Page 43 - North American Clean Energy July August 2015

maintenance procedures, these illers can
also be used to inish and smooth the wind
blade surfaces during manufacturing. When

selecting a iller, users should consider their
needs for performance time and application
methods; varieties are available to suit a
range of purposes. Having the right iller

can also contribute to prevent leading edge
erosion.
Of course, preventing erosion is not
Magnetic oil
the only tool that turbine owners have to iltration

maximize their ROI. Turbine performance UpWind Solutions launches a line of
can also be improved with tools designed parts called the LifeXSeries that each
for improving aerodynamic eiciency. hese have a long component life, ultimately
include:
helping to extend the life of an asset.

FilterMag is a unique magnetic oil
• Acrylic Foam Tapes
iltration technology that extends a
When it is necessary to attach items to a gearbox life by reducing wear caused by
wind turbine, an acrylic foam tape is often
ferrous particles, improves reliability,

an excellent alternative to liquid adhesives and lowers maintenance costs. It
and mechanical fasteners. hese tapes can be provides a 350% improvement in
used for applications where reliable bonding iltering ferrous particles from gearbox

or sealing is needed. An acrylic foam tape has oil, and a reduction in contaminants
the advantage of being highly conformable that negatively afect the oil. With
and lexible, which accommodates the lexing the FilterMag, gearbox damage due to
and fatigue forces that are encountered by ferrous particles in the oil is minimized,

the turbine blade. It can also stand up to ultimately reducing repair costs. he
various temperatures and weather conditions FilterMag requires no change in the
the blade may be subjected to.
existing iltration system or planned
maintenance procedures

• Vortex Generators
UpWind Solutions
While vortex generators (VGs) have been www.upwindsolutions.com
around for a long time, recent innovations
have helped these devices live up to their true

potential. VGs are usually made from metal
or plastic, and are aixed to wind turbines
to help airlow stay attached to the blade
for a longer duration, helping to increase
Vibration damper

the turbine’s eiciency. In the past, VGs
Sandvik Coromant has introduced a
have not been properly customized for each new vibration damper that helps to
installation, and the liquid adhesives that maintain stable production during Deep
have been used to install them often did not Hole Machining (DHM) operations

stand up to the constantly varied forces and and support increased machine tool
harsh weathering. However, the combination utilization. Using the machine control
of proper design and installation for VGs
adjustment unit, the new device
can result in signiicant improvement. With allows operators to step away from

a VG that is custom it for a blade design the machine and manage process
based on aerodynamic studies, turbines can modiication without hand tools or the
deliver AEP increases of up to 5%. And when risk of personal injury. he Sandvik
attached with durable acrylic foam tape, the Coromant vibration damper uses the

VGs continue to provide the AEP increase machine control to facilitate a stable
throughout the life of the turbine.
production process, safely. A self-locking
unit provides protection in the event of

Conclusion
a power loss. When vibration is under
As technologies continue to improve, wind control, another beneit is that excessive
turbine owners have more useful tools than tool wear is no longer an issue. he result
ever to ensure that wind turbines can stand is increased machine uptime and a safer

up to harsh conditions with maximum working environment.
eiciency and minimal downtime. he tools he new vibration damper from
described here are an excellent starting point Sandvik Coromant ofers bi-directional
designed to extract every ounce of energy, functionality ensuring it can be deployed

making the turbine more eicient and thus for both push and pull applications.
helping to improve its ROI.
Sandvik Coromant US
www.sandvik.com
Santhosh Chandrabalan is 3M’s technical

business development leader.

3M | www.3m.com