Moog Introduces New Electric Pitch System (USA)

The Moog Industrial Group announced today a new electric pitch system which offers higher performance, reliability, additional safety and lower maintenance costs to address key challenges faced by wind turbine manufacturers and operators.

The Moog Wind Turbine Pitch System is equipped with Moog’s new cost effective AC synchronous electromagnetic brushless servo motor with an innovative design that specifically meets the unique requirements of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The Pitch Systems also include Moog’s proven Pitch Servo Drive and backup systems.

Pitch Control Systems are responsible for the precise positioning of blades which enables wind turbines to operate at optimum speeds to ensure the highest availability and safety. Given the harsh outdoor conditions that turbines operate in, the Pitch System and its components face a variety of challenging conditions from offshore and onshore environments including low and unsteady wind speeds and ambient operating temperatures ranging from -30° C up to +50° C (-22 to +122° F). The Pitch System components, specifically the motor, need to meet the performance requirements throughout the full temperature range.

“Striking a fine balance between parameters like performance, reliability, safety and costs are key challenges facing wind turbine OEMs and operators. When compared with conventional DC pitch systems, the AC brushless technology is designed to be a very high performance system with lower maintenance costs,” said Mauro Gnecco, business development manager, wind energy at Moog.

Moog Wind Turbine Pitch Servo Motors are designed to last long, minimize mechanical wear and thereby reduce maintenance costs. The motors are built to withstand extreme temperatures, vibrations and humidity. When coupled with the associated Moog Wind Turbine Pitch Servo Drive, these motors have a very high peak power density and also have the capability to be controlled in sensorless mode, which enables the Servo Drive to control the motor in situations where position information is lost from the Servo Motor’s encoder or resolver.

“A key challenge for wind turbine manufacturers is the selection of a motion control supplier who is capable of providing a Pitch Control System that maximizes reliability and minimizes mechanical complexity. Pitch Control Systems combined with Synchronous Servo Motors harness advanced technologies that deliver reliable and consistent performance enabling wind turbine manufacturers and operators to maximize productivity and ROI”, said Sal Spada, research director, ARC Advisory Group. Mr. Spada recently completed a white paper on the technology behind blade pitch control for his research and advisory firm.

Moog Wind Turbine Pitch Servo Motors are built to meet the requirements of corrosion class C5M (according to DIN 12944 standards) and with wind-proof connector technology, the motor is suitable for Hot Climate Versions (HCV) as well as Cold Climate Versions (CCV) in both onshore and offshore environments.

About ARC Advisory Group

ARC Advisory Group is the leading research and advisory firm for industry and infrastructure. The group’s coverage of technology extends from business systems to product and asset lifecycle management, supply chain management, operations management, energy optimization and automation systems. To obtain the ARC Insights White Paper click on “Reliance on Wind Energy Depends on Advancements in Blade Pitch Control.”

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Source: moog, May 25, 2011