Worlds Most Powerful Wind Turbine 10MW
After doing a little research on the internet to see what kind of power Wind Turbines are capable of generating (Feb 2010) I came across a UK based company Vertax who are now in the second phase of its engineering development for their 10MW (Mega Watt) offshore VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine)
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines have many benefits over traditional horizontal bladed wind turbines, they have less moving parts i.e. one single vertical column with bearings at the top and base of the turbine tower.
1. They are a lot quieter than traditional wind turbines.
2. they are potentially less harmful to birds. (Although I disagree that wind turbines kill scores of birds)
3. Less moving parts mean less downtime, resulting in more electricity generated.
4. The VAWT turbines Vertax are developing include a helipad to allow access in poor sea conditions although they can be accessed traditionally via boat.
About Vertax Wind Limited
"VertAx Wind Limited was formed in 2007 out of
Eurowind Developments Ltd with the objective of developing a
multi-megawatt wind turbine generator for use specifically offshore.
The company's aim is to substantially reduce the cost of offshore
wind energy whilst re-establishing a wind turbine manufacturing
activity within British industry and thus creating new 'Green Jobs'
within the United Kingdom.
The company's strategy is to develop a design that is simple, robust
and cost effective, whilst moving away from traditional supply
chains. Longevity, reliability and low maintenance costs are key
areas of consideration.
In order to achieve the necessary level of technical competence the
company has engaged with a number of experts both at a corporate and
individual level. This collective expertise will ensure the overall
objectives are achieved and a reliable British product will
contribute to meeting the United Kingdom's goal of reducing carbon
emissions and producing electrical power from a renewable source of
energy."
Looks like VertAx will be taking the crown for the Worlds Most Powerful Wind Turbine any time soon.
Websites relating to this post:
VertAx Wind Limited Chief designers of the wind turbine
Converteam Suppliers of the 2MW PMG generators for each VAWT
With an overall diameter of 7 meters, the two 5MW inverted Permanent Magnet Generators (PMG) by Converteam based in Rugby, will be of modular construction with 6 sections. The generators will have a total of 180 poles, each segment having 30 poles with a resultant weight of approximately 150 tones each. The nominal output will be achieved at 4 r.p.m. giving a full load eff 92.5% 0.25pu load eff 96%
Gifford Design & Engineering of the bases
Ban Nuttall Fabrication & Assembly of the bases
The overall structure from sea-bed to the
electrical hub will be of marine concrete material with a design
life of 50 years. Three different sea-bed interfaces (foundations)
are being developed in order to accommodate varying geological
conditions at different offshore sites. These include a gravity type
base, a concrete mono-pile and a unique tri-pile base where severe
scouring could be an issue.
The firm of Gifford, based in Southampton, is responsible for the
design and engineering and BAM Nuttall for the fabrication and
assembly of the concrete structural elements together with on-shore
and near-shore facilitation works.
Slingsby Manufacture of the composite turbine blades.
North West Composites Centre Design & Research of the composite turbines blades.
The blades and rotor arms are likely to be of
a sectional geodetic design. They will take the form of a space
framed skeletal structure, clad with sheet material to the desired
profiled shape. The use of high strength, low weight and cost
effective composite materials will be predominant with R&D in this
area being carried out by the Northwest Composites Centre at the
University of Manchester.
It is the intention that the 110 meter blades will be manufactured
in sections of approximately 11 meters each in order to facilitate
ease of logistics from the point of manufacture to the construction
site. The design life of the blades and supporting rotor arms will
be 20 years.
SeaRoc Group Responsible for marine deployment of the finished wind turbines.
It is the intention to deploy the entire structure, less the sea-bed interface, as one completely assembled unit inclusive of generators and rotor. In order to eliminate any unwanted wind loading on the blades during this operation the blades are collapsed into their nesting position close to the tower structure. The rotor blades are then extended into their operational position once the structure is firmly affixed to the sea-bed.