Ice, snow and freezing temperatures are commonplace in many regions of the world and can pose a major challenge to the wind energy sector. A particular problem in colder climate zones is known as “ice throw.” This occurs when ice builds up on a turbine’s rotor blades and is then thrown clear by their rotation. When this is threatening to happen, the affected generation units have traditionally had to be shut down, often leading to drastic production and revenue losses.
To overcome this problem, leading wind turbine manufacturer Enercon has developed a special rotor blade de-icing system that has been available as a standard feature of its generation units for ice-prone locations since the end of 2010. The principle the system is based on is as simple as it is effective. A heating element and fan unit are mounted at the base of the rotor blade. The heated air is guided to the blade tip via a duct along the leading edge of the blade and is then circulated back to the heating element via a duct in the centre of the blade. According to the manufacturer, this system uses around 85 kW of electric energy. When operational, it therefore reduces the rated capacity of a 2 MW generation unit by roughly four percent.
However, this loss is very small when compared to the loss incurred by having to shut down generation units altogether. That, at least, is the conclusion of studies Enercon has conducted at the Dragaliden wind farm in Sweden and the Krystofovy-Hamry wind farm in the German-Czech border region. The test results show that the rotor blade de-icing system boosted earnings in Sweden and at the Krystofovy-Hamry wind farm by 48 and 54 percent respectively. While only a few wind turbines featuring Enercon’s new de-icing system have been installed so far, the company expects this to change soon in countries like Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Canada.
myHANNOVER MESSE offers an array of planning aids for your trip to the show.
Save and organize the results of your website and database queries and coordinate your appointments from the comfort of your home or office.
Forgot your login data?
If you have forgotten your password, you can assign yourself a new one here:
Register now and take advantage of the numerous online services available for your personal profile, featuring planning aids for your trip to the show.
In order to use this service, you need to log in.
Please log in now or create a new user account.