Windpower Engineering & Development

Downwind: Innovations in offshore wind transportation

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:58:08 +0000

Offshore wind development is taking off around the world. The wind projects, however, pose logistic challenges that call for solutions from new ideas. For example, the UK has opened new areas for offshore wind development. However, these locations are farther from shore and in rougher water than ever before, which makes transporting crews and equipment difficult.

To help solve this problem, Carbon Trust (www.carbontrust.co.uk) held a contest for innovative transportation vessel designs for offshore wind. The non-profit company provides support to help business and the public cut carbon emissions and save energy. The 2011 Offshore Wind Accelerator Access Competition aimed to identify and develop new access systems to improve turbine availability and worker safety. Over 450 submissions from around the world included designs for vessels, transfer systems, and launch and recovery systems. Somehow, Carbon Trust narrowed that number to 13 designs, which received financial and technical support. Here are four of the finalists:

Momac Offshore Transfer System (Germany)
This innovative robot arm uses sensors to measure the vessel motion and compensates by adjusting its position to keep the transfer platform stable. The design is currently undergoing prototype testing. The concept has significant potential for use in a variety of operation and maintenance activities.

Fjellstrand Windserver (Norway)
The Fjellstrand WindServer‘s hull is said to allow fuel-efficient travel while providing stability. The vessel is ideal for transferring engineers to turbines in offshore wind projects. Slender waterlines and a bow minimize motion at high speeds, as well as during low speed maneuvering. Generous deck space is made possible by the hull’s ample load capacity, which can accommodate, they say, practically any transfer system.

Nauti-Craft (Australia)
Nauti-Craft’s hulls are separated from the deck and superstructure via a “passive reactive” hydraulic suspension system. The craft’s design draws on the team’s experience in developing interconnected suspension systems used by many production motor vehicles. The system lets the hulls conform to the ocean’s surface while providing stability and safety for crew transfers to offshore wind projects. The suspension also reduces structural loadings and increases passenger comfort and fuel efficiency.

TranSPAR (Canada)
The TranSPAR design, nicknamed Seahorse, has an enormous keel arrangement that keeps it stable in high seas. It isn’t the fastest of the vessels, but is expected to be cost-effective to manufacture.

Windpower Engineering & Development

Combo HMI-PLC for wind with plug-in I/O

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:31:05 +0000

Maple Systems offers the HMC (Human Machine Controller). The company says the HMC is cost-effective, efficient, and compact, combining an HMI and PLC into one. Simply put, HMC=HMI+PLC. With customizable I/O, the HMC accepts up to five plug-in I/O modules with varying configurations of digital and analog inputs and outputs. Choose a 3.5-in. or a 5.7-in. touchscreen display, each equipped with six function keys adjacent to the screen. The HMC can integrate with an existing system serially and supports many popular communication protocols.

Maple Systems
www.maplesystems.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Renewable-energy active hydraulic brakes now GL approved for wind

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:25:18 +0000

Several hydraulic-brake produces from Carlisle Brake & Friction have been approved by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) Industrial Services. The brake models, WBA1-90-SC, WBA4-90, and WBA6-120, offer innovative and cost-reducing features as next-generation brakes, friction, and hydraulic systems. As part of the accreditation process, the GL representative ensures that the installation, operation and maintenance manuals are observed before and during a wind turbine’s operation. The representative then confirms that the requirements specified on the submitted documentation for the hydraulic brakes are being fulfilled. Certification ensures that the products are safe, effective, and will meet performance requirements in their specific MW wind-turbine market.

Carlisle Brake & Friction
www.carlislecbf.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Micro-Kiss, no-drip, mix-dispense valves for wind turbines

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:18:16 +0000

Sealant Equipment & Engineering, Inc. says its 2600-093 Micro-Kiss Series mix-dispense valves are designed for low-flow mixing and dispensing of 2-component adhesives and sealants such as silicones, epoxies, urethanes, and acrylics. The no-drip design feature integrates carbide ball-end needles with carbide seats for long life dispensing of viscous and abrasive materials. The valves may be mounted to robot tooling, automation fixtures and electric or pneumatic valve handles.

