Page 47 - ETP-April-May2020

WIND ENERGY

Belting an innovation!

In a unique and patented construction, a technology company has developed
belts that allow the rotor blades of wind turbine to be adjusted at any time
without the aid of gears or hydraulics.

echnology com- these requirements and is based
pany Continental is on Continental’s Synchrodrive
equipping the wind technology. Galvanized steel
Tturbines made by cords are integrated into the
Chinese manufacturer Xinjiang belt’s interior and coated with
Goldwind Science and Tech- polyurethane, which furnishes
nology with drive belts. In the both the teeth and the back
unique and patented construc- of the belt and forms an out-
tion, the belts manufactured standing connection with the
at the Dannenberg location tension member. Polyurethane
in Germany allow the rotor is particularly abrasion-resist-
blades to be adjusted at any ant.
time without the aid of gears or The two opposing impact
hydraulics. Continental engi- directions of the steel cords and
neers used an optimal combination durable.” their strands result in neutral run-
of two tried-and-tested timing belt The belts provided by Continen- ning properties, making the belts
technologies to develop the belts. tal do not require any oil for lubrica- extremely resilient. It is not uncom-
Back in 2018, Continental invested tion and are very low maintenance mon for there to be around 12 mil-
around €2 million in a new facil- overall and also largely corrosion- lion reverse bending cycles. But what
ity at the site in Lower Saxony to resistant. In offshore wind turbines makes the belts used by Goldwind so
meet the Chinese company’s annual in particular, this last point presents unique is the special fabric, which is
demand for over 100 kilometers of a major advantage over conventional manufactured at Continental’s loca-
drive belts. metal designs that are permanently tion in Northeim. The specialist in
Goldwind is one of the few pro- exposed to salty sea air. “In com- drive belts is making use of its Syn-
viders on the market to use a drive parison with gearbox solutions, a chrochain technology expertise for
without a gearbox to adjust the simpler design that uses drive belts this application. “The fabric reduces
blades, which is becoming vital to be is also more cost-effective and more wear and absorbs noise and also pro-
able to respond flexibly to changing efficient in the long term,” says Mar- vides a much more stable structure
wind strengths. “Goldwind relies on wede. If there is a defect, the system for the timing belt. This enables us
timing belts,” says Rolf Marwede, can also be repaired very quickly be- to significantly improve the belt’s
who heads Continental’s location cause only the belt needs to be re- performance yet further,” explains
in Dannenberg. “There are some placed, not the whole gearbox. Marwede. The fabric reinforces the
advantages to this. For instance, the For Goldwind, it was important teeth and improves run-in behavior,
system is less complex and therefore to develop a low-maintenance and which in turn boosts efficiency. “Ul-
less prone to vibrations and distur- simpler alternative to the conven- timately, we have brought together
bances at the top of the nacelle. Our tional gearbox system. The chosen two product groups to develop the
belts are also extremely low-wear and belt solution was an exact match for ideal solution for Goldwind’s appli-
cation.”
Continental manufactures the
“GALVANIZED STEEL CORDS ARE INTEGRATED belts for Goldwind at its Dannen- The Economic Times POLYMERS | April-May 2020
INTO THE BELT’S INTERIOR AND COATED WITH berg site, which is a competence
POLYURETHANE, WHICH FURNISHES BOTH THE center for the production of polyu-
TEETH AND THE BACK OF THE BELT AND FORMS AN rethane belts within the company.
OUTSTANDING CONNECTION WITH THE TENSION The technology company installed
MEMBER. POLYURETHANE IS PARTICULARLY a new facility for this very purpose
ABRASION-RESISTANT.” last year. The hall out of which the
facility operates, which was newly

47