03/14/2006
Equipment suppliers present new developments for the industry at the WindEnergy 2006
As wind turbines become larger and ever more powerful, and the offshore market gains more and more importance, the equipment supply industry also has to innovate rapidly to deliver lighter, more efficient components. The equipment supply industry will present the whole bandwidth of its products, services and new developments at the WindEnergy 2006 - International Trade Fair in Hamburg from 16 to 19 May. The large number of suppliers exhibiting there underlines the importance of the WindEnergy as a dedicated trade fair covering the whole value chain of this internationally expanding industry.
The manufacturer Bubenzer Bremsen, for example, is presenting innovative system solutions for rotor and azimuth brakes - from sensor monitoring of air and temperature parameters to complete force monitoring systems, which is especially important in the offshore sector. The demands made on the brakes are enormous - the mechanical systems still have to work even in the event of a power supply failure for the whole of the wind turbine. In the event of severe loading and wear, the new brake systems are fitted with an automatic yaw control system, as explained by Sales Manager Gerd Knappwurst, with automated self-centring and "back ventilation". The new system from Bubenzer is called "CMB", with reference to the existing CMS/Condition Monitoring Systems in gearbox and bearing monitoring. The company has representatives in Canada and the USA, and in China, Hong Kong and Singapore, and has now set its sights on the booming US market and the Asian markets.
The French anti-friction bearing supplier Rollix-Defontaine, also exhibiting in Hamburg, likewise has a broad international base. Rollix describe themselves as the market leader in anti-friction bearings for wind turbines. "Last year we equipped about half the machines newly installed with anti-friction bearings from French production in Nantes," says Jan Siewers of SNR-Vertrieb, which has the Rollix marketing rights for Germany and is also an exhibitor in Hamburg. SNR is now active as a rotor bearing manufacturer - especially for multi-megawatt systems (two megawatts or more). These revolving joints are used for the alignment of the rotor blades, the rotation of the rotor itself and alignment of the nacelle. They have to withstand enormous forces.
Heavy exhibits will also be displayed by the worldwide operating INA/FAG of the Schaeffler Industry Group, which is likewise an anti-friction bearing supplier and an exhibitor in Hamburg. The main bearing for the new 5 megawatt turbine from Multibrid weighs over 7200 kilograms, with an outer diameter of 3200 millimetres and inner diameter of 2620 millimetres. The rotor hub is directly mounted on a large bearing in the machine frame. The high-speed gear stage is omitted, so that the tower head for the offshore turbine weighs 300 tonnes - comparatively little. This means the nacelle can be pre-assembled on shore, and then mounted on the tower by means of a lifting operation at sea. Apart from gearbox components, their offerings also include the fitting of condition monitoring systems.
The SIAG Group, which also has a stand at the WindEnergy, is known beyond Europe as a manufacturer of steel towers. It is now establishing a joint venture between the Canadian steel mill Algoma Steel and SIAG Schaaf Industrie, to create the new SIAG Great Lakes LP. This adds to the existing production sites in France and Leipzig, establishing a factory in the Canadian province of Ontario, with capital expenditure of some 25.5 million euros and up to 140 new jobs in tower production. The towers in the SIAG range have a height of between 45 and 100 metres, permitting a rotor tip height of more than 160 metres. Each tower segment weighs up to 95 tonnes. Other products made by the company, which is also exhibiting at WindEnergy 2006, include machine mounting frames for wind turbines.
At the other end of the size range, the Harting Group from Minden is exhibiting connectors. The company operates worldwide with a total of 23 subsidiaries - in the wind energy markets it is particularly active in Spain, Denmark, the US, Japan, China and India. The product range extends from high-voltage components for applications with a maximum of 650 A (at voltages up to 4 kV) to active and passive solutions for data transfer and bus systems (at a transmission rate of 100 Mbit/s). Harting was involved for example in the design of the mechanical and electric interfaces of the new 2.5 MW system developed by W2E, the prototype of which is to be installed in 2006. "Quite a complex task, involving 130 interfaces," says Thomas Heckmann, Market Manager Renewable Energy. The Harting Group intend to expand their product range and in future to offer complete solution proposals for electronic connectivity of the system. "The manufacturer makes the electronic control system of the turbine, and we can do the rest, if he wants."
