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November 2022

Conversation with Dominic Champneys

Wind Systems staff
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Conversation with Dominic Champneys

Vaisala recently announced innovations to its WindCube Scan suite. What makes these innovations unique to what came before?

With WindCube Scan, the wind-energy industry benefits from a range of Lidar solutions specifically designed for their needs. A significant amount of work has been done to ensure the operational continuity of the system: There’s an innovative, reengineered scanning head that minimizes maintenance time, which increases uptime. The parts that need to be replaced are easily accessible on-site, and maintenance teams no longer need to replace the entire scanner head.

WindCube Scan also provides the ability to instantly swap to a backup SSD if needed while the Lidar remains operational. This capability, combined with an included three-year warranty, means that customers will not have to worry much about the downtime of their Lidar.

In addition to operational continuity, WindCube Scan delivers new measurements that have never been seen before: The volume scan to cover a 3D volume, the segment scan and the existing VAD scan. This new scanning functionality allows wind energy players to better capture the 3D spatial variations of the wind field. As the integration of Lidars into wind farms continues, the WindCube Scan suite empowers developers with greater insight into the microscale and spatial variations of the wind.

Why has Lidar become an important tool in a wind farm’s development and continued operation?

Lidar is too cost-effective — and flexible — a measurement technology for developers to ignore, especially as the hub heights of wind turbines continue increasing. The price of building a met mast escalates with turbine growth as decision makers need to conduct accurate, reliable measurements at higher altitudes. This applies onshore but especially offshore where Lidars have all but replaced traditional measurement alternatives in offshore environments.

Flexibility is a legitimate and significant boon for Lidars: Unlike a fixed met mast, decision makers can reuse them in other campaigns afterward. I’ve even heard of clients moving one or more Lidars around a particular site to reduce extrapolation uncertainties within a wind farm.

Lidar is already dominant in the development phase, and I foresee applications in the operational phase becoming much more commonplace in the near future. Power-curve testing with Lidars is already standard, but Lidars are also now facilitating short-term forecasting, wind-farm control, wind-farm wake (or blockage) analysis — all opportunities and applications where met masts struggle.

Vaisala collaborates with expert partners to reach project bankability levels and develops standardized practices, which has helped advance the acceptance of Lidar measurements in these new applications — even among the slow adopters of new technology within the industry.

The latest WindCube Scan offers an enhanced laser design. What does this feature mean for wind measurement?

The improved laser chain ensures data quality availability and configurability at all ranges. What this means is a bit different between systems: For the 200S system, we can expect to see a considerably more extensive measurement range, and the 400S system has more flexible management of its spatial resolution. These capabilities enable developers to manage their micro- and macro-scale measurements more efficiently and ensure data quality at even shorter distances.

Along with this new laser chain, the WindCube Scan features new scan configurations focusing on 3D. As wind turbines reach taller heights and wind farms become denser and more enormous, WindCube Scan supports this ongoing industrywide evolution by providing accurate, comprehensive spatial wind data at any stage of a project.

Harsh weather conditions have been a potential problem for earlier Lidar designs. How does WindCube Scan help alleviate those concerns?

There’s been a lot of work put into improving the performance of the WindCube Scan in adverse conditions. This new version has increased water and dust resistance, which is especially useful offshore. The Lidar units are tested with salt spray on them and in humid and dusty environments. WindCube Scan has a better thermal-management system, enabling effective operation in temperatures up to 55 degrees Celsius.

The WindCube Scan also has a heated lens, which reduces the impact of humidity and frost in cold climates where an anemometer might become iced.

How does the WindCube Scan suite take advantage of Industry 4.0?

The WindCube Scan suite is built on its foundational best-in-class software suite and API, which enable direct integration into smart systems and easy and dynamic Lidar control.

Vaisala also has dedicated scientific support staff aiding clients in developing such solutions, and I think that is one of the key enablers of such innovation, to be honest.
Short-term forecasting is a perfect example of how WindCube Scan data can directly feed into the control system of not just a single turbine but an entire wind farm, allowing the smart operation of that farm according to its environment.

