Design Article
Flexing cable for wind power applications
L. Li, D. Watson, C. Socha, K. Berard, Alpha Wire (Elizabeth, New Jersey)
4/26/2011 7:39 AM EDT
V. A successful case of wind power application
MLS Electrosystems LLC is a global leader in the development, design, manufacture, distribution, and support of custom electric servo pitch systems for the wind turbine industry. MLS, located in Seneca, PA, was created in 2000 when SIPCO Mechanical, R2J Technologies, and Matric came together and merged their market expertise and knowledge to focus on the servo control industry. MLS made many key improvements to the existing servo pitch control motor product line through a great deal of research and development; as a result, their design now is one of the best in the wind turbine industry.
MLS had been using plain wire for emergency power on a pitch servo motor located within the wind turbine. However, they were in need of a cable that could withstand temperatures as low as -40ºC since the wire they were using was not holding up in the extreme environments that it was subjected to and were continually failing.
As a complete solution, MLS chose Alpha Wire’s Xtra-Guard® 4 performance cable for its pitch servo motor. Not only does Xtra-Guard 4 withstand extremely high and low temperatures (-50°C to + 125° C), it is also known for its extremely high resistance to oils, chemicals, solvents, and fuels – all of which would benefit this outside application.
VI. Conclusion
This technical paper introduces the current status of cable applications for wind energy industry. The special requirements for wind power cables and their detailed construction and composition are summarized. A commonly recognized test method for cable torsional flexibility is also introduced.
It is suggested by the authors that the cable construction and test data should be evaluated prior to selecting the cable for any existing wind farm maintenance and future wind energy facility constructions.
References
1. "World Wind Energy Report 2009," World Wind Energy Association. February 2010.
2. "Wind Power Increase in 2008 Exceeds 10-year Average Growth Rate," Worldwatch.org.
About the authors:
. Dr. Lu Li holds the title of Product Engineer at Alpha Wire. He has extensive development experience of networking cable for industrial and commercial environment, transmission lines for power systems, and communication, control and instrumentation cables for other specific applications.
. Dave Watson is Director of Engineering and QA for Alpha Wire. He has over 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing of copper and fiber optic cables and holds 2 patents in the same area. Watson received a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology from Lake Superior State University and is a member of IEEE.
. Chet Socha is currently a Sr. Product Engineer for Alpha Wire. He has over 40 years of experience in design and manufacturing of networking, communication, control and instrumentation cables.
. Kristen Berard graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is currently an Applications Engineer at Alpha Wire. She is working towards her master's degree in Engineering Management at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Courtesy of EE Times Europe
MLS Electrosystems LLC is a global leader in the development, design, manufacture, distribution, and support of custom electric servo pitch systems for the wind turbine industry. MLS, located in Seneca, PA, was created in 2000 when SIPCO Mechanical, R2J Technologies, and Matric came together and merged their market expertise and knowledge to focus on the servo control industry. MLS made many key improvements to the existing servo pitch control motor product line through a great deal of research and development; as a result, their design now is one of the best in the wind turbine industry.
MLS had been using plain wire for emergency power on a pitch servo motor located within the wind turbine. However, they were in need of a cable that could withstand temperatures as low as -40ºC since the wire they were using was not holding up in the extreme environments that it was subjected to and were continually failing.
As a complete solution, MLS chose Alpha Wire’s Xtra-Guard® 4 performance cable for its pitch servo motor. Not only does Xtra-Guard 4 withstand extremely high and low temperatures (-50°C to + 125° C), it is also known for its extremely high resistance to oils, chemicals, solvents, and fuels – all of which would benefit this outside application.
VI. Conclusion
This technical paper introduces the current status of cable applications for wind energy industry. The special requirements for wind power cables and their detailed construction and composition are summarized. A commonly recognized test method for cable torsional flexibility is also introduced.
It is suggested by the authors that the cable construction and test data should be evaluated prior to selecting the cable for any existing wind farm maintenance and future wind energy facility constructions.
References
1. "World Wind Energy Report 2009," World Wind Energy Association. February 2010.
2. "Wind Power Increase in 2008 Exceeds 10-year Average Growth Rate," Worldwatch.org.
About the authors:
. Dr. Lu Li holds the title of Product Engineer at Alpha Wire. He has extensive development experience of networking cable for industrial and commercial environment, transmission lines for power systems, and communication, control and instrumentation cables for other specific applications. . Dave Watson is Director of Engineering and QA for Alpha Wire. He has over 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing of copper and fiber optic cables and holds 2 patents in the same area. Watson received a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology from Lake Superior State University and is a member of IEEE. . Chet Socha is currently a Sr. Product Engineer for Alpha Wire. He has over 40 years of experience in design and manufacturing of networking, communication, control and instrumentation cables. . Kristen Berard graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is currently an Applications Engineer at Alpha Wire. She is working towards her master's degree in Engineering Management at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Courtesy of EE Times Europe
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