The equipment suppliers are a very large group among the exhibitors at the WindEnergy 2006, including SKF GmbH, Federal Mogul Deva GmbH and Bachmann Electronics, Comer Industries, Mita-Teknik, Schaeffler KG and the rotor manufacturer LM Glasfiber A/S.
The manufacturer Bubenzer Bremsen, for example, is presenting innovative system solutions for rotor and azimuth brakes - from sensor monitoring of air and temperature parameters to complete force monitoring systems, which is especially important in the offshore sector. The demands made on the brakes are enormous - the mechanical systems still have to work even in the event of a power supply failure for the whole of the wind turbine. In the event of severe loading and wear, the new brake systems are fitted with an automatic yaw control system, as explained by Sales Manager Gerd Knappwurst, with automated self-centring and "back ventilation". The new system from Bubenzer is called "CMB", with reference to the existing CMS/Condition Monitoring Systems in gearbox and bearing monitoring. The company has representatives in Canada and the USA, and in China, Hong Kong and Singapore, and has now set its sights on the booming US market and the Asian markets.
The French anti-friction bearing supplier Rollix-Defontaine, also exhibiting in Hamburg, likewise has a broad international base. Rollix describe themselves as the market leader in anti-friction bearings for wind turbines. "Last year we equipped about half the machines newly installed with anti-friction bearings from French production in Nantes," says Jan Siewers of SNR-Vertrieb, which has the Rollix marketing rights for Germany and is also an exhibitor in Hamburg. SNR is now active as a rotor bearing manufacturer - especially for multi-megawatt systems (two megawatts or more). These revolving joints are used for the alignment of the rotor blades, the rotation of the rotor itself and alignment of the nacelle. They have to withstand enormous forces.
Heavy exhibits will also be displayed by the worldwide operating INA/FAG of the Schaeffler Industry Group, which is likewise an anti-friction bearing supplier and an exhibitor in Hamburg. The main bearing for the new 5 megawatt turbine from Multibrid weighs over 7200 kilograms, with an outer diameter of 3200 millimetres and inner diameter of 2620 millimetres. The rotor hub is directly mounted on a large bearing in the machine frame. The high-speed gear stage is omitted, so that the tower head for the offshore turbine weighs 300 tonnes - comparatively little. This means the nacelle can be pre-assembled on shore, and then mounted on the tower by means of a lifting operation at sea. Apart from gearbox components, their offerings also include the fitting of condition monitoring systems.
The SIAG Group, which also has a stand at the WindEnergy, is known beyond Europe as a manufacturer of steel towers. It is now establishing a joint venture between the Canadian steel mill Algoma Steel and SIAG Schaaf Industrie, to create the new SIAG Great Lakes LP. This adds to the existing production sites in France and Leipzig, establishing a factory in the Canadian province of Ontario, with capital expenditure of some 25.5 million euros and up to 140 new jobs in tower production. The towers in the SIAG range have a height of between 45 and 100 metres, permitting a rotor tip height of more than 160 metres. Each tower segment weighs up to 95 tonnes. Other products made by the company, which is also exhibiting at WindEnergy 2006, include machine mounting frames for wind turbines.
At the other end of the size range, the Harting Group from Minden is exhibiting connectors. The company operates worldwide with a total of 23 subsidiaries - in the wind energy markets it is particularly active in Spain, Denmark, the US, Japan, China and India. The product range extends from high-voltage components for applications with a maximum of 650 A (at voltages up to 4 kV) to active and passive solutions for data transfer and bus systems (at a transmission rate of 100 Mbit/s). Harting was involved for example in the design of the mechanical and electric interfaces of the new 2.5 MW system developed by W2E, the prototype of which is to be installed in 2006. "Quite a complex task, involving 130 interfaces," says Thomas Heckmann, Market Manager Renewable Energy. The Harting Group intend to expand their product range and in future to offer complete solution proposals for electronic connectivity of the system. "The manufacturer makes the electronic control system of the turbine, and we can do the rest, if he wants."
The equipment suppliers are a very large group among the exhibitors at the WindEnergy 2006, including SKF GmbH, Federal Mogul Deva GmbH and Bachmann Electronics, Comer Industries, Mita-Teknik, Schaeffler KG and the rotor manufacturer LM Glasfiber A/S.
- Source:
- WindEnergy
- Author:
- Gudrun Blickle
- Email:
- gudrun.blickle@hamburg-messe.de
