Wind Technologies

Innovative drivetrain Demonstration projects

Economical benefits of our innovative drivetrain

Our innovative drivetrain comprises a Brushless Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (Brushless DFIG) coupled to a one or two stage gearbox. The Brushless DFIG retains the low-cost benefit of the conventional doubly-fed slip-ring induction generator (DFIG) solution, but also achieves the following unique advantages:

1- The Brushless DFIG offers higher reliability and lower maintenance and manufacturing costs than the DFIG as a result of the elimination of slip-rings and brush-gear.

2- Due to the elimination of carbon brushes, there is no carbon dust spread out in the turbine nacelle from the wear of the brushes. This also removes the need for cleaning the carbon dust during maintenance routines.

3- The Brushless DFIG has doubly-fed operation so it only requires a fractionally rated frequency converter. The fractional rating of the converter has already promoted the use of the DFIG.

4- The Brushless DFIG has significantly enhanced compatibility with recent grid codes for wind farm connections. Therefore, the complexity and cost of the frequency converter is reduced.

5- The Brushless DFIG is, by nature, a 'medium-speed' generator, so its best operation in a wind turbine is achieved when coupled to a one or two stage gearbox. This offers an important reliability improvement by eliminating the high-speed stage(s) of the gearbox and hence simplifying the mechanical system. Independent studies have shown that our innovative drivetrain solution is 10% more reliable than the conventional drivetrain comprising a DFIG and a three-stage gearbox.