The Main Bearing of a 2MW Direct-Driven Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine - Term Paper Example

Title: The main bearing of a 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine: the bearing between the rotor and the generator Dated: March 15, 2009 Contents Serial number Subject Page number 1 Introduction 3 2 The Basic structures of the Wind turbines 5 3 The designing of Bearing of 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine 6 4 Construction and manufacturing of bearings of the wind turbines 10 5 Tools and Moulds 14 6 Shaping and planning of the products 15 7 Analysis and formulization of the manufacturing process 16 8 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) 18 9 Conclusion 20 10 References 20 1. Introduction: The exposition of the characteristics of the modern wind generators along with their necessary parts including rotors and bearings are important segments for their normal working and understandings of the whole systems as operating in the wind turbines. The manufacturing of the bearings as they are required in the wind turbines are made as per their specific sizes and configurations. These structures are designed with the aid of machinery, tools, dyes, moulds and computer programming as per their technical requirements. Designing, manufacturing, marketing and after sales services are essential steps which are required for the proper functioning of the bearings as per the satisfaction of all the stakeholders. Recognizing the value of wind energy as a low cost source of energy with low level of environmental pollutants and in the shape of a clean source for energy, the concept has formulated a new business opportunities for the manufacturing units relating to the manufacture of the parts of the wind turbines including the bearings(1). The component parts are designed by the respective wings of the engineering departments along with their designed characteristics. The modern wind turbines are designed and produced in a modern high technology at the same levels as used for the manufacturing of air planes with the use of relevant technology. In the whole manufacturing process the selection of material for the component parts including bearings of the wind turbines between the generators and the rotors of the wind turbines, their designing with the use of specific machines, tools and dyes along with the assistance of the computer programming, manufacturing of the desired structures and their marketing are controlled by the top management of the manufacturing units with the active participation of the technical personals of the engineering departments(2). The manufactured bearings are tested with the assistance of the necessary parameters as per international standards. The observance of quality standards contribute for the quality results of the bearings as used between the generator and rotors of the wind machines. The use of the bearings is an essential requirement for the whole wind turbine and without the structure, the functioning of the whole system cannot be accomplished. The manufacturing of the bearings as used between the rotors and the wind machines passes through the following critical stages of the whole developmental process. The manufacturing organizations are emphasizing on the observance of these steps for the quality production of the bearings with the use of optimum resources in the form of financial, human and technical inputs with the observance of a manufacturing system for the delivery of output in the shape of the bearings for gaining maximum economic output. The manufacturing of the bearings of the 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine: the bearing between the rotor and the generator involves the combination of skills and the materials with specific designs as to meet the requirements of the customers. The manufacturing organisations are designing their projects with the use of all the inputs through a mechanism that ensure quality output with the utilization of financial resources as on optimum basis for securing maximum benefits with the execution of their projects to gain financial stability for the organization and all other stakeholders as associated with the organization(3). The projects like the manufacturing of the bearings are executed with the active participation of all the stakeholders as on win-win basis. It is expected that the study conducted for the manufacturing and utilization of the bearings will help the related organizations in their studies regarding the type of designs, the nature of the elements and raw materials as required for the manufacturing of the product in the wind turbines and the whole process will be executed by other organizations as adopted in the current study relating to the bearings for the 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine: the bearing between the rotor and the generator of the wind turbines. 2. The Basic structures of the Wind turbines: There are many types and sizes wind turbines whose configurations are built from a wide range of materials. The wind turbines are mainly consisting of a rotor with blades as attached with the hub; a nacelle that is located in a drivetrain consisting of gear box connecting the shafts and is supported by the bearings, the generator including other machinery and a tower with groundmounted electrical equipment for the execution of the whole wind turbine. The wings shaped blades as located on the rotor are used for harvesting the energy as present in the wind stream and the rotor converts the energy that is the kinetic energy to the rotational energy and is transmitted through the drivetrain to the generator of the wind turbine which can be further connected directly to the national grid station for further distribution and utilization in the household and by other utilization points as determined by the utility grid(4). The bearings of the turbines between the rotor and the generators of the wind turbines help in the working of the turbines through the swift and effective working of the axils as found in the wind turbines with the assistance of the bearings. All these parts of the wind turbines with their specific locations vis-à-vis other parts of the wind turbine are shown with the assistance of the following diagram. . 