Ensto Cubo enclosures in the demanding conditions of wind turbines

Porvoo, 15.06.2012. The phenomenon is especially familiar in northern coastal regions. Ice reduces the productive capacity of wind turbines considerably and burdens their construction, which leads to an increased need for maintenance. In addition, ice falling off of rotor blades can cause damage to buildings and people near the wind turbines. Security risks and strain caused by ice formation can be significantly reduced by equipping wind turbines with Ice Detectors.

Labkotec Ltd’s ultrasound-based LID-3300IP Ice Detector is especially designed for wind turbines in arctic conditions. Most of wind turbines are located in the coastal regions. LID, tested by the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), is the leader in the market. “Ice Detectors for wind turbines are now in high demand, reveals Jarkko Latonen, CTO of Labkotec. “We have supplied over 2000 units to the biggest turbine manufacturers in Europe and in Finland they are used, for example, by Finavia to ensure aviation safety.”

Labkotec relies on Ensto Cubo S-enclosures in their LID Ice detectors which are designed to endure demanding environments. It is crucial that the enclosure endures e.g. low temperatures and large shifts in temperature. “Ensto’s high quality enclosures are durable and fulfill all the requirements set for these products,” Latonen lists. “Because of their wide range of products, we are able to use their standard Ensto Cubo S-enclosures for the LIDs, which is on many levels a great advantage for us.” he commends. “For example the enclosures come pre-installed and equipped with right openings. This eases our own production significantly.”