Slip Ring for Wind Turbine
Wind turbines are clean renewable energy production equipment. They use natural wind energy to generate electricity, connect to the grid, and supply electricity to local or remote areas.
During operation, the wind rotor of its generator continuously rotates to capture wind energy. During this process, control signals, monitoring signals, and power inside the generator are continuously transmitted. Slip rings are used for this purpose.
Benefits of Slip Ring for Wind Turbine
Optimize Circuit Connection
Slip rings can transmit power directly in wind turbine nacelles and towers without using a lot of cables. This avoids tangling of wires.
Stable Transmission
Wind turbines run at changeable speeds, and this slip ring can adapt to this. It uses stainless steel bearings and seal structures to withstand the centrifugal force and vibration of high-speed rotation.
Flexible Wind Direction
When wind turbines collect wind energy, they adjust the rotation angle according to the wind direction. The slip ring supports 360-degree continuous rotation and can be installed in various parts to adapt to this change.
Methods to Install the Slip Ring in Wind Turbine
Do you know how to install slip rings into a wind turbine system? Here are two common methods:
1. Between the Bottom of the Nacelle and the Top of the Tower
A wind turbine generator set mainly consists of parts such as blades, hubs, nacelles, and towers. Among them, the nacelle carries generators and gearboxes. The tower supports the entire turbine. Slip rings are generally installed at the connection between the bottom of the nacelle and the top of the tower. This position is in the transition area between the rotating nacelle and the fixed tower.
2. On the Low-Speed Shaft of the Gearbox
The pitch system is used to adjust the blade angle to help adapt to wind speeds and directions in different working environments. Slip rings are generally installed on the low-speed shaft of the gearbox that rotates at the same speed and axis as the hub. It provides power, transmission control signals, and communication functions for the pitch system. When the equipment is operating at over speed, the slip ring and the pitch system work together to control the speed, pitch angle, etc. of the turbine.
Special Requirements
What specific requirements should slip rings used in wind turbines meet?
Long-Life Design
Wind turbines are sometimes installed on mountains or at sea, and require specialized vessels and equipment for maintenance. At the same time, their downtime can last for days or even weeks, resulting in power generation losses. Therefore, the service life of the slip ring should be at least 20 years to reduce the frequency of its replacement.
Resisting Harsh Environments
The working environment of wind turbines is full of strong winds, dust, rain, snow, high temperatures and low temperatures. The structure of the slip ring must be strong enough to withstand wind shocks and strong vibrations at wind speeds exceeding 30m/s. In addition, they should reach a protection level of IP65 or above to prevent sand and rain from entering.
High Current Transmission
Large wind turbines require slip rings to transmit high ampere currents. A 5MW wind turbine may need to transmit about 800A of current through its slip rings. Therefore, the current transmission capacity of the slip ring should increase with the increase of wind turbine power.