With its connection technology, the Harting technology group is driving the transformation in the energy sector and, as a partner to the wind industry, contributes to the energy transition. The connector specialist researches and produces in cooperation with wind turbine manufacturers and independently plug wind energy Concepts, components and individualized offers for the specific requirements of wind turbines on land and at sea. We present some of them below.

Contents

• Connectors for production optimization in wind energy
• Increase modularity of wind turbines with connectors
• Connector for LED lighting in the tower of a wind turbine
  
  

Connectors for production optimization in wind energy

18.09.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX | Harting is making new ones for wind turbines Han connectors of the B series with rear assembly, Han 1A made of high-performance plastic and a fiber optic rotary joint for light waves with bidirectional data transmission.

The Han industrial connectors make it possible rear mounting of interfaces in control cabinets for wind turbines (WEA). With this option, all relevant work steps for the connection can be carried out from the control cabinet.

In addition, many installation steps can be pre-packaged. The option of rear mounting is available for the Han B in metal and plastic housing.

The compact connector Han 1A consists of high performanceplastic, is light and takes up little space. It is suitable for IP20 connections in control cabinets as well as for outdoor requirements. When closed, it achieves protection class IP65. Due to its modularity and a large number of different uses, it is particularly suitable for sensors, small drives and lighting.

Ever larger wind turbines increase the amount of data

Due to increasing digitization in combination with ever larger turbines, the wind industry is faced with a steadily increasing amount of data. For the trouble-free and fast transmission of this data, the manufacturer presents the new fiber optic rotary joint for light waves with bidirectional data transmission.

This meets the requirements for an even faster exchange of large volumes of data between the nacelle and the rotating hub. The wear-free and maintenance-free system offers continuous optical fiber optic networking of the entire system - from the tower floor to the nacelle to the hub.

Increase modularity of wind turbines with connectors

10.01.2018/XNUMX/XNUMX | Good 50.000MW of electricity around 30.000 wind turbines (WTG) are currently producing in Germany for households and companies. The expansion of wind energy is one of the decisive factors in the success of the energy policy change initiated at the beginning of the decade: Away from nuclear power – towards regenerative energies and a reduction in energy consumption. With its connection technology, the Harting Technology Group accompanies the transformation in the energy sector.

Impairment of investments

The Harting portfolio ranges from individual components to complete customer-specific solutions and digitization strategies. The offer also includes advice and service and thus forms the basis for long-term, lucrative and secure investments in this industry.

Hybrid regenerative energy generation from sun and wind

Wind turbines are exposed to extraordinary stresses both on and offshore due to the special features of the location, climate, corrosion and other environmental influences. Maximum reliability, the best materials, great mechanical robustness of the components used, quick assembly, optimal maintenance cycles and simple service create the conditions for maximum value retention of the systems.

Modular wind turbines

The manufacturer's connectors help reduce the costs of installing and operating the wind turbines. Modular wind turbines are flexible in their construction and the components can be exchanged quickly. The modularity of the systems can be significantly increased with the help of connectors. More and more wind turbines are designed accordingly. The pre-assembly of individual units makes this possible modular. The components are only put together quickly and easily at the destination of the wind turbine.

When using the Harting connectors between the WEA modules, the financial and personnel expenses during installation and operation can be limited. A good example is connectors at the interface between slip ring body and (stationary) hub. Among other things, the signals for the pitch systems, which determine the setting angle of the rotor blades, run via the slip ring.

Plug-in solutions instead of hardwiring

A pluggable solution like Han modular-Contact inserts and Han-Modular articulated frames offer great advantages compared to hard wiring: The slip ring body can be replaced more quickly. The downtime is shortened, the loss of sales is reduced. And in the event of maintenance, the slip ring body can be replaced without interfering with the pitch system and no connecting lines have to be dismantled.

They can be just as easy Drives for the rotor bladeadjustment, the blade heating, the lighting systems and the wind tracking as well as the generator brakes. Elaborate wiring is not required. In the event of maintenance, worn parts can be quickly and easily replaced using plug-and-play. Last but not least, connectors make the work of the body fitters easier, who sometimes have to attach components in hard-to-reach corners of the nacelle and tower.

Many WTG types use a Transmission, in order to coordinate the speed and torque between the rotor and generator, thus optimizing efficiency. Connectors also speed up the installation here: With pre-assembled cables and connectors with a high degree of protection such as "Han-Eco", "Han HPR" or "Han M", the required connections between the Transmissionparts made quickly.

Also for them tower lighting the use of these connectors offers advantages: The energy bus elements for the lighting can be pre-installed in the tower segments. On the construction site, the fitters only have to put the segments together. The use of qualified electricians is not absolutely necessary for this activity.

The interior of WEA power cabinets is easier to handle thanks to plug connectors. Instead of the usual hard wiring plug-in solutions from the series "Han B ", Han Eco," Han Com "," Han E "and" Han Modular ".

