AX Control, Inc.

Surface Roughness and Turbine Blade Efficiency

Image of three wind turbines in fog. Wind turbine blade efficiency can be affected by surface roughness. — Turbine blades can lose efficiency if surface roughness becomes too pronounced.

Does surface roughness have an effect on turbine blade efficiency? Before we answer, let’s consider another theoretical.

Have you ever stood at the top of a mountain or hill and felt the wind slipping over the top of the summit around you? If you’ve done this in cold weather, you’ve probably looked for something like a tree or an outcropping to stand behind. Even smaller ones help. Such things act as windbreaks, parting the constant stream of air coming at you and softening it. But when nothing is in the way, air moving over the curved summit can feel like it’s been supercharged. It moves with an impressive ferocity of speed.

As it turns out, turbine blade efficiency acts much in the same way. And any sort of surface roughness acts like those outcroppings: parting, changing, and diverting the oncoming rush of air.

Although turbine blade design helps maintain robust performance under harsh conditions, wind turbine blades will show wear after only a short time. This includes chipping paint, edge erosion, and insect buildup. Offshore wind turbines are particularly susceptible to this wear due to UV radiation, salt spray, and other contaminants.

As this kind of roughness increases on blade surfaces, performance decreases. Performance issues include increased drag and decreased lift.

When roughness becomes more pronounced, some wind turbines may become subject to blade stall. Others may see a significant decrease in annual energy production.⁽¹⁾

While surface roughness is not entirely to blame, such wear may be part of the underperformance issues plaguing many wind farms.

Blade erosion and surface roughness can be checked through regular inspections. This can pinpoint areas needing attention. Maintenance can then restore some original turbine efficiency.

⁽¹⁾ Ehrmann, Robert S., and White, E. B. Effect of Blade Roughness on Transition and Wind Turbine Performance.” United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1427238.

Need more information on industrial turbine replacement parts? We can help with that. Talk to our team today.

Fuji Electric: History

The Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. has been producing electrical equipment for close to 100 years. Established in 1923, the company sprouted from Furukawa Electric and Siemens AG. The company’s name is a portmanteau of the first syllable of Furukawa and the first syllable of Siemens’ Japanese pronunciation, jiimensu.

The Fuji company has manufactured many different products. This includes transformers from as early as 1925. The company started producing rectifiers, turbines, and circuit breakers in the 1930s. Then in the 1950s, magnetic switch components started rolling off their assembly lines. By the 1970s, the company had moved into developing integrated circuits and inverters. Research into solar cell technology began soon after.

In 1935, part of Fuji Electric spun off as Fuji Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturing. Eventually, this became Fujitsu Limited. In 1955, Fujitsu Ltd. was instrumental in creating FANUC. This group of companies created automation products and services using numerical control and servos. Some may be familiar with equipment made by GE FANUC, a joint venture that began in 1982.

Serial to Ethernet Converters: What to Know

3050 EGW1 — This Square D PowerLogic 3050 Ethernet Gateway is a type of Serial to Ethernet Converter.

A Serial to Ethernet converter is typically used when you need to connect a device with a serial interface to a remote computer. These remote connections are common in industrial settings where constant, reliable connectivity is important.

Serial device servers can extend the lifespan of industrial control systems. Additionally, through the use of these systems legacy serial devices maintain their usefulness. Manufacturers can improve device management and data acquisition through the addition of Ethernet serial servers.

There are three types of Serial to Ethernet adapters. They are:

RS-232 to Ethernet, RS-422 to Ethernet, RS-485 to Ethernet Converter

Use devices like this to convert TCP/IP packets to serial data and back. They work in both directions. This allows serial devices like barcode scanners, sensors, or serial printers to communicate with a central (remote) computer. Conversely, it allows the computer to communicate with those serial devices. RS-232 to Ethernet uses software to identify itself as a virtual COM port to the computer.

57C414 — The Automax 57414 is a Modbus Interface gateway.

Modbus TCP/IP gateways

Simply, a Modbus TCP/IP gateway is a Modbus RTU protocol running on Ethernet with a TCP interface. These devices use MODBUS messaging and TCP/IP protocols to connect PLCs, Input/Output modules, and gateways to simple field buses. Modbus data transactions are resistant to noise disruption.

Serial Bridge or Serial Tunnel connections

It’s also possible to use two device servers as a pair connection through an Ethernet TCP/IP network. Serial Bridge connections are protocol independent and don’t require routing configuration. Serial Bridge/Serial Tunnels will typically have Rx and Tx outputs. They may be powered over Ethernet or through a DC jack.

Mainframe computers, servers, or serial devices without Ethernet capability use Serial Bridge and Serial Tunnel connections. Configurations allow fixed-function controllers to be used in various ways (USB to SPI, USB to UART) without any user-developed firmware.

If you have questions about connectivity devices for your industrial location, reach out to our team today. We can help!