Hoarfrost, ice, and storms are frequent winter events in the Sternwald Forest at a thousand meters above mean sea level and on the border between Austria and the Czech Republic. Despite this, seven wind turbines faithfully work there without unnecessary downtime. Credit for this success goes to a BLADEcontrol system, built by the IGUS ITS…
Detecting Ice on Wind-turbine Blades
Nick Harper Applications Manager Blade Sensing Systems Moog Inc. www.Moog.com Cold weather presents special problems for wind turbines. Inside the nacelle, low-viscosity lubricants keep the gearbox turning and enclosure seals to keep moisture and ice off electronic components. But outside the nacelle, things are different. Ice easily forms on turbine blades possibly adding hundreds…
Detector senses and melts ice on turbine blades
A recent ice detector, the LID-3300IP, is for use on wind turbines, especially those operating in extremely cold harsh weather. Effective ice detection contributes to increased safety and reduced maintenance. In recent years, extreme weather conditions around the world have proven an additional hazard to wind-turbine operations. Ice forming on rotor blades has an adverse…