Connectors reduce effort

In all cases, the use of connectors reduces the financial and time expenditure. They speed up installation and increase the modularity of a wind turbine. At the same time, they reduce investment and operating costs and offer options for optimizing or modularizing the power cabinets. In addition, the assembly logistics of onshore turbines with an average output of 3,3 MW would quickly reach their limits without a modular design. The use of connectors usually pays for itself within a few years due to the time saved and cost reduction.

In addition to connectors, the manufacturer produces LED lighting systems as integrated system solutions. high precision transducer for wind turbines, display devices such as electricity meters and voltmeters can be connected upstream. On request, the manufacturer can also have its measuring transducers calibrated by a state-approved body. This also underscores the precision of the measurement and billing processes used by the devices.

Connector for LED lighting in the tower of a wind turbine

24.06.2017/XNUMX/XNUMX | powerful Connectors provide in wind turbines for the control of the gondola, the wind-dependent position and change of the rotor blades, the blade heating and the lighting systems. The Harting Technology Group has been the technological partner of the world's most important manufacturers of wind turbines for more than 30 years. In partnership with Enercon, an LED lighting system was implemented inside the tower.

Since the decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, Germany has been a world leader in the use of alternative energy through the promotion and construction of wind turbines. As of the end of 2016, more than 27.000 wind turbines had already been installed in Germany around 46.000 MW installed power.

Couplings, brakes and monitoring for the wind turbine

The majority of the plants will on land operated. The demands on all components of an onshore system are extraordinarily high. A variety of different power supply components and subsystems that data communication and the transmission of the control signals is integrated in the systems. High-performance connectors play a major role in this. With its products, its solutions and its technological know-how, Harting has extensive experience in the wind industry.  

Connectors also for mini wind turbines

Best quality and workmanship, tailor-made concepts and maximum service life are for those in mountainous areas low-wind locations installed small wind turbines for the home network on the roof or balcony with a nominal output of around 45 kW and a rotor diameter of just a few meters as well as for large wind turbines with a hub height of 140 m and a nominal output of more than 4000 kW.

With its connector technology, Harting sets connection standards for Onshore and offshore installations. Large temperature fluctuations, changing wind conditions and the specific conditions at the installation sites in countries and regions with very different climates and infrastructure place high demands on the material, reliability and service of the mini wind turbine or the megawatt wind turbine.

The location and environmental factors maritime projects pose additional difficulties Housing, which are resistant to the increased salt content of the water and the sea air, require a correspondingly high degree of protection for the components used.

Trends in the on and offshore area

The flexible one Han Eco Connectors offers degree of protection IP 65 and is designed for a temperature range of -40° C to 125° C. The production from high-performance plastic offers high resistance to aggressive environmental influences such as salt spray and great mechanical robustness. Due to its low weight, the Han-Eco corresponds to the trends in the onshore and offshore sector for reducing the turbine weight, for the modular design of wind turbines and for increasing performance due to the increasing height of the turbines and larger rotor blades.

Together with the wind industry, Harting develops specific and individualized services from individual components to complete solutions (Cablesassemblies) and systems that can be installed during the manufacturing process or on site. The engineers designed this together with the wind turbine manufacturer enercon (Pictured above) a black powder coated connector used in overseas based facilities. The successful joint projects also include connectors for larger currents (>100 A ....300 A) and a housing concept for a new LED lighting system inside the tower of wind turbines (WTG).

LED lights last more than 100.000 hours

The lighting system uses an LED lamp with a long service life of larger 100.000 hours. Heat sinks are embedded in the housing. The supply for the lights is divided into two circuits with an even and odd number of lamps. At the end of each string there is a signal transmitter that triggers acoustic warnings in the wind turbine tower in the event of failure.

This mechanism as well as the Division of the circuit guarantee the functionality of the emergency lighting in the event of a circuit failure. The LED lighting for the WTG tower has a modular structure and is supplied with power from the tower base without interruption. The system speeds up installation and makes service and maintenance work easier.

In addition, Harting supplies LED lighting systems as integrated system solutions with pluggable device connections, pre-assembled cables, distribution units and, if required, an uninterruptible power supply. Based on individual analyses, the LED lights are placed in the system in such a way that their total number remains low and the Energy costs go down.

Mini industrial computer for wind energy

Also with the mini IPC Mica the company is breaking new ground in the field of wind energy and rethinking connectivity. The Mica makes it possible to network old existing systems very easily and inexpensively and to make them fit for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. The digital retrofit is one of the trending topics at the moment. But also for new systems with decentralized data acquisition and pre-processing ("fog" or "Edge Computing“), the Mica is ideal.

Miniature connectors for safe signal transmission 

An example is the contactless status monitoring of the temperature on rotating axes. The temperature is recorded by RFID without a battery over the lifetime of the axle and pre-processed on the mica. An alarm is only issued if a limit value is exceeded. The "little" Hermes Award winner shows what is possible today.

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