3. The designing of Bearing of 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine. The observance of the outlined manufacturing systems are essential for the organization for securing sustainability and existence of the organization as through the fulfillment of all their objectives for the achievements of the mission of the organization,. These steps are inalienably interconnected and interrelated with each other for exerting synergetic impact in the shape of a refined product as in the form of the bearings(5). These steps are listed below: a) Designing of the bearings which are used in the wind turbine at the position between the rotors and the generators of the 2 MW wind turbine, b) The manufacturing of dyes and moulds for the manufacturing of the bearings, c) Selection of proper materials as required for the manufacturing of the product , d) The availability of necessary tools, machines and human capital for the execution of the process, e) Marketing of the product as per its required standards for the promotion of the sales of the product and the provision of after sale services of the product, f) The aid of modern business techniques and emerging technologies is a contributing factor for the execution of the process as per its technical specifications. g) The structural components of the bearings are manufactured and utilized with the use of skills and materials as in accordance with the engineering disciplines, designs and configurations. These configurations are formulated by the technical human resources for the manufacturing of the bearings as used between the rotors and the generators of the 2MW wind turbines. The rotor blades are optimised aerodynamically to provide high lifting forces with low air resistance values. These rotor blades are manufactured by using Resin Infusion Moulding technology for making them light weight with stiffness and mechanical strength. These blades are the starting point of the train for power transmission to the system. The rotor blades of the wind turbines are connected to the hub of the wind turbine through a pitch of the ball bearings perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the wind blades with the help of an in built intelligent system for communications within the wind turbines. In the wind turbine a multi stage and wheel gearbox ensures the highest possible mechanical efficiency and power for the wind turbines. The gear box with a main shaft bearings provided with the required lubrication facilitates the functioning of the wind turbines. These bearings in the wind turbine are facilitating the overall functioning of the system as being installed in the wind turbine at their specific locations. The bearings construction is the engineering, manufacturing, and assemblage of the components and the systems for a wind turbine as used in the region between the rotors and the generators of the wind turbines. The execution of all these disciplines result in the shape of desired engineering structure in the shape of the bearings with the utilization of the materials as required as an input in the system. The adoption of standardised parameters as found in the engineering and designs of the bearing of 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine product lead to the formation of the product with the utilization of essential inputs, systems, human capital and the financial resources with specific configurations(6). The designing of the bearings are completed with the aid of the geometry of the moulds and dyes for the utilization of the raw material in the whole manufacturing process for the bearings with the help of the following drawings by observing the top and frontal views of the raw materials along with their necessary angles. The observance of these angles help in drawing the necessary configurations as specifically required for the designing of the bearings as per their specific standards and technical requirements as needed in the wind turbine. The materials used for the construction of bearings in the wind turbines are mainly consisting of steel but the usage of other metals like aluminum and light weight composites had provided strength and stiffness to the structure of the turbines through their chemical and mechanical properties. The use of the said materials has facilitated the turbine in weight reduction with the adoption of manufacture mechanization and innovation procedures with low cost in economic terms, the usage of new electronics will also reduce the need of some components of the wind turbine like gearbox which ultimately will result in the reduction of weight of the wind turbine. The manufacturing units are trying to simplify the nacelle machinery of the wind turbine that will result in the reduction of cost with an increase in the reliability of the overall performance of the turbine. The position of various parts of the wind turbine has been illustrated with the help of the following diagrams which are showing the cutting angles at the ends and sides of the structures which are needed during the designing of the bearings. The success of the product that is the bearings chiefly depends on the utilization of quality material with the use of necessary tools and moulds as per the drawings for the implementation of the manufacturing task with its necessary standards. The manufacturing units are recommended to use quality material especially for the bearings of the 2MW wind turbines for the for the proper functioning of the whole wind turbine as these bearings are assisting in the normal functioning of the whole body of the turbine. All the parts of the wind turbines are manufactured with the utilisation of the suitable material, configurations and the drawings for the manufacturing of the individual structure including the bearings of the wind turbines. 