From 23 to 26 September the international wind energy industry will gather at the WindEnergy Hamburg fair. More than 1,000 companies hailing from over 30 different countries will be present at the leading international wind energy industry fair to showcase their latest products, service offerings and projects for both onshore and offshore wind power. For four days, eight halls at the Hamburg fair site will provide exhibitors and industry visitors with an opportunity to get the full picture of all the latest technologies from every segment of the value chain. This is a selective preview of some of the innovations and developments from the wind energy world which have been announced for the leading global industry fair at the ‘wind capital’ of Hamburg.
Developments in the large turbine segment
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Gamesa with its Joint-Venture partner Areva, and the German engineering consultancy aerodyn (SCD) will all inform the visitors of WindEnergy Hamburg about the latest status of their product developments in the 8MW class. Unlike the quasi-standard three-blade upwind configuration, SCD’s offshore solution is a two-bladed downwind SCD 8.0 turbine installed on a floating base. A company spokesperson commented this approach: “Our overall turbine-and-floater concept offers specific benefits in terms of instant load reduction. We will reveal further details at WindEnergy Hamburg.”
Floating wind turbine technology is evolving at a much faster pace than many had expected just a few years ago, and there is a broad variety of design concepts. One innovative example is the GICON-SOF tension-leg platform. According to the engineering consultancy GICON it is suitable for water depths from 20 up to 500 metres. A prototype project with a 2.3MW Siemens turbine is to be erected in the Baltic Sea by May 2015. According to the manufacturer the design is scalable to at least 6MW.
Component suppliers on track
A novelty in the 6MW class is Senvion’s 6.2M152 geared turbine with an enlarged rotor. A prototype is currently under construction. Meanwhile major component suppliers are stepping up their efforts to match the latest supply chain demands ranging from blades to castings, drive trains, towers and support structures. VEM Sachsenwerk, likewise exhibiting at the leading industry fair in Hamburg, now offers both asynchronous and synchronous generators for power ratings up to 7MW. EEW Special Pipe Constructions has built one of the world’s first XL-type monopile towers with a 10-metre outer diameter. The tower can carry 6-7MW turbines with 150 metre and larger rotors, and be installed in water depths of up to 40 metres.
Mechanical drive train specialist Winergy (Siemens) has delivered two 3MW prototype units of its new medium-speed “HybridDrive” solution to German technology developer Wind-to-Energy (W2E). W2E will be represented at WindEnergy Hamburg, as well. Supplier FWT is marketing the product under license as its flagship model for IEC class II sites under the model name “FWT 3000”.
Innovative gearboxes
Winergy will display a further (optional) product development of this semi-integrated drive system at WindEnergy Hamburg. It consists of a two-stage planetary gearbox with a flange-on permanent magnet generator design. What makes this system unique is the use of journal or plain bearings in both gear stages with the exception of the planetary carriers which are fitted with conventional roller-type bearings. Equally new is the use of journal bearings for the generator. The HybridDrive displayed at the fair will be partly cut open so visitors can take a closer look at the internal components. Winergy will inform visitors about all the benefits of using journal bearings. Another product development by Winergy shown at WindEnergy Hamburg will be a 2MW, three-stage, high-speed gearbox likewise fitted with journal bearings. A prototype unit installed in a Vestas turbine has been field tested for over 16 months at a cold-climate site in Scandinavia. A complete journal bearing arrangement will be on display at the company booth.
Wikov MGI of the Czech Republic will exhibit its range of wind turbine gearboxes incorporating flexible pins and a differential split torque arrangement, which according to the supplier combine an increased torque rating with reduced size and mass characteristics.
