ICF International’s newly released second-quarter Integrated Energy Outlook projects a significant shift to renewable, gas, and nuclear sources of energy should new carbon legislation be passed by the U.S. Congress. Energy experts at ICF International, a leading provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients, foresee the retirement of a substantial number of coal-fired electric generation facilities because Hazardous Air Pollution (HAPS) regulations will require large capital outlays for pollution control equipment.

“Uncertainty has become a constant in the energy industry in the wake of unstable commodity prices, price volatility, and looming environmental regulations,” says John Blaney, senior vice president. “The ICF Integrated Energy Outlook provides thorough analysis by energy experts and gives guidance that makes sense of the complicated energy landscape.”

The latest version of ICF’s quarterly Integrated Energy Outlook seeks to answer the key industry questions of whether energy market prices will continue to recover or slip back to 2009 levels, and how energy prices and new regulations will influence power markets. Using a suite of proprietary analytical tools, ICF has worked to integrate the areas of wholesale power, transmission, fuel, and emissions markets in order to offer the most complete picture of the energy industry. By incorporating expertise from all areas of the industry the Outlook is able to provide big picture guidance, as well as market-specific projections and forecasts. For more information visit www.icfi.com/energyoutlook.

3TIER, the global leader in renewable energy information services, has released its Quarterly Wind Performance Map showing that the intensity of the wind in the second quarter of 2010 has increased significantly in large portions of the United States. This upswing in wind is in marked contrast to the depressed average wind speeds experienced during the last quarter of 2009 and extending into the first quarter of 2010. These abnormally low wind speed conditions were the result of a long-lasting El Niño effect coupled with a strong, negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) event.

“Swings in wind performance are common and part of the inherent nature of the resource,” says Scott Eichelberger, Ph.D., 3TIER director of advanced applications. “It’s clear that both the El Niño and NAO phenomena have weakened significantly and continue to wane. As a result above-average wind speeds have been experienced in the majority of the western U.S., extending from Washington State to Texas. Wind speeds in other areas of the U.S. were much closer to their long-term average.”

3TIER generated the Q2 Wind Performance Map using observational data and numerical weather prediction modeling. The map illustrates departures from the long-term mean that range from -10 percent to +10 percent, showing a pattern that is indicative of the climate state during the quarter. It provides an indication of how wind farms should have performed relative to their long-term production average based on their location. As a result of the weakening El Niño and NAO effects, the second quarter saw significant storm activity off the Pacific Coast, which helped drive the overall increase in wind performance in the western U.S. Texas, the country’s largest producer of wind energy, rebounded particularly well from the first quarter. Wind speeds over Texas were elevated enough to make up for the first quarter lull and push the state to above average for the year.

“Texas is a good example for how quickly wind resource strength can change,” Eichelberger says. “Our data showed below average values during January and February of 2010, the height of the recent El Niño, with a rapid shift to above average values during March and April as it weakened. While our clients are observing these variations at individual wind farms, our global wind resource data allows us to understand these patterns over broad geographic regions. The good news is that wind is predictable. Our computer modeling technologies are able to both quantify and anticipate these shifts, and in the short term, even predict the impacts on wind speed with a high degree of accuracy.”

As the wind industry continues to mature and the financial markets remain constrained, 3TIER believes project siting will demand a higher level of rigor when performing due diligence and accounting for long-term historical wind performance. To learn more go online to www.3tier.com.

SynapSense Corporation, whose technology improves energy efficiency and cuts power and cooling costs in data centers, is deepening its relationship with GE by securing an investment and commercial partnership as part of a focus on digital energy services, the Smart Grid, and ecomagination. GE Energy Financial Services is joining SynapSense’s investors Emerald Technology Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, American River Ventures, Nth Power, and DFJ Frontier in a combined $5 million investment for the development and market expansion of SynapSense’s data center monitoring, adaptive control, and energy management technology. Additional financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

“Deepening our relationship with GE through this investment and commercial collaboration will play a major role in helping SynapSense deliver digital energy services that extend wireless control and resource management to the entire IT facility infrastructure,” says Peter Van Deventer, CEO of SynapSense.