4. Construction and manufacturing of bearings of the wind turbines The mechanism for the construction of the bearings as found between the rotor and the generator is consisting of the following stages, all these stages are operative in a coordinated and well disciplined pattern. These stages are as under: (a) Designing of the frames for the manufacturing of the bearings for the wind turbines of the region between the rotor and the generator, (b) Manufacturing of the bearings with the use of suitable raw materials, and other necessary tools, (c) Marketing of the products in the open market for their usage in the turbines and if required for replacement of the bearings for proper working of systems, (d) Review of the system and parts as used in the manufacturing process of the basis as on continuous basis, and (e) After sale services through the services of the technicians of the manufacturing units. The stages as listed above are essential for the manufacturing of the bearings of the turbines and are moving in a systematic and well planned mechanism. The manufacturing process is completed with the assistance of computer aided designs, moulds and tools as are being used in the engineering process for the product. The successful adoption of all these stages indicates that the product is being manufactured and is utilized in the wind turbines for their specific functions. The stages have been shown in a cyclic pattern so as to illustrate the process of bearings manufacturing for the wind turbines. The success of the process depends on the adoption of all these stages with their necessary details and observance of these stages guarantee the normal functioning of the whole manufacturing process as per objectives and technical specifications for the bearings for the wind turbines. The stages are represented with the help of the following diagram: The design of the bearings of the wind turbines is accomplished through a set of related tasks and their observance for the construction of a quality product as in the shape of the bearings for their utilization in the wind turbines. The manufacturing is completed through the use of Machinery and tools as per their required specifications in the complete production process. The production process involves a set of stages and steps which are essential for the manufacturing of the bearings as per their technical requirements and locations between the rotors and the generators of the wind turbines. The whole manufacturing process observes the following stages: a) The planning for the start of the manufacturing process along with its specifications, b) The list of the raw materials as an input in the whole system along with their costs, c) Purchase of the materials for their utilization in the manufacturing process, d) The selection of a manufacturing process as to produce the bearings for their utilization in the wind turbines at the location between the generator and the rotors of the wind turbines, e) The availability of suitable technical staff for the production, and after sale services of the product through the observance of standards and quality of the product, f) Marketing of the bearings with effective marketing strategies as to compete for the supply orders and to promote the product as on sustainable basis, g) The sales of the product in a supply chain mechanism for ensuring the implementation of the whole process in a systematic mechanism, h) The provision of the after sales service as to provide backup support for the product. The stages as indicated above are essential for the designing, manufacturing, and marketing and after sales services for the bearings of the wind turbines. The non observance of any stage will have adverse effect on the whole process as designed for the manufacturing and utilization of the product in the wind turbines with the use of raw materials and tools for the construction of a quality product. Tools and moulds are necessary instruments for the manufacturing of the bearings as per their technical specifications. 5. Tools and moulds A set of tools as utilized in the manufacturing process are shown below: The tools as indicated above are used by the engineering departments of the manufacturing organizations and all these instruments are used in the manufacturing process for the bearings production. These instruments are used during the whole operational mechanism including designing, manufacturing, cutting and fitting stages as used the whole process(7). The manufacturing organizations are struggling to implement their projects with the use of all the necessary inputs as on optimum basis with an objective in mind to secure maximum returns through the sale of quality out put as for example the bearings of the wind turbines especially used between the rotor and the generators of the turbines. The manufacturing process is relying on the design of the product and its drawings and with the help of moulds and tools for the execution of the manufacturing process with the assistance computer programs and computer aided designs for the final product that is the bearing. Their configurations and structures are modified as per their technical requirements so as to deliver their specific functions at specific locations. 6. Shaping and planning of the products Shaping and planning of the products as produced through the manufacturing process are completed with the help of the necessary machines. Shaping the finished goods with their sophistications and specification are essential for making the products that is the bearings for enhancing their technical acceptance in the whole system(8). The following machines help in this regard: 7. Analysis and formulization of the manufacturing process The bearings of the wind turbines are manufactured through the selection of manufacturing process that lead through the stages like matching, casting, forming and shaping and finally the desired product. The bearings of the wind turbines are produced through the utilization of suitable manufacturing mechanisms for the production of the casting materials through these procedures. The process include the metal casting process, composites forming process, ceramics forming process and rapid prototyping process. The selection of the