage. Other energy harvesters from the company are renewable and green power supplies that constantly recharge themselves…
Mouser Electronics now stocks tiny TI temperature sensor
Mouser Electronics Inc. is now stocking the Texas Instruments TMP112 digital temperature sensor with SMBus and two-wire serial interface. It requires no external components and is capable of reading temperatures to a resolution of 0.0625°C. The TI TMP112 digital temperature sensor allows up to four devices on one bus and lets users calibrate for higher…
Yaw and pitch drives for wind turbines
Series 700T slew drives from Bonfiglioli USA, Hebron, Kentucky, come in 13 sizes with output as high as 70,000 Nm thanks to planetary gearing with up to three stages. Output shaft with integral pinion rides on wide-span, high-load bearings. A robust housing features low or raised mounting flange. Inputs are available for electric and hydraulic…
Full day wind session at Design & Manufacturing Midwest
In collaboration with Canon Communications, Windpower Engineering (www.windpowerengineering.com) and Design World (www.designworldonline.com) will be primary media sponsors for a one-day session titled, “Wind Power Explained – Design and Component Integration.” The session will be colocated at the Design and Manufacturing Midwest show and scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center,…