GE, which has used SynapSense technology in many of its data centers including GE Corporate and NBC Universal since 2008, will now collaborate with SynapSense on digital energy through a commercial partnership with GE Intelligent Platforms, a high-performance technology business that provides software, hardware, services, and expertise in automation and embedded computing. The partnership will combine SynapSense’s technology with GE Intelligent Platform’s Proficy software and control platform. This combined offering will enable data center operators to optimize energy use by continuously aligning cooling capacity with changes in IT load, saving up to 35 percent of cooling costs while ensuring security, redundancy and resiliency. GE’s Proficy software provides real-time insight on data center and other operational performance metrics to give customers information to make better business decisions.

“SynapSense is a strong addition to GE’s digital energy, Smart Grid, and ecomagination-related investments, offering multiple commercial and development collaboration opportunities in a data center equipment market estimated at $40 billion a year, with annual electricity consumption costing $7 billion,” says Kevin Skillern, head of venture capital investing at GE Energy Financial Services.

Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to imagine and build innovative solutions to environmental challenges while driving economic growth. It is designed to help meet customers’ demand for more energy-efficient products and drive GE’s reliable growth. GE Energy Financial Services has been an active investor in emerging, market-leading ecomagination-, Smart Grid- and digital energy services-related technology companies. SynapSense’s data center monitoring and energy management solutions have been deployed in data centers operated by Fortune 500 companies from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. For more information visit www.SynapSense.com. To learn more about GE Financial Services go to www.geenergyfinancialservices.com.

SMP’s chokes for inverters in wind turbines are now also approved for use in offshore installations. These inductive components feature low losses, very low stray fields, and a highly compact design. The chokes’ cores consist of powder composites, which SMP has specifically engineered for this application.

The direct current from the wind turbines must be converted into a sinusoidal waveform with the values required by the grid. The converter’s filters, which consist of capacitors and filter chokes, ensure that the current being fed into the grid exhibits a near sinusoidal waveform. To maximize the inverter’s efficiency, its components must exhibit low losses. The materials that SMP developed especially for use in its energy-efficient, high-performance chokes have low magnetostriction and exceptionally low eddy current and hysteresis losses. Their encapsulated design ensures that the power converters emit only low-intensity stray fields, so that they do not affect other components. The chokes have a space-saving compact design, are maintenance-free, and have a long lifespan—a significant contribution to cutting the maintenance costs for offshore wind turbines.

Offshore wind turbines are prone to corrosion. To protect them from the corrosive action of the seawater, special salt-resistant materials, additional corrosion protection, and a complete encapsulation of certain subassemblies are necessary. SMP’s inductive components for wind turbine inverters are now certified IP66 and approved for use in offshore installations. Because of their high protection class of IP66, these chokes can be fitted outside the inverters, which means that the heat generated by the choke is not discharged inside the inverter. This results in a lower internal inverter temperature, which removes the need for cooling fans, saving both energy and installation space.
Placing the choke outside the inverter has the further advantage of reducing the inverter’s overall dimensions, which further cuts space and energy demand. To simplify mounting outside the inverters, SMP provides the chokes with special mounting fixtures. The choke and the mounting plate are fitted on the device’s outside and the connecting cables pass through a sealed opening.

SMP’s product range includes low-loss inductive custom components based on in-house-developed powder composites, such as filter, commutating, step-up converter, power recovery and single-conductor chokes. Many of its products are used in the railway industry. The market for inverters for photovoltaic systems that feed solar energy into the electricity grid and for converters for wind turbines is also experiencing strong growth. In the United States contact Keith Westendorf, Westendorf Associates, Inc., at (414) 380-9730, kwestendorf@westendorfassoc.com, or www.westendorfassoc.com. Also go to www.smp.de.

Tres Amigas, LLC, a merchant transmission company, and CH2M HILL—a global full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm—announce that CH2M HILL has received a contract to provide program management services for building the Tres Amigas SuperStation in Clovis, New Mexico. Once completed it will tie together America’s three power grids for the first time. Construction is projected to commence in 2012 and be completed in 2014. Under the terms of the contract CH2M HILL will provide overall program management services and logistical support to ensure that the project remains on schedule.

“CH2M HILL is pleased to assist Tres Amigas with this landmark project,” says Don Zabilansky, president of CH2M HILL’s Power Group. “The Tres Amigas SuperStation will enable cross-regional marketing of clean electricity, enhance power grid reliability and security, and provide new opportunities for renewable energy producers. This strategic infrastructure program will transform the way electricity is delivered to customers across the United States utilizing the most advanced technology.”