process is based on availability of the materials and economy of the scale for the purpose. The bearings are manufactured through the process of machining as used in the whole production process. The process is the shaping operation in which extra materials are removed from the raw material so as to receive the desired geometry and dimensions of the product .The machining process is based on a sharp cutting tool to remove the unnecessary material and to achieve the desired shape of the product. The cuttings are made on the basis thickness of the plates used and the angles as to meet the mechanical and technical requirements of the product. There are three fundamental stages of manufacturing process as (a) the designing of the moulds, (b) mould manufacturing and (c) the component manufacture. These stages are observed during the manufacturing process for achieving the desired product as in the form of the bearings of the wind turbines. The plugs are designed with the considerations of draft angles, the moulds are the next essential requirement for the manufacturing process for the product. These moulds are designed with the help of suitable materials with specific configurations for enhancing their performance in the system. The material used for the moulds are same as to be utilized for bearings of the wind turbines so as to reduce the possible size variations during the thermal expansion of the materials during the manufacturing process. The stiffness of the mould is essential for the manufacturing of the product as the stiffness in the chassis is an essential requirement for the product as well as for the whole turbine. The moulds used in the manufacturing are equipped with return edges, sharp corners, wide flanges, bolt fixing and fillets. There are different kinds of milling machines tools used for the manufacturing of the bearings like Horizontal milling machine, Vertical Milling machine, and Bridge type milling machine which are utilized during the manufacturing process. These machines are essential for the achievement of quality output with specific requirements as to determine the size of the product. Machines are essential equipment for manufacturing of the bearings of the wind turbines for the achievement of desired product for their utilization in the wind turbines. Milling operations are completed with the help of the following operation for the production of the bearings as per their specifications. The whole manufacturing process is monitored though black box system which determines the authenticity of the system on the basis of inputs and outputs as the basic tools to determine the normal functioning of the system. The system is named as black box system as processing system leads from inputs, passed through the systems with assistance of the necessary tools and mechanisms and finally the product as output. 8. Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) A specialized computer program called as a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is used to control the machines and processes for the manufacturing of the bearings of the wind turbines as found between the rotors and generators of the wind turbines .The system uses a programmable memory to store the instructions for their utilization so as to execute the specific instructions with accurate parameters like on/off control, counting, timings, and other related assignments in the process. A typical PLC computer along with its functions is illustrated as under: 9. Conclusion: The main bearing of a 2MW direct-driven horizontal axis wind turbine as located between the rotor and the generators of wind turbines are the central part of a wind turbines which provide a central link for the whole body of the of the wind turbines and assist in their normal functioning. The manufacturing and marketing of these essential is essential for the running the normal working of the wind turbines. The manufacturing process needs special attention of all the stakeholders for the designing, manufacturing and utilisation and after sales services for the product. The normal functioning of the wind turbines depend on the basis of the whole structure of the turbine. The study will help all the interested parties to formulate necessary guidelines for the future products especially in the field of renewable energy as wind energy to meet the emerging needs of the future generations in the field and designing and manufacturing of the bearings will be handled with ease and effectiveness. The active participation of all the stakeholders is essential for the success of the whole manufacturing and utilisation of the bearings in the wind turbines between the rotors and generators of the wind turbines (9). 10. References: 1. American Wind Energy Association, Global Wind Energy Market Report: Wind Energy Growth Was Steady in 2000, Outlook for 2001 Is Bright. AWEA web site:http://www.awea.org/faq/Global05-2001.PDF. 2. Liu, Y (2007). IOE 333. Course pack. Industrial and Operations Engineering 333 (Introduction to Ergonomics), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Winter 2007 3. Wilson & Corlett, Evaluation of Human Work A practical ergonomics methodology. Warning: very technical and not a suitable 'intro' to ergonomics 4. Alvin R. Tilley & Henry Dreyfuss Associates (1993, 2002), The Measure of Man & Woman: Human Factors in Design A human factors design manual. 5. Valerie J Gawron (2000), Human Performance Measures Handbook Lawrence Erlbaum Associates - A useful summary of human performance measures. 6. Billington, David P. (1996). The Innovators: The Engineering Pioneers Who Made America Modern. Wiley; New Ed edition. ISBN 0-471-14026-0. 7. Lord, Charles R. (2000-08-15). Guide to Information Sources in Engineering. Libraries Unlimited. doi:10.1336/1563086999. ISBN 1-563-08699-9.  8. Serope Kalpakjian, Steven R. Schmid: Chapter 24 of Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-148965-8 9. Serope Kalpakjian, Steven R. Schmid: Chapter 21 of Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, 5thEdition, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-148965-8 Read More