Sealant Equipment
www.SealantEquipment.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Innovation can eliminate dependence on the PTC

Paul Dvorak — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:12:22 +0000

This article comes from Philip Totaro, Principal, Totaro & Associates, www.totaro-associates.com.

What if renewable energy technology existed that negated the need for the Production Tax Credit (PTC)? And what if this technology wasn’t being introduced to the market?

Undoubtedly, the most talked about story in renewable energy in the U.S. thus-far in 2012 has been the fight to extend the PTC. It provides a 2.2¢/kWh tax incentive to producers of renewable energy, such as wind. Proponents argue that the PTC is a necessary incentive to help the wind industry produce a greater percentage of U.S. electricity.

The U.S. Department of Energy has stated in its published goals as well as throughout its funding announcements that it would like to see technology improve to the point where tax incentives are unnecessary. Current natural-gas prices make it difficult to hit that goal. However, if many of the technologies already prototyped were introduced to wind-turbine market, the production cost of energy could drop to a point where it would be cost competitive with gas at almost any price.

Over the past 18 months, our extensive research of the wind industry’s patent landscape has led us to identify more than 5,000 U.S. patents and applications for horizontal axis, utility-scale wind turbines covering today’s technology and dating all the way back to 1919. Sifting through more than 8.1 million US patents and millions more pending applications to find the relevant results, which were then analyzed and classified, has been at the heart of identifying the technology trends in the industry. From these we have identified many technologies which are languishing, yet would be useful on a commercially available wind turbine.

The analysis of the patent landscape revealed the rate for new technology introduction. The analysis included understanding the historical pace of innovation and comparing patent-protected innovations to the known deployment of various technologies on wind turbines. The accompanying chart shows that the issued patents in an industrial equipment industry sector like wind turbines describe a historical trend of innovation.

Even though pending patent applications typically do not publish until 18 months after filing, they still provide an indication of newer technologies which have not yet been commercialized. Therefore, we see a tremendous pendency of new technologies looking for a commercial home. These technologies have found their way into the innovation and patent-prosecution process, but are not yet making their way into commercial industry.

One reason for the discrepancy is that turbine OEMs are often not incentivized to introduce new technologies unless they face particular technical challenges, such as noise mitigation, O&M cost reduction, enhanced low voltage ride-through capability, or a production or availability improvement. If they can sell their turbines to a developer or owner-operator who has a power-purchase agreement (PPA) for a project which is high enough for the turbine OEM to achieve its margin, then they will bid their existing fleet – machines already in production.

It’s when PPA prices trend downwards – as we have seen in the U.S. market – that the margins of turbine OEMs get squeezed. Then they look to develop new turbine technologies and product offerings to make a step change in the production cost of energy (COE) and restore the manufacturer’s profits.

Of course, the risk premium associated with the introduction of a new turbine product or platform, and the R&D associated with development, testing, as well as risk reduction is often prohibitive to introducing the new technology. This is particularly true in a cost competitive and margin-sensitive market where financing of new turbines has been expensive.

Furthermore, the industry has matured over the past 15 years to an extent that it currently faces a point of diminishing returns on R&D investment. There is incrementally less cost-of-energy benefit for every R&D dollar spent on new technology.

But while it takes more investment to get continued benefits, the pace of innovation in wind is actually increasing. Patent issuances and application filings are up, with approximately 30 new applications publishing each week. This trend continues, even as the industry continues to consolidate and more industrial conglomerates such as GE, Siemens, Samsung and Alstom, compete to gain Tier 1 status in the wind sector and build their patent portfolios to match.