Phil Harris—the former CEO of the world’s largest transmission balancing area (PJM Interconnection) and CEO and founder of Tres Amigas—says that “The Tres Amigas SuperStation will offer multiple benefits to power consumers and energy producers across North America, including savings projected in the hundreds of millions of dollars due to the more economic dispatch of electric power. Tres Amigas will also increase the value of several large transmission projects planned for the Southwest and will support the expansion of a reliable national corridor system. Tres Amigas is committed to completing the SuperStation in its projected timeline, and CH2M HILL has the expertise and experience needed to ensure that happens. We’re pleased that this leading firm will provide Tres Amigas with planning, organization, and logistical support throughout the construction of the project.”

The SuperStation project site is at the intersection of the nation’s three grids: the Eastern Interconnection, Western Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection. It will serve as a market hub and balancing authority, enabling the economic transfer of thousands of megawatts of power among the three interconnections. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial, and energy clients. Go to www.ch2m.com. Tres Amigas, LLC, headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is uniting the nation’s electric grid as a merchant transmission entity composed of electric utility industry operational, technology, and thought leaders. More information is available at www.tresamigasllc.com.

MobileCal, Inc., has been certified by A2LA (The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) of Maryland as accredited by certificate number 3040.01 which assures customers that its quality system meets the requirements of ISO 17025 proficiency testing and proves the validity of its documentation and test results. As this scope of accreditation had never been granted previously, MobileCal had to establish new standards before the process of certification could begin. This process delivers heavy industry a new level of quality and process documentation not available before which will improve process resulting in the prevention of large scale industrial accidents and other injuries. The process took about three years to complete, mainly due to the fact there exists no published standards for the calibration of hydraulic and pneumatic torque wrenches of high capacities. Process has been established for decades for the calibration of small sized torque wrenches used in manufacturing and assembly, such as those below 1,000 ft/lbs.

MobileCal’s target market is heavy industry, with the majority of their customer’s tools being larger in capacity. By adapting established procedures to the larger sized equipment the company was able to bring a higher level of quality and process documentation to the heavy industrial marketplace. Because of their work establishing the new procedures, MobileCal was able to become the world’s first accredited organization for mobile calibration of hydraulic and pneumatic wrenches.

MobileCal is the world’s oldest and largest provider of on-site calibrations for high capacity torque wrenches. In their five service vans and in-house laboratory they provide calibrations of hydraulic, pneumatic, and manual torque wrenches up to 20,000 ft/lbs for industries such as natural gas pipelines, power generation, wind turbine construction and maintenance, and petrochemical facilities. For more information contact Thomas Smith at (316) 686-3010, or go to www.mobilecal.net.

Siemens Energy has secured an order for the supply of 98 wind turbines for the Crossroads wind power plant in Oklahoma. The owner of the project is OG&E (Oklahoma Gas & Electric). Siemens will supply 95 units of the SWT-2.3-101 to the Crossroads project. Furthermore, the contract includes three units of the new SWT-3.0-101, Siemens’ new gearless direct drive wind turbine. The SWT-3.0-101 was launched for sale in America just a few months ago.

Construction of the 227.5 MW wind power project will begin in late August, with the first wind turbines being delivered in April, 2011. The Crossroads project will be built in Dewey County in northwest Oklahoma, approximately 160 km (100 miles) from Oklahoma City. The scope of supply for the Crossroads wind farm includes the delivery, installation, and commissioning of all turbines. Siemens will also provide services for turbine service and maintenance for an initial period of three and one-half years. Upon completion in the second half of 2011, Crossroads will be able to meet the electrical needs of more than 68,000 average U.S. homes. This is already the third Siemens wind power plant that will provide clean energy to OG&E, following the OU Spirit and Keenan II wind farms, built in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

“We are proud that OG&E has chosen Siemens again as the supplier to their wind power projects,” says Jens-Peter Saul, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. “This is the first time that the new SWT-3.0-101 direct drive turbine has been sold in the U.S. Bringing our new generation of direct drive wind turbines to Oklahoma is the first step in establishing this game-changing technology in North America.”

“We are excited to move forward this project, which we have negotiated on very favorable terms for OG&E’s customers,” says Jesse Langston, vice president of utility commercial operations. “By its third year in operation we expect Crossroads to be delivering net savings to our customers for the balance of the projects’ 25-year life. This is possible because of the excellent business partnerships we have formed with Siemens, and also due to the constructive regulatory environment we have in Oklahoma.”