Another example is the dual scanning Lidar application, which highlights the simplicity of integrating other systems into the operation of the WindCube Scan. The dual scanning Lidar application is where virtual met masts are constructed offshore by combining the measurements of two onshore scanning Lidars. The position of these virtual met masts and the height of their virtual anemometers can be changed programmatically according to data from a larger system of measurements. Perhaps you want to change the position of your met mast according to the wind direction or alter the height at which you’re measuring according to the shear — all is possible with WindCube Scan.

The last point I want to touch on is the harmony that results from us being a part of this larger Vaisala organization. As the world-leading developer of environmental and weather measurement systems, we essentially have endless opportunities to benefit from a greater ecosystem of atmospheric measurements and data when building these solutions.

In what ways does the WindCube Scan suite help in remote locations that may have very little access to traditional measuring methods?

There are two main points with this new version that are very important: First, you can deploy WindCube Scan, through 4G connectivity, at remote locations, so you don’t need an Ethernet cable. Second, the Lidar also has reduced power consumption facilitating its power supply. These two barriers to deployment have been removed in this new version.

Another area where traditional measurement methods can sometimes struggle is in very complex terrains, such as mountainous regions. In these complicated environments, WindCube Scan excels because its measurements can detect complex flows. Lastly, in regions where traditional measurement methods have had trouble because of environmental concerns or even legal concerns: The ability to measure above the ocean, for example, without having to install a fixed-bottom — or even a floating — structure that would disrupt fishermen and wildlife and other stakeholders of the marine environment can be very valuable. This capability has been a significant aid, for example, in the Japanese market.

What’s been the industry reaction to the WindCube Scan so far?

The industry reaction has been very positive since the WindCube Scan enhancements directly targeted meeting — and exceeding — the needs of the wind-energy industry.
The WindCube Scan falling under the Vaisala umbrella is another positive aspect in our clients’ view. We have a phenomenal track record — with over 2,000 WindCube Lidars delivered globally — and a reputation for innovation and expertise, which helps provide peace of mind. We continually improve the reliability of the entire WindCube suite, and it is better now than it ever has been. Our global presence of factories, service centers, and distribution partners extends our first-class service to almost anywhere in the world. That’s how the WindCube Scan has become one of the most widely deployed and trusted Lidars around the globe.

More info www.windcubeLidar.com

Plastics for Technical Applications

Kenneth Carter
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Plastics for Technical Applications

When Röchling decided to focus on the development of plastics, the company found ways to use its knowledge of plastics in a variety of industries and applications, including wind.
Within Röchling’s three divisions (automotive, industrial, and medical), the industrial division focuses on thermoplastic (Polystone®) and composite material processing and fabrication for technical applications. The company also produces glass-fiber, carbon-fiber, and wood-fiber reinforced materials, Durostone® and Lignostone®. The production of those materials made the path to wind energy a logical step.

“Those materials are present in the wind industry,” said Uwe Kassens, Director Europe Composites/Global Technical Director Pultrusion for Röchling Industrial. “We provide a solution in thermoplastic and in composite materials especially for blades, nacelles, and for the electrical equipment. In wind-energy plants, we have, for instance, sliding pads made out of thermoplastics, we also offer pultrusions for the reinforcement of a blade.

Furthermore, we have a broad range of glass- and wood-fiber materials in the electrical insulation of the generator, as well as in the transformer of the wind machine. All are CNC machined — fit for installation. We have materials that are designated and made to drawing.”

Big Power Player

Röchling has been a big player in power generation and power transmission for decades, according to Kassens.

“With the political change, the climate change, and the change to differently generated electrical power, we saw this development into wind power,” he said. “Our products have been used in atomic-, as well as in coal- and gas-power generation for years; 20 years ago, the question came up, ‘Do we have opportunities as well in the wind-power generation of energy?’”

As Röchling explored how to best serve wind energy, Kassens said it began working with a company that produces onshore wind turbines without a gearbox, but instead uses a direct-drive generator.

“This generator had a special design that required a lot of insulating components,” he said. “That was the beginning of our activities, getting away from the traditional power business into wind energy where we, at the end of the day, do the same. We insulate electrical loads and currents.”