In the immediate term, the extension of the PTC is a fundamental necessity for the stability of the industry. Policy uncertainty does not provide the industry confidence to invest in workers, factories, or new technology. However, if the currently proposed PTC phase-out becomes part of the final language of the tax-credit-extension legislation, we would hope the industry hears the call to arms for the development and commercialization of new technologies which can further reduce the cost of energy and eliminate the need for a PTC.

About the author

Philip Totaro is the Principal at Totaro & Associates, a consulting firm focused on innovation strategy, risk mitigation, market research and product development for the wind industry.

Windpower Engineering & Development

Connectors with high density contacts for the wind industry

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:10:58 +0000

Conec, manufacturer of connectors, has expanded its combination mixed layout D-subminiature connector family by adding high density (size 22) signal contact layouts. Configurations available include: 19W1, 15W4 and 45W2, in straight solder pin and solder cup versions. The company says these provide more flexibility for design engineers who need to get more signal contacts in a small space. Such connectors are ideally suited for applications where high reliability, long life, and maximum performance are required, as in wind turbines.

Conec
www.conec.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Palm-size box PC with Intel processor suited for wind and solar

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:05:17 +0000

Advantech, manufacturer of embedded computing products, offers the ARK-1120, an ultra-compact and fanless embedded system powered by an Intel Atom N455 processor. Its compact size, affordable price, robust performance and support for both HDD and CompactFlash memory makes it attractive for a range of embedded uses. This product is wellsuited for applications that need a simple but dependable controller, such as wind and solar.

Advantech
www.advantech.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Argon vest with warming insulation for wind workers

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:45 +0000

Ergodyne says their N-Ferno 6900 Warming Vest with NobleTek Insulation provides remarkable warmth, comfort, and flexibility, without the added bulk of natural or synthetic fiber. The vest uses flexible, airtight, yet breathable chambers filled with Argon gas. The 4.5-mm layer of Argon has the same thermal conductivity as 14- mm of the best synthetic or natural fibers on the market. Additionally, the insulation allows adjusting custom level of warmth with the turn of a dial for workers in cold environments.

Ergodyne
www.ergodyne.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Electrical slip rings meet design challenges

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:50:30 +0000

In response to demands for longer, uninterrupted service life, Deublin offers electrical slip ring systems with material configurations that enable years of trouble-free operation. The manufacturer can design slip rings to a variety of EMI, operating temperatures, storage temperatures, acceleration, mechanical vibration, and mechanical shock requirements. The company’s rotary union and slip ring combinations also include a plug-and-play configuration to reduce installation and maintenance time.

Deublin
www.deublin.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Wind Innovators 2012: William Lowndes III and William (Willy) Lowndes IV, Tindall Corporation

Kathleen Zipp — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:29:14 +0000

After graduating from The Citadel in the early 60s, William Lowndes III aimed to satisfy his entrepreneurial drive by acquiring Tindall Concrete Pipe Co. It came with an acre of land, a two-bag-concrete mixer, and infinite possibilities for the future. Now the Spartanburg South Carolina-based Tindall Corp. is one of the largest privately held Precast Concrete Companies in North America. Its 81-year old Chairman, Lowndes has managed to transform his company into a manufacturer of specialized precast concrete for architectural and structural needs throughout North America.

Along with his Vice Chairman and son, Willy Lowndes IV, the company has accomplished notable firsts in product development, from the first precast-concrete manhole in South Carolina to modular prison cells. Innovations now extend to the wind industry with the patent-pending Atlas CTB precast concrete tower system.

Lowndes III still chairs weekly product development reviews with Willy, a graduate of Georgia Tech, and a diverse group of experts within the Tindall organization that is focused on the next generation of wind towers. Tindall holds a variety of product and manufacturing patents that support the company mission to deliver “Better Building Through Technology.”

The distinctive design of the Atlas CTB wind-tower base provides wind-farm developers with increased hub height, while reducing foundation costs by 50% or more and delivering double digit increases in power production. The Atlas design supports a wide range of OEM turbines from 1.6 to 3.0 MW with hub height flexibility based on site-specific wind characteristics.

Windpower Engineering & Development