Seals & slip rings

Moog Focal is further expanding into the renewable energy sector with a move of its specialized slip ring manufacturing from the United States to a facility in Nova Scotia, Canada. The company is hiring to fill different roles now. Moog Focal is currently ramping up operations and has started the hiring process to grow production…

By Andras Kaldos, Product Engineering Group Manager, Key Industries, James Walker In recent years wind turbines have made significant increases in size as operators and OEMs seek to optimize the costs of power generation by building fewer larger and more efficient turbines. Whilst these will produce substantially more energy than they take to manufacture, install…

By Kurt Sassmannshausen, product development manager, System Seals While nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) has been a staple of wind-turbine seals for decades, advancements in polyurethane formulas, processing and seal design are quickly sidelining NBR’s place in the industry. The qualities proving most beneficial include abrasion resistance, fluid compatibility, ozone resistance, mechanical strength and the ability…

By Mark Meyer, Sales Manager, North America at SIFCO ASC It is no secret that the wind turbine market is growing. Seen by many as the long-term answer to the future of power generation, the sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 10% during the forecast period 2020-2025, according to Mordor…

Effective sealing is a critical but, at times, overlooked component of effective bearing lubrication in wind turbines. In many cases, seals are the differentiating factor that impacts overall bearing and system performance. Consider that most wind turbines experience some amount of lubrication leakage. These occurrences are relatively minimal for onshore turbines but can pose an…

GE Renewable Energy‘s Onshore Division recently honored United Equipment Accessories (UEA) with an award of excellence. UEA is an Iowa-based, pitch-control slip-ring manufacturer, and has been a slip ring supplier for GE since 2007. The company was awarded for maintaining a high on-time product delivery rate for GE and picking up production when requested. “This award…

Reliance on wind power is increasing, so the industry must continue to find ways to operate more efficiently, while reducing maintenance and costs. One key to wind energy lies in the turbine’s slip rings, says George Finley, Wind Segment Manager from the Electrical Carbon business of Morgan Advanced Materials. Wind power in the United States…

  Written by George Finley, Wind Segment Manager Electrical Carbon Business, Morgan Advanced Materials While the promise of offshore wind is grabbing many headlines of late, it is onshore wind that is currently producing the majority of the renewable electrical energy in the United States. For the most part, onshore wind turbines are set at…

  Written by: Chris Richards Sales and Marketing Director, BGB Brushes are a small but integral part of a wind turbine. A brush is an electrical conductor that works with slip rings and brush holders, protecting vital components from parasitic currents and static electricity. Worn or low-quality brushes can wear on a slip ring, causing it…

This article comes from Chris Richards, Sales and Marketing Director for BGB. Richards, who has worked as a design engineer on carbon-brush applications for over 10 years, explains some of the key differences between copper and silver carbon brushes. Carbon brushes are an important aspect of modern day engineering, powering motors and generators in wind…

Rotary interface specialist BGB is reporting an increase in sales of silver carbon brushes, suggesting that the wind industry’s focus on copper alternatives may be a short-lived trend. Recent years have seen a concentration on cost reduction across the wind market. With the sector estimated to be worth $170B by 2024, it is becoming increasingly competitive,…

The global expansion of wind-power facilities is proceeding unabated. Based on figures from Global Wind Energy Council, nearly 487 GW of output from wind energy were in place at the end of 2016. At the start of the decade, the installed output wasn’t even half that amount. It is not just the number of facilities that…

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Sika Corporation, supplier of innovative, sealing, bonding, reinforcement, and protection solutions announced its participation as an exhibitor at the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition, from May 23 to 26 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Sika will present its full range of sealants and structural adhesive solutions for wind turbines —…

SKF has developed a new generation of highly effective and easily maintained shaft seals for wind turbines that can prolong service life. Wind power has entered the mainstream. By the end of 2014 global wind generation capacity had reached 369.6 GW according to Global Wind Energy Council. The share of wind energy in electricity production…

Where are bearings used in a wind turbine? Although bearings are used many places throughout a nacelle, such as in the yaw and pitch bearings and on the generators, those on main shafts and gearboxes are most problematic. In main-shaft bearings, modular wind-turbine designs commonly use spherical-roller bearings (SRB) units that are more than 1m…

Safety seal manufacturer Roxtec has provided its waterproof sealing solution to what’s currently the largest, most powerful tidal turbine in the world. The deal involved Roxtec supplying its sealing solution to Scotrenewables Tidal Power’s SR2000 two-megawatt (MW) floating turbine. According to Graham O’Hare, managing director of Manchester-based Roxtec UK, the SR2000 is 65 meters long, three…

Graco Advanced Fluid Dispense (AFD) announces that it offers a Precision Continuous Flow (PCF) metering dispense system for critical applications of single component sealant and adhesive materials. Engineered for automated applications, the Graco PCF metering system offers a reduced total cost of ownership when compared with competing technologies such as shot meters. The system dispenses…

SAFETY seal manufacturer Roxtec has extended its range of cable seals with an innovative new seal specifically for underground power cables serving structures including electricity substations and wind turbines. Roxtec UK managing director Graham O’Hare said the new Roxtec UG sealing system is ideal for power cables entering foundations or basements because it protects against…