Wind turbines are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2009 revenue from the portfolio totaled about EUR23 billion, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period the company’s products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 210 million tons. This amount equals the combined annual CO2 emissions of New York, Tokyo, London, and Berlin. More information is available at: www.siemens.com/energy.

Cumulative global investment in smart grids—including smart meter implementations, as well as upgrades to the transmission and distribution infrastructure—will approach $46 billion by 2015 according to the latest forecasts from ABI Research. A smart grid is an energy generation, transmission, and distribution system equipped with an advanced two-way communications system that allows for greater visibility, control, and automation over the system for the utility operator. Simultaneously, it provides a greater level of energy usage choice and automation for customers. It’s that communications system that makes a grid truly “smart” because it allows for the real-time monitoring of the current operational state of the network, as well as the ability to respond to those conditions automatically, as quickly as possible.

Larry Fisher, research director of NextGen, the ABI Research unit that published this study, says “Most of the electric utility infrastructure deployed in the industrialized world was built between 60 and 80 years ago. Much of this infrastructure is outdated, and with the continuing increase in demand for power year after year the grid cannot safely and reliably manage the loads of today and tomorrow without significant upgrades.”

The groundwork for smart grids has been laid in a number of countries over the past several years, but the pace of investment and implementation is increasing. “Transmission and distribution (T&D) investments will account for the lion’s share of smart grid investments through 2015,” Fisher says. “On a cumulative basis, a total of almost $41 billion will be invested globally in the electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure through 2015, compared to $4.8 billion for the purchase and installation of smart meters. This infrastructure spending will focus on grid automation and control, distribution automation, distributed generation and demand response programs.”

ABI Research’s new study “Smart Grid Applications: Smart Meters, Demand Response, and Distributed Generation” forecasts the market for smart grid equipment and services for the 2010-2015 period covering North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and selected other countries. For more information call (516) 624-2500 or visit www.abiresearch.com.

CommScope introduces  GroundSmart grounding products into its BiMetals family of wire and cable solutions. These products help reduce the costs of managing and maintaining electricity transmission and distribution networks by deterring theft and vandalism. CommScope’s use of copper-clad steel in its GroundSmart products provides a safe, highly reliable alternative to the use of solid and stranded copper for grounding applications. These products are specifically designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. GroundSmart products offer proven performance for optimizing grounding design in substation, distribution and transmission systems, as well as in wind and solar farms.

“A survey published last year estimated that theft of copper wiring from electrical utility sites creates more than 7,500 hours of downtime and costs the industry more than $60 million annually,” says Paul Bedder, vice president. “Copper-clad steel wire and cable products provide the same reliability, performance, and durability as solid copper but are unattractive to would-be thieves and vandals.

“These facts alone make copper-clad steel the smart alternative to solid copper in most grounding applications,” he continues. “The advantages of this solution increase when combined with CommScope’s reputation for service and reliability. GroundSmart users realize long-term benefits when repairing their current systems damaged by theft and vandalism or when bringing online new systems such as wind and solar farms.”

CommScope’s copper-clad steel wire and cable products meet the relevant National Electric Code (NEC) and ASTM wire and cable standards and are approved by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). They are engineered and manufactured at CommScope’s ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 registered facility in Statesville, North Carolina.

CommScope, Inc., is a world leader in infrastructure solutions for communication networks. Through its Andrew Solutions brand it is a global leader in radio frequency subsystem solutions for wireless networks. Through its SYSTIMAX® and Uniprise® brands, CommScope is a world leader in network infrastructure solutions, delivering a complete end-to-end physical layer solution, including cables and connectivity, enclosures, intelligent software, and network design services for business enterprise applications. CommScope also is the premier manufacturer of coaxial cable for broadband cable television networks and one of the leading North American providers of environmentally secure cabinets for DSL and FTTN applications. Backed by strong research and development, CommScope combines technical expertise and proprietary technology with global manufacturing capability to provide customers with infrastructure solutions for evolving global communications networks in more than 100 countries around the world. More information is available at www.commscope.com.

WindLogics has released OnSite 3.1, a software upgrade to its existing data management system. The OnSite system enables wind energy developers and operators to remotely monitor their met towers and maximize the value of their wind measurement investment. The upgrade provides enhanced functionality in response to customer feedback, including the dynamic generation of wind roses and the ability to attach documents to a met tower’s record.