“Next to composites, we produce a wide range of thermoplastic materials,” Kassens said. “If you look at the material pyramid of thermoplastics, we are able to offer the full range of products from the industrial and engineering plastics like PVC, polyethylene, and polypropylene right up to the top of the material pyramid to high-performance plastics like PVDF and Peek.”

In the Azimuth system, sliding sheets made of thermoplastics permit quick and precise alignment of the nacelle in the wind direction. (Courtesy: Röchling Group)

Röchling caters to a continually growing wind industry by offering a broad portfolio of experienced people, along with material expertise, know-how, and processes, and a broad range of equipment for laboratory and R&D, according to Kassens.

“Our philosophy is that we try to provide solutions to the customers, so we work on specifications and solutions where we reach outstanding performance,” he said. “Our experienced employees are a very important asset for us; we have colleagues who have worked here 30 or 40 years, some even more — this represents our expertise in materials and processes.”

“For instance, our products do not corrode; they are corrosion resistant,” Kassens said. “With our electrical insulating materials, we are much lighter in density than, for example, aluminum or steel. We try to provide solutions to improve an application, knowing that this creates a value for the customer.”

Pulcaps® made of carbon-fiber-reinforced or glass-fiber-reinforced materials increase strength of rotor blades and thus contribute to longevity and reliability. (Courtesy: Röchling Group)

Bigger Parts, Bigger Demand

As wind turbines and their components continue to get larger and larger, Kassens sees Röchling’s services to be in even more demand.

“We have seen developments in the wind industry, for instance, that the blades have grown in length and in performance,” he said. “If you look at the early days how the generation has been, and if you look at the generation of up to 5- or 6-MW machines today. This is something that drives even higher expectations in material and in performance of solutions. For example, the creation of serrations — there is a special zig-zag shape or serrations toward the end of a blade to reduce noise or to improve the performance. We provide this type of serrations in different forms to some OEMs.”

Another component for wind developed by Röchling are spar caps, according to Kassens.
“Glass or carbon-fiber spar caps are used today to strengthen blades,” he said. “Where you used to have 40- or 50-meter blades, today they go up to even 80 meters or more. To create this stiffness, which is not possible with traditional materials, our Pulcaps® are used. Sometimes, you have higher temperatures in electrical insulation or in the equipment at the nacelle. At temperature class H or even better, we have developed composites that can withstand 180°C or even up to 250°C.”

Serrations machined from glass-fiber-reinforced material Durostone® offer high mechanical resilience, are UV-resistant and contribute to noise-optimized and efficient function of wind turbines. (Courtesy: Röchling Group)

Working with Customers

With the development of wind technology, Kassens said it’s important to be fully prepared when working with new, as well as existing, customers.

“We try to bring our R&D department into the race and try to show the competence in our product portfolio and in our processes so that the customer understands our capabilities,” he said. “We try to connect our customers with these people. Sometimes if we are not able to provide solutions, or if the challenge is too difficult, we even cooperate with universities or with institutes. Therefore, we try to find a solution for specifications, and we try to convince the customer that our team has expertise enough to find a solution, or that we have enough expertise to say this is not possible with our materials.”

Centuries of Experience

Röchling as a group and privately-owned company has been around for more than 200 years where it started out trading coal and processing steel. But it wasn’t until 2006 when the company decided to concentrate only on plastics.

“This transition period was difficult,” he said. “And that was a really brave decision, I believe, and it has shown extremely positive results in the last couple of years.”

Collectively, the automotive, industrial, and medical divisions of Röchling generated roughly 2.2 billion euros in 2021 across 91 companies in 25 countries worldwide, according to Kassens.

As Röchling continues to make strides within the wind-energy industry, Kassens said he believes the need for renewable energy will only continue to grow, once some challenges OEMs are dealing with are resolved.

“If all this goes into the right direction, I’m convinced that wind power will have a very good future,” he said. “It might take one or one-and-a-half years to get the wind-power OEMs and the wind-power industry out of this situation created with very low compensation for the wind farmers. If this changes, and I believe this will change, I’m convinced that this will create a good environment for wind power and for renewable energy.”

More info www.roechling.com/us

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