Altra Renewable Energy

Vejstrup,
Denmark
http://www.altra-renewables.com/

Booth: 1752

The Innovator of Yaw & Rotor Brake Configurations!

Altra Renewable Energy is part of the Altra Motion family. We have designed and manufactured premier motion control products for wind turbines for more than 40 years. Our products and parts have for decades been used safely and successfully on wind applications, and most importantly, have been through the strictest testing procedures. Our genuine parts are specifically designed to meet or exceed turbine OEM specifications. In addition, we offer service tools to reduce number of up-tower service hours and increase productivity. We never compromise on safety!

Brands: AMERIDRIVES, STROMAG, SVENDBORG BRAKES, TWIFLEX & WARNER ELECTRIC utilizes advanced technologies with extensive application expertise and world-class engineering capability and global service support.

Show Specials

Svendborg Brakes and Stromag Rotor Brake Pad Sets - local stock! (May 12, 2022)
We have set up a large USA stock of Svendborg Brakes and Stromag rotor brake pad sets available for quick delivery.

Our brake pads sets are aligned with original brake system specifications, as well as adhere to design and testing criteria.
- 40 years of operational expertise with rotor brake caliper systems and friction materials
- Superior quality and optimal performance and reliability
- Brake pads for GE, SGRE, MHI, Senvion, Nordex, Suzlon, NEG-Micon platforms and many more
- They can be purchased via our North American channel partner network

Disc Resurefacing Tool - Gen2. Latest innovation! (May 12, 2022)

Service tool that completely renovates yaw discs after years of wear and tear. Traditional replacement of the discs is a time consuming and costly operation. The disc resurfacing tool minimizes service downtime and maintenance. It is specifically developed by Svendborg Brakes engineers.

Press Releases

Green Alternative friction material reduces impact of brake dust from onshore wind turbines (May 12, 2022)

Onshore wind turbines rely on yaw brakes to face into the wind and generate power efficiently. New Green Alternative friction material from Svendborg Brakes, a leading brand of Altra Renewable Energy, offers turbine operators the opportunity to reduce the impact of dust from wind turbine yaw brakes.

The problems of brake dust

The efficiency of an onshore wind turbine relies on it being able to turn to face its blades to the wind. This orientation ensures that the turbine operates efficiently, providing optimal power generation and profitability for operators.

Yaw brake systems in the nacelle ensure the yawing is done in a controlled way and hold the turbine in the required position so it can maintain this high power production efficiency. Some turbines require up to twenty yaw brakes to operate effectively. However, this constant usage of braking application at a relative low pressure during yawing and with a high pressure during still stand, produces dust as the brake pad friction material wears down when rubbing against the disc.

Unfortunately, brake dust from onshore wind turbines has historically presented multiple risks. First of all, dust can contaminate the local environment. This can adversely affect local wildlife, livestock and plant life - damaging the green credentials of wind turbines. Furthermore, the dust also presents a risk to maintenance personnel working on the turbine, as they can come into contact with large concentrations during brake inspections and repairs.

The wind sector catches up

Brake dust has long been an area of focus for the automotive industry, with OEMs committed to utilising less harmful substances in brake friction materials to reduce environmental impact. It is from this knowledge that Svendborg Brakes has taken inspiration, developing a new brake friction material in-house that greatly reduces the environmental impact of brake dust.

Svendborg Brakes’ Green Alternative yaw brake friction material sets a new standard for wind turbines. It complies with restriction of use of hazardous substances (REACH) standards which are followed by the automotive industry.

Asbestos-free, the material contains less than 0.1% mercury (Hg), less than 0.1% chromium 6+ (Cr⁶⁺), less than 0.1% lead (Pb) and less than 0.01% cadmium (Cd). Elements such as nickel (Ni) are not used as they can trigger allergies. Antimony (Sb) is also not utilised due to car industry standards, which also is the case for omitting copper (Cu). Additionally, some states in US have a 2025 copper limit of only 0.5% for brake pads in cars. All these restrictions have already been taken into account by the Green Alternative from Svendborg Brakes. To further compound these benefits, it produces inherently less dust than traditional friction materials. Another feature is a natural resistance to corrosion.

In addition to innovative materials, Svendborg Brakes pads have other specialisations. Cut off corners allow for brake pads to be replaced more easily during maintenance, while a slot and chamfer ensures reduced glazing and noise levels in operation. Visual and electrical wear indicators are also available to signpost when pads begin to reach the end of their service life.

Improved environmental credentials

By utilising its extensive expertise in wind turbine yaw braking systems and taking inspiration from other industries, Svendborg Brakes has ensured that the wind sector is no longer lagging behind in terms of environmentally friendly braking technology.

For onshore installations, this helps to protect local flora and fauna, reducing environmental impact. Additionally, maintenance personnel are further protected from the debilitating effects of brake dust while working on turbines. With Green Alternative yaw brake friction material, the environmental benefits of wind turbines are further enhanced.

Smart monitoring and IIoT technologies improve onshore wind turbine uptime (May 12, 2022)

Operators of onshore wind turbines are always looking to maximise power output and profitability. Therefore, any tool that can reduce turbine maintenance requirements and improve reliability is incredibly useful. To deliver these benefits, Altra Renewables has employed Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology to provide smart monitoring of onshore wind turbine braking systems, which improves turbine reliability while simultaneously increasing uptime.

Maintenance challenges

The profitability of any onshore wind turbine is directly tied to its ability to generate power. Any unforeseen breakdowns not only incur maintenance costs, but also lost energy output.