The OnSite system can quickly detect changes in a wind sensor’s “health” status and send relevant data and alerts directly to a met tower’s owner. Continual data quality checking ensures that problems with equipment are promptly resolved, thereby increasing the value of met tower data for use in formal, bank-worthy assessments. More than 700 met towers have been enrolled on the system since 2005. Currently OnSite is used to manage met towers representing more than 30,000 MW of future wind projects, equivalent to three times the amount of wind power installed in the U.S. during 2009.

OnSite automatically collects, processes, and securely stores wind data gathered from each tower. It also includes Web-enabled user interfaces that allow customers to enter or view tower information, including configurations and maintenance history, and examine quality-checked data from any combination of sensors and towers. Staff meteorologists and wind energy analysts are available to assist with questions or provide additional support as part of WindLogics’ full spectrum of wind energy services.

“We assist many different types of customers with our OnSite service. Landowners with a couple of towers appreciate the peace of mind that results from our secure data storage and find the overall service to be a great value,” says Mike Coriale, product manager. “Larger wind energy developers find our new fleet-wide tower status reports essential in monitoring the health of tens or hundreds of towers.”

WindLogics is a renewable energy consulting services firm that combines leading scientific analysis with deep expertise in the planning, development, and operation of renewable energy projects. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources. For more information e-mail sales@windlogics.com or visit www.windlogics.com.

Avanti Wind Systems is now a strategic distributor and service partner for Cresto ResQ products in the wind energy industry. Previously named ResQ, Cresto has sold more than 25,000 sets of evacuation and rescue equipment for wind turbine towers around the world. The agreement means that Avanti will establish training and service centers for Cresto equipment in Germany, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, India, Australia, and China, where Avanti already has offices and factories. “Safety in wind turbine towers always has top priority at Avanti, so it is natural for us to have entered into this partnership,” says Avanti’s Training Manager, Ole Jensen.

Cresto and ResQ have until now been trademarks for fall safety equipment. Henceforth they will be marketed under the Cresto brand. However, ResQ will be kept as the product name for rescue equipments and related training.

Regulations require that there be an alternative exit route from the top of wind turbine towers so that technicians can get down should fire or other causes block the normal route up and down, for example. Therefore there should be rescue equipment in the nacelle so that technicians can descend externally.

As with everything related to wind turbine tower safety, the evacuation equipment must be inspected and tested at least once annually. But Cresto has developed approved packaging that makes it possible to test the safety equipment just once in 10 years. “The safety equipment is vacuum packed,” says Jonas Cedaas, managing director of Cresto. “That is, put into a foil bag from which all air is pumped out. And when a rescue device, ropes, and other accessories are not in contact with oxygen they last longer, since the materials cannot wear down. The vacuum packing also safeguards the equipment against the wind turbine tower vibrations. However, wind turbine owners must continue to inspect the vacuum packing for air-tightness at least once annually.”

The Avanti-Cresto partnership also means that the two companies will jointly launch new series of harnesses and other personal protection equipment for technicians working on wind turbine towers. Go online to www.avanti-online.com.

Maintaining momentum in its renewable energy investing, GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE, has made an equity investment in Idaho’s largest wind power project. The almost half billion dollar portfolio of 11 wind farms under construction was developed by Exergy Development Group.

GE Energy Financial Services made the announcement at the American Council on Renewable Energy’s Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York City. The GE unit will own a majority equity interest in the Idaho Wind Partners project. Exergy Development Group will own a minority interest along with manager and operator Reunion Power. The wind farms will sell all of their power to Idaho Power Company under 20-year agreements. Once completed, the portfolio is expected to qualify for the Federal Treasury Grant program designed to stimulate renewable energy projects. Additional financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Through our investment in Idaho’s largest wind power portfolio, GE Energy Financial Services is putting millions of dollars to work to bring jobs and clean energy to Idaho and help the country meet growing demand for domestic, renewable sources of energy,” said Kevin Walsh, managing director and head of Power and Renewable Energy at GE Energy Financial Services.

