New wind turbine brakes from Warner Electric increase efficiency and safety, helping to protect both the asset and the environment. Warner Electric’s new modified ERS series of spring-engaged, electrically-released, brakes is helping to further the growth of wind energy by providing the crucial braking function for large wind turbines under maximum wind conditions.
The modified ERS series of electromagnetic brakes provides an optimum solution to safeguard the ongoing major investments in large wind turbines that are the direct result of the booming global demand for wind power, expected to reach 50,000 MW by 2020.
The brakes operate as pitch brakes in wind turbine applications that require both “static” holding power, and the ability to withstand high inertia dynamic stopping in emergency situations. They are mounted outboard of an inductive encoder which is fitted to the back of a motor to position the blades to the correct pitch.
In addition to their braking efficiency, the ERS series units also offer the advantage of being a one-piece design, which is fully enclosed and painted to withstand extreme environmental conditions (salt-spray, condensation, water, etc.) Previous to this design, pitch brake models have tended to be more complex two-piece units that require an adapter plate, extra fasteners and an external boot-type seal in the gap between the brake and the adapter plate to prevent contamination.
In normal operation, the ERS brakes function as a static brake to hold the blades from rotating in a power-off situation, during routine maintenance, or for inspection purposes. However, the design spec already produced for one major manufacturer requires the brake to also be able to make 1,000 fully loaded dynamic stops during its service life.
The largest in the Warner Electric ERS series, the ERS68 brake for example offers 100 ft. lbs. of static torque with a maximum of 2,000 RPM and a brake release time of 0.2 sec. The ERS68 weighs in at only 5 kg and has been tested to a capacity of more than 20,000 fully loaded dynamic stops, surpassing the design spec by a factor of 20.
Warner Electric has also developed a series of static holding brakes as part of its comprehensive package for wind turbines. The static brakes meet the strict design criteria for controlling yaw when the wind turbine nacel is positioned into the wind. For this technically simpler application, the yaw brakes are also mounted on the back end of a motor. Typically three pitch brakes and four to five yaw brakes are installed for motion control in the nacelle of each wind turbine.
Solutions for other smaller wind turbine applications have also been solved using Warner Electric brakes, these include the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine and the Wind Wall, an urban wind turbine designed to be sited on roofs or on the sides of buildings in windy city areas.
Other Altra brands also supply products for wind generation applications; Wichita Clutch and Twiflex Ltd., for example offer disc and calliper brakes, while Formsprag Clutch, has developed backstopping clutches for wind turbine applications, and TB Wood’s has supplied Couplings into the market sector.
For more information visit www.warnerelectric.com.
About Altra Industrial Motion
Warner Electric is one of the well-recognised brands of Altra Industrial Motion (NASDAQ:AMIC), a leading multinational designer, producer and marketer of a wide range of electromechanical power transmission products. Altra brings together strong brands covering over 40 product lines with production facilities in nine countries. Altra’s leading brands include Boston Gear, Warner Electric, TB Wood’s, Formsprag Clutch, Wichita Clutch, Industrial Clutch, Ameridrives Couplings, Kilian Manufacturing, Marland Clutch, Nuttall Gear, Stieber Clutch, Twiflex Limited, Bibby Transmissions, Matrix International, Inertia Dynamics, Huco-Dynatork, Ameridrives Power Transmission, Delroyd Worm Gear and Warner Linear. For information on any of these technology leaders, visit www.AltraMotion.com.
About Warner Electric
Warner Electric offers excellent service, and delivery. Single headsets can usually be supplied from stock, with multiple units for complete machines taking 3-4 weeks on average. In addition, Warner Electric is offering headset rebuild kits, which enable customers to rebuild the magnetic headsets themselves, or the alternative of a factory repair programme, where customers ship their headsets back to the Warner Electric factory for full factory rebuilds and certification. Finally, Warner Electric provides headset exchange programmes that allow customers to receive rebuilt Warner headsets at predetermined times during the year. With this option, customers can choose the programme that best meets their needs.
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Warner Electric : Thierry Denarie
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