The new pitch system has been developed to respond to the growing need of wind farm managers and wind turbine manufacturers to reduce capital expenditures and operating expenses (CAPEX and OPEX).
"Designing a new pitch system reduces the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by increasing the reliability of the wind turbine and minimizing downtime," says Dennis Webster, general manager of the wind division of Moog Inc.'s Industrial Group.
Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) measures the net cost of installing and commissioning a wind turbine relative to its expected energy production over its lifetime. Several factors influence the LCOE, and turbine reliability is one of the most important. Various studies within the sectorhave identified the pitch system as the component that contributes most to turbine failures and downtime. Pitch systems are exposed to the harsh environmental conditions inside the rotor hub: temperature fluctuations, humidity, and vibrations, which result in reduced reliability compared to other turbine components. Although they represent less than 3 percent of a wind farm's capital expenditure (CAPEX), pitch systems are responsible for almost a quarter of all wind turbine downtime.
Most pitch systems currently used in the industry are composed of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 subcomponents, depending on the manufacturer. Moog's new Pitch System 3 incorporates an optimized, highly integrated architecture made up of significantly fewer parts, making it up to three times more reliable than conventional pitch systems. This results in reduced turbine downtime and fewer scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities.
Francesco Vanni, chief engineer responsible for asset performance and integrity at DNV GL – Energy, comments: “We conducted a reliability study of existing pitch systems by comparing operational data collected in the industry with reliability figures provided by Moog for its new Pitch System 3. Our energy cost model suggests that the anticipated reliability improvements for Moog’s Pitch System 3 could result in savings of up to $1.70 per megawatt hour for a typical 3.0 MW wind turbine, a significant reduction in LCOE.”.
By reducing the number of breakdowns and downtime caused by overly complex pitching systems, Moog's Pitch System 3 improves productivity and ultimately makes wind farm operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more competitive in an increasingly complex global energy landscape. Moog will begin supplying the new pitching system to wind turbine manufacturers in Asia and Europe in October of this year.
1 Reliawind Research 2011 and Moog / DNV GL Research 2016
