Kenetech Wind Power, Palm Springs, CA – To further optimize the design of their large scale wind turbines, Kenetech design engineers wanted actual bending stress measurements on the blade shank where it attaches to the rotary hub. But how could the signals from the rotating Micro-Measurements strain gages be communicated to the data collection system?
Slip rings were ruled out due to the lack of space and the excessive cost of machine disassembly required for installation on the rotor located 200 feet above the desert floor. Binsfeld TorqueTrak telemetry provided a convenient solution to the problem.
The lightweight telemetry transmitters were carried up the tower and installed on the rotor hub, eliminating the need for a crane. The bending gage data was transmitted from the rotating system to a receiving antenna on the tower and then cabled into the data collection trailer on the ground. Kenetech now had live bending data that they could correlate with wind speed and other parameters to provide key information to improve the turbine design.