Construction company Fagen, Inc., initiated project construction earlier this month and expects to complete the wind farms located on farmland clustered near Hagerman and Burley by year’s end. Using 122 of GE’s 1.5-megawatt turbines, over 13,500 of which have been installed worldwide, these wind farms will have the capacity to generate 183 megawatts, enough to power approximately 39,700 average Idaho homes and—according to US Environmental Protection Agency methodology—avoid approximately 331,000 short tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of taking about 57,000 cars off the road. In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE will provide seven years of operational and maintenance services to the project.

The project is expected to create approximately 175 construction jobs as well as permanent employment for operations and ongoing seasonal maintenance requirements. In addition to those employed directly, a wind project of this size would typically support the equivalent of over 2,200 full-time jobs in the United States for one year—about half of which would be in-state—and create 25 permanent jobs, based on a National Renewable Energy Laboratory model. Go to www.geenergyfinancialservices.com, or to www.ge.com. 

Windspire Energy announces a partnership with Australian-based AllSafe Energy Efficient Products to be the sole distributor of the Windspire® wind turbine in Australia. AllSafe is recognized as one of the leading and fastest growing energy efficient product providers in Australia. The partnership will now begin the process of certifying the Windspire for the Australian market for an expected sales launch later this year.

Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy industry in Australia, driven by government initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2050 and a commitment to ensure 20 percent of Australia’s electricity supply will come from renewable energy sources by 2020. The market for small-scale turbines is expected to grow through rebate programs that can offset the costs for customers by as much as 50 percent. AllSafe is introducing a unique business model that addresses the desire for customers to maximize energy efficiency due to rising energy costs. Unlike most companies that specialize in just one product type, AllSafe offers a complete line of efficiency products including insulation, skylights, solar hot water, solar power, and ventilation. The Windspire was chosen by AllSafe for its innovative and small-scale design, and it will be the company’s only wind turbine product.

“Given their desire to cut emissions and focus on renewable energy solutions, Australia is a very important market for us,” says Windspire Energy President & CEO Walt Borland. “We are pleased to have found a partner in the market who is not only a leader but values innovation as much as we do.”

“Australians are famous for quickly adopting cutting-edge technologies from the U.S.,” says Sean Cochrane, managing director of AllSafe. “The Windspire is a wonderful departure from the old-style windmills and will give our customers a truly unique way in which they can reduce their energy use.”

Windspire Energy, Inc.—formerly Mariah Power, Inc.—is developer of the innovative Windspire wind turbines, which are designed for use in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The propeller-free, vertical-axis design enables silent operation and features patented technology that maximizes energy conversion from wind into electric power, regardless of changing wind speed and direction. Learn more at www.windspireenergy.com.

ARi Industries, Inc., a longtime market leader in temperature measurement, announces immediate availability of its AerOpak mineral-insulated (MI) thermocouple cable in an expanded assortment of sizes and sheath materials. MI cable offers thermocouple fabricators, instruments designers, process engineers, and various equipment builders a unique solution to the challenges of temperature measurement and electrical signal-sending in harsh, corrosive, and other hazardous environments.

Offered as thermocouple and conductor cable, AerOpak products comprise thermocouple or conductor wires insulated with compacted ceramic powder, drawn, and encased in a seamless metallic sheath material. Standard thermocouple or conductor cables up to 10-wire configurations are available in various stainless steel, Hastelloy, and Inconel sheath materials in OD sizes ranging from 0.020” to 0.750” diameter. Cable can be supplied for temperatures up to metal melt points of 2600ºF and over 1000 ft. in length, making these products suitable for all types of process operations and very large equipment. Owing to the strict manufacturing and production standards of ARi, MI cable signal integrity is consistent over the longest length applications. Thermocouple cables in Types K, E, J, T, N, R, S, and B are stocked in calibration tolerances to meet all applicable ASTM, IEC, and ANSI standards.

MI cable from ARi can be welded, brazed or soldered in the field, relative to the application and techniques used. Please consult the manufacturer for details or installation assistance. Custom wire configurations, other sheath materials, and assorted insulation ingredients are also available on request to suit virtually all applications. For more information call (800) 237-6725, e-mail sales@ariindustries.com, or visit www.ariindustries.com.

WindIngen—a new division of Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis—has launched its wind service business from their new offices in Fort Collins, Colorado. This division has hired experienced technicians with extensive industry knowledge and multi-OEM technical and mechanical expertise in preparation for fulfilling their wide range of service offerings. WindIngen also announced that their highly-trained technicians have completed a nine-day safety program.

