Wind turbines are not a new thing but they’re gaining popularity and are being used as a primary source in certain countries to create new electrical energy from renewable sources, such as the wind.
While wind turbines are simple to build and get in function on paper, there’s much more to them than it meets the eye.
Not many are aware that wind turbines get help from slip rings to provide smooth operation, and while slip rings are a small and often overlooked device, they play an important role in wind turbines.
And that’s exactly what you’ll learn about down below, so keep on reading!
How do Wind Turbines Work and What is Their Purpose?
Wind turbines are built to “harvest” the wind which is an unlimited and renewable source that can be used to produce energy.
That’s why wind turbines come with large blades that get rotated with the help of the wind. Upon the rotation of the blades, the wind turbine’s rotor spins.
Since the rotor is connected to the main shaft of the wind turbine, it helps to spin a generator which is actually the component that creates new electricity.
With wise placements of wind turbines, they can help create electrical energy from a renewable source that is positive for the environment and is actually an affordable solution, regardless of the high manufacturing and installation price of one wind turbine.
Therefore, with the main purpose being to produce new electricity without wasting any non-renewable sources on the Earth, wind turbines can produce cost-effective electricity that can generate power for the local population, create more jobs, can be used as a clean fuel source (electric vehicles), and is very sustainable.
Use of Slip Rings in Wind Turbines
While many know that wind turbines consist of a blade, the main shaft, a rotor, and a generator that does the whole work, not many know that wind turbines also depend on smaller devices such as slip rings.
Slip rings are small and compact devices that have more than one purpose. The main purpose is to provide a smooth operation between a stationary and rotational part of a machine.
In the case of wind turbines, slip rings act as a joint between the blades and the rotor, providing a connection, which further goes onto the generator.
There are actually a couple of slip rings placed in wind turbines and they can be found in the blades, and at the connecting points between the blades and the rotor.
These slip rings actually don’t only bridge the gap between the different parts of a wind turbine, but they’re also very crucial and are responsible for wind generator’s power, and on top of that, transmission of signal and data.
They provide precision that’s required for a power generation system, which is as important as main components such as the blades, rotator, the shaft, and the generator.
There are specific slip rings for wind turbines and companies such as Moflon have wind turbine slip rings. Moflon produces a wide range of wind turbine slip rings with various power ring and wind turbine specifications.
Would Wind Turbines Work Without Slip Rings?
With so many moving and rotating parts in a wind turbine, it would be impossible for it to work without a slip ring.
Slip rings are crucial in wind turbines because they don’t only help combine and bridge the gap between rotor blades and the rotor, which then leads the transmission onto the shaft. Yet slip rings are also important for a generator in the wind turbine that actually produces electricity.
Slip ring helps provide power as well as data and signal all the way from the top of the wind turbine down to the bottom (to the generator).
Also, slip rings are used to ensure wind turbines don’t spin too fast (as a limitator) to eliminate hazards since wind turbines are made to “harvest” the wind, but too much wind without slip rings to control the maximum rotating speed of the blades would cause problems.
Moflon is a company that produces slip rings specifically for wind turbine use and they’re called the MF series. Moflons’ wind turbine slip rings are specifically designed to provide transmission of power and signal all the way from nacelle to the system for control of the rotary blades.
Their slip rings are also reinforced and robust to withstand the most demanding conditions of wind turbines so they ensure the least down time possible to cut down any potential loss.
Environmental Benefits of Wind Turbines for the World
The biggest benefit of wind turbines is that they use renewable source, the wind, to produce electric energy from nothing but the wind.
They work as a reversed fan, instead of using any non-renewable source to produce electric energy, they rely only on wind.
With that being said, wind turbines cut down the amount of electricity that is made from other sources, such as fossil fuels. It’s a chain that leads to less air pollution and less CO2 emissions.
Therefore, wind power is very cost effective, it can also be used to produce clean fuel source for electric vehicles, for example, and it’s highly sustainable since one wind turbine has a lifespan of about 20 years.
All of these benefits work together to provide industry growth and it can even create jobs so it’s also good for the economy, not just for the environment.
Conclusion
Wind turbines are very simple on paper and are highly sustainable, and even though they cost a lot to manufacture and install, the benefits bring a lot of value, not only to the environment, but also to the economy.
Even though slip rings are a small device, they play a huge part in the operation of a wind turbine, more than people often realize.
Without them, wind turbines wouldn’t function at all or even if they did, they wouldn’t be half as efficient as they are now.
But environmental benefits are definitely worth the possible downsides of wind turbines, and yet it’s really great to see that wind turbines are increasing in popularity and are getting huge improvements that lead to better results.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