Furthermore, maintenance is often challenging. Onshore wind turbines are usually located in remote areas. Key systems such as the brakes are inside the nacelle at the top of the tower, which can be 100 metres high. As a result, equipment is hard to access, and often has to be serviced at height. These challenges can increase the time and cost of maintenance, especially in emergency breakdown situations, further compromising power output and profitability. Reducing maintenance requirements and increasing reliability is therefore key for these installations.

The smart approach

To help operators of onshore wind turbines, Altra Renewables provides 24/7 smart monitoring solutions that combine IIoT and data mining technologies to improve turbine uptime.

A suite of sensors monitoring the braking system provides data on a variety of parameters such as system pressure, brake pad wear, brake position, brake piston, brake fluid levels and temperature. This data is then uploaded to the cloud, where Big Data analytics is carried out by artificial intelligence (AI) to provide accurate diagnosis on the condition of key components, and crucially, to predict any potential reliability risks well in advance of failure.

Consequently, operators can eliminate unforeseen breakdowns and their costly repercussions. More than that, data insights can inform long-term preventative maintenance strategy, ensuring that particular brake components can be highlighted for repair or replacement at the optimum time. The system even offers a functionality where maintenance tasks can be ordered in terms of time criticality.

The IIoT solution can be installed on any existing or new Svendborg Brakes system for permanent condition monitoring. The hardware required consists of either the in-house developed Svendborg Brakes Gateway or the SOBO iQ® (Soft Braking Option) braking system, both in collaboration with a high security cloud gateway for a secure connection to the cloud.

A universal solution

If a non-permanent condition monitoring solution is needed, such as for commissioning or troubleshooting, the Universal Control (UC) Case, developed by leading Altra Renewables brand Svendborg Brakes, provides this functionality for wind turbine brakes. Contained in a compact, lightweight case, the UCCase can remotely access data from wind turbines and enable direct online intervention from technicians to aid maintenance work.

Easily operated by a technician with general training, the UCCase uploads data to the Cloud to allow in-depth analysis of the braking system. Importantly for wind turbine operators, the UCCase delivers up to a 90% service cost saving when compared to the expenses of transporting a technician to the installation. Furthermore, it offers a distinct advantage in terms of time, adding further value. The tool is suitable for use on all Svendborg Brakes standard and SOBO® (Soft Braking Option) braking systems.

Maximising wind turbine uptime

By combining condition monitoring, IIoT technology and in-depth AI data analysis to provide real-time insights and predictions, Altra Renewables delivers the dual benefits of reducing turbine maintenance requirements while eliminating unforeseen breakdowns. For onshore wind turbine operators, this means that turbine uptime and reliability can be improved simultaneously. This not only delivers an increase in profitability due to maximised power generation, but also a maintenance cost advantage generally.

Maximising the benefits of green power generation relies on making environmentally friendly technologies such as onshore wind turbines as reliable and profitable as possible. With advances in IIoT technology, operators now have the tools to capitalise, keeping turbines running for longer, all while reducing downtime.

Image Captions:

Image 1: Operators of onshore wind turbines are always looking to maximise power output and profitability.

Keywords - Altra Renewables, Svendborg Brakes, wind turbines, IioT, smart monitoring, artificial intelligence (AI), SOBO iQ® (Soft Braking Option), Universal Control (UC) Case, braking systems

Products

Genuine Parts

We manufacture and supply a wide range of genuine parts, all approved by the OEM's and which support our extensive range of power transmission and motion control products.... More Info Less Info

As, Altra Renewable Energy, we provides genuine spare parts from Svendborg Brakes, Stromag, Ameridrives, Twiflex and Warner Electric. We design and manufacture WTG OEM approved calipers, brake pads,seal kits, sensors, hydraulic power units and many other parts. Once you have purchased one of our high performance products and implemented it in your operation, the expertise of our unique and worldwide after sales support becomes available to you.

We also offer instant product authentication with a single scan on smartphone devices. All you have to do is to scan the Svendborg Brakes 'Genuine Parts' sticker if available on the product. No special knowledge needed, only the use of a smartphone.

In order to authenticate the part quick and easy, we have developed an app. In a couple of simple steps it is possbile to ensure that the products you receive are genuine. The App is free of charge. Simply download it from App Store or Google Play. It then smoothly guides the user through the simple authentication process.

Stop Counterfeiting!
Quality, safety and long term reliability often goes hand in hand and our goal is to make authentication of products easy and accessible by enabling our customers to authenticate our products.

Innovators of Solutions!

We are pioneers within the Wind industry having delivered braking solutions since the World’s first offshore wind farm in Denmark in 1991.... More Info Less Info

We are the innovators off yaw and rotor brake configurations and pioneers within hydraulic braking systems, power transmission and motion control products.

The Altra Renewable Energy product range includes hydraulic brakes and power units, soft braking controls, couplings and not least the latest in IIoT technology. We strive to be the preferred provider of these products and solutions to the renewable energy sector.

We design, test and deliver products for all types of Kilowatt wind turbines - also up to the large MW. We are pioneers within the Wind industry having delivered braking solutions since the World’s first offshore wind farm in Denmark in 1991.

Our Service Technicians and Engineers are experts in their field providing global service and aftermarket support with OEM approved original spare parts. An important note, is the wide range of inhouse developed friction material - including a green alternative!

We also offer retrofits and updates of earlier small wind turbines including conversions from current non-hydraulic systems to hydraulic operated brake solutions. We provide lifetime extensions without compromising on quality and safety.

We are five well established global brands behind Altra Renewable Energy and combined we offer an exceptionally broad product range, all based on several decades of combined experience and different areas of expertise!