All WindIngen technicians have completed OSHA 30-hour training, which exceeds the 10-hour OSHA wind specific course being proposed by the AWEA safety committee. The technicians are also qualified on the industry’s two most commonly used high-angle rescue devices, as well as personal self-rescue and evacuation techniques. The completed training comes on the heels of MD&A’s commitment to improve safety performance across their entire business.

MD&A is one of the largest non-OEM steam turbine service providers in North America. Many of MD&A’s clients have expanded their portfolios to include wind assets, and MD&A has committed to growing its business in direct response to their customer’s developing needs. WindIngen’s comprehensive maintenance services are backed by MD&A financial strength as well as 25 years of service industry experience. With “Quality, Reliability and Ingenuity” as its core values, WindIngen delivers premier wind turbine service, repair, parts and engineering for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. For more information call (970) 224-3139 or go to www.windingen.com.

New SKF® TKSA shaft alignment tools introduce highly affordable and easy to use solutions to align the shafts of rotating machinery quickly and with pinpoint accuracy. The tools represent the latest generation of SKF laser-enabled technology to align shafts properly in a fraction of the time compared with traditional methods.

This latest family in the SKF laser-technology toolbox includes the TKSA 20 and the TKSA 40 versions. Both are competitively priced to deliver a quick return on investment, simple to use, and display real-time alignment values to confirm results of alignment corrections as they are performed. No special training is required and a quick-start guide promotes their ease of use. Among features, the TKSA 20 integrates a quick-start guide and fast measuring unit positioning capabilities and the TKSA 40 is designed with built-in tolerance checking and a memory facility enabling results to be stored and shared. These tools can help reduce energy consumption and the potential for machinery failures typically encountered when shafts are misaligned. Their use can contribute to reduced stress on mechanical components, enhanced equipment reliability, and extended machinery service life.

The TKSA series is the latest innovation in a growing family of laser shaft alignment tools available from SKF Maintenance Products. Contact Joe Marcin, SKF USA Inc., at (267) 436-6766, joe.f.marcin@skf.com, or www.mapro.skf.com/alignment.

Receiving market introduction for IMTS, MAG’s new vertical turning centers with 5 to 8 meter tables are engineered to make short work of large-part manufacturing for a variety of industries, including wind and nuclear, offering multiprocessing machining capabilities with high-end specifications like 2500 mm ram travel and 1500 mm minimum height under the rail. The modular machine design is built for high metal removal rates on large parts, with twin columns mounted to the base, 150,000 to 250,000 kg table load capacity, and 350 mm cross-section ram for extreme rigidity and chatter-free machining. Four models, with table diameters of 5, 6, 7 and 8 meters, are being introduced in fixed and adjustable-rail styles. All are engineered for full ram travel to either side of the table center, providing facing capacity that is one meter greater than table diameter for any given model. Powered by a 142 kW (190 hp) table drive, the 5- and 6-meter models have a maximum speed of 72 rpm and constant torque rating of 160,000 Nm (118,000 lb ft), while 7- and 8-meter models have 45 rpm maximum speed and 255,000 Nm (188,000 lb ft) constant torque.

These new VTC models continue MAG’s design tradition of building on an extremely rigid platform, with excellent ergonomic and operating features driven by “voice of the customer” research. Customer-driven features include use of standard modular tooling, including KM and Coromant Capto C8; green design with minimal hydraulics; energy-conservation with selectable “sleep” capability; minimal foundation requirements; and innovative chip management and removal that minimizes operator intervention. Ergonomic features include an operator platform that provides an excellent view of the cutting zone, as well as access to the tool and tool magazine. Options for the platform include fixed position, or moveable in vertical, or horizontal and vertical directions. A full machine enclosure meets CE specifications and ensures a dry floor environment. To learn more visit www.mag-ias.com.

LUDECA, Inc., introduces VIBXPERT® II, the latest addition to the PRUEFTECHNIK family of portable route-based vibration data collectors. VIBXPERT II is rugged and lightweight and combines the advantages of a rapid processor with a brilliant energy-efficient color VGA display. Enhanced with an Fmax of 51KHz and up to 102,400 lines of resolution, all machinery problems can be captured and easily analyzed on the large color screen.

