Bonfiglioli drives wind farm

4th Quarter 2010 Electrical switching & drive systems & components

Alpha Ventus, the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, was recently commissioned off the German island of Borkum in the North Sea.

The wind farm consists of 12 towers between 148 and 155 metres in height, each generating 5 MW of electricity. It is expected to generate enough electricity to power 500 000 homes.

Bonfiglioli was the preferred partner for this major €250 million development, and supplied the yaw drives that orient the wind turbine nacelles and the pitch drives that adjust the angle of attack of the blades. Bonfiglioli has been producing motion control systems for wind turbines since 1985 and has a market share of over 30%.

A tall order

The harsh environment and high power output of the turbines called for reliable, high performance components. Orientation of the nacelle (yaw) and blades (pitch) had to be constantly adjusted to achieve optimum exposure and to derive adequate torque for the blades. It was also important to avoid dangerous overspeed conditions occurring in strong winds and to prevent side gusts from subjecting the mast to damaging oscillations. To control these risks, the nacelle and blades were required to rotate intelligently around their axes to assume the position required by the control system.

Fresh thinking

Fresh thinking was needed to meet these load requirements. The outcome had to be lightweight and compact but no compromise could be made when it came to solid design and long service life of the components. The design also had to be to be maintenance and service friendly.

The Bonfiglioli solution

Bonfiglioli, which produces equipment for some of the world’s most sophisticated applications, was able to achieve this through the introduction of two new drive systems. Bonfiglioli Trasmital 700T series planetary gearboxes were selected, driven by Bonfiglioli series brake motors and controlled by Bonfiglioli Vectron inverters (AgilE, Active or Active Cube series). Together these provided vector speed and torque control.

Pitch drive

The pitch drive controls the angle adjustment of each of the blades through three independent systems. To withstand the high stress duty cycle, Bonfiglioli introduced the 711 T3F gearbox, together with a special P200 motor adaptor. It had the following main features:

* A reinforced final stage planet carrier, designed after test and simulation.

* Higher capacity pinion and final stage output bearings which enhanced safety and improved reliability.

Yaw drive

The yaw drive moves the nacelle to the optimum position and holds it there. This is performed by electric geared motors. To meet the need for a compact solution, Bonfiglioli introduced a new gearbox, the 716 T4U, together with the BN 160M FD motor. In addition to the features listed above, this system had:

* A reinforced final drive to improve torque delivery without an increase in blade dimensions.

* A supported pinion to increase stiffness and performance while keeping the compact design.

For more information contact Robert Rohman, Bonfiglioli, +27 (0)11 608 2030, [email protected], www.bonfiglioli.co.za

Further reading:

Beckhoff’s XPlanar boosts productivity in medical device assembly
Beckhoff Automation Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The intelligent transport system, XPlanar from Beckhoff provided the basis for an innovative system concept allowing the specialists at Automation NTH to reduce the space requirement of an assembly machine for medical diagnostic devices by a factor of 10.

Read more...

---

Smart features increase crane safety
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The newly launched Konecranes S series hoist offers a large bouquet of smart features which not only increase lifting device safety but also deliver a higher level of operator protection.

Read more...

---

Redefining industrial lifting
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The Konecranes S-series hoist redefines industrial lifting through its integration of a ground-breaking synthetic rope with smart features, a lifting capacity of 20 tons, and the ability to adapt to diverse girder configurations.

Read more...

---

Seven years of uninterrupted service
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
A set of hydraulically operated Corflex pinch valves, installed in 2018 at a major North African gold mine, has delivered in one of the continent’s most demanding slurry-handling applications.

Read more...

---

New generation soft starter ranges
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Schneider Electric has launched its new generation Altivar ATS430 and ATS490 soft starter ranges in Anglophone Africa, the latest innovations in motor control technology.

Read more...

---

Reinventing the wheel
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Once a curiosity in the early automotive age, in-wheel motors are now re-emerging with real promise. From electric cars to commercial vehicles and even aircraft, they are on the verge of transforming transportation engineering.

Read more...

---

NORD modular drives for frequently changing motor speeds
Bearing Man Group T/A BMG Electrical switching & drive systems & components
BMG has made a substantial investment over the years to ensure assembly, stockholdings and technical support for the Nord range are in line with stringent international quality, safety and environmental standards.

Read more...

---

PC-based control for sustainable fertiliser production on an industrial scale
Beckhoff Automation Electrical switching & drive systems & components
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.

Read more...

---

Redefining motion control with Festo’s vision for seamless and intelligent automation
Festo Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The quest for precision, flexibility and efficiency continues to shape the future of industrial automation, and Festo, as a long-standing leader in automation technology, stands firmly at the forefront of this movement, driving innovation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Read more...

---

The opportunity and impact of MEPS electric motor regulations
WEG Africa Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
South African companies are gearing up for the new Minimum Energy Performance Standards, part of a global trend towards energy-efficient electric motors.

Read more...

---