The VIBXPERT II basic platform is a one-channel device that can be upgraded at any time to two individually configured channels via a special passcode—user upgradable, does not require hardware changes. All forms of machine vibrations, bearing conditions, process data, and visual inspection information can be collected and stored on the expandable compact flash card (up to 8 gigabyte) for report generation or for later transfer to the powerful OMNITREND® software for further analysis, reporting, and archiving. The VIBXPERT II provides an easy to use icon driven platform that offers comprehensive analysis functionality for the diagnosis of simple or very complex vibration problems.

Capabilities include order spectrum, phase, cepstrum, cross-channel phase, orbits, run-up and coast-down measurements, bump test, negative averaging, and more. Analysis tools—including various cursor types, machine-specific frequency markers, signal post processing, and extensive bearing databases—are included for evaluating each spectrum. Alarm notifications based on ISO standards or user-defined standards are visually identified with the aid of colored LEDs. It also features modular functionality including dynamic field balancing, extended time waveform recording, transient data capture, UFF file export, and modal/ODS support. For more information go to www.ludeca.com/vibxpert.

How do you expand on a product that exceeds customer expectations every time and saves money to boot? Simple, just add a rental program and make it deliverable to anywhere in the continental United States in two days. That’s the case with Snap-on Industrial’s new mobile tool crib rental program.

The company’s existing mobile tool crib product is built around a customized tool container that’s available in sizes from 20-40 ft. The crib includes a selection of both Snap-on tools and products specified by the customer, and standalone cribs can be linked together to create an even larger tool selection at a remote site. Now this offering is available in a rental program boasting a container stocked with pre-selected Snap-on tools.

“The mobile tool crib concept has been adopted by diverse industries as not only the solution to a problem, but as the template for asset management going forward,” says Dale Alberts, director of business development for Snap-on Industrial. “The rental program takes that idea one step further by making the tool crib available almost instantly for short- or long-term assignment. We have outfitted the rental tool crib to meet the requirements of 90 percent of the tool needs at an industrial, power, mining, or construction site.”

A 40 ft. container can provide tool service for up 20 technicians or millwrights, and the 22 ft. trailer provides tools for eight to 10 workers. Rental units are shipped from centrally located Conway, Arkansas, and can be delivered anywhere in the contiguous states within two days. Rental terms extend from one week to a year, and longer-term arrangements are available under a leasing plan.
Additionally, Snap-on Industrial offers turnkey service that can include everything from delivery and set up to staffing. Cribs are available in sizes and configurations that can fit any worksite footprint.

“The tool crib is an important component of any job site, but especially in large operations or in remote locations,” Alberts says. “It needs to be well stocked and ready to go. But maybe the crib only needs to be at a location for 30 days. It doesn’t make sense economically to purchase an asset like that for short-term deployment. But rental makes a lot of sense.”

Mobile tool cribs from Snap-on Industrial can be purchased, rented, or leased. Customers also can have an existing tool crib retrofitted with the Level 5 Tool Control System, add the Level 5 Asset Management Software to an existing tool crib or hire a Snap-on consultant to organize an existing tool operation. For more information call (877) 740-1900 or visit www.snapon.com/industrial.

Onset has broadened its offerings for energy and environmental monitoring by expanding the range of measurement options for its line of HOBO® U12 data loggers. Specifically, multi-channel versions of HOBO U12 data loggers can now measure and record kilowatts, air velocity, gauge pressure, differential pressure, DC current, and other energy and environmental parameters.

The expanded measurements are possible through the introduction of a new, compact power adapter. The adapter enables energy and building management professionals to conveniently power external sensors that require 12 volt A/C excitation power. This augments the company’s existing line of measurement options, which includes air temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, AC current, and AC voltage. The adapter can also power any user-supplied external sensor that requires up to 400 mA at 12 VDC. HOBO U12 data loggers are small, durable devices designed for high-accuracy indoor environmental, and energy monitoring. They can record data unattended for days, weeks, or months at a time, storing up to 43,000 measurements. Using a USB connection, HOBO U12 data loggers offer convenient, high-speed data offload directly to a computer or to a HOBO U-Shuttle data transport device.

For plotting and analyzing data gathered by the HOBO U12 data loggers, Onset offers HOBOware® software, an intuitive graphing and analysis software package for Windows and Macintosh. HOBOware provides a user-friendly interface for graphing, analyzing, and printing data files as well as exporting data to Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet programs. To learn more call (800) 564-4377, e-mail sales@onsetcomp.com, or go online to www.onsetcomp.com.