Title :
Reducing bearing wear in induction generators for wave and tidal current energy devices
Author :
Shek, J.K.H. ; Dorrell, D.G. ; Hsieh, Min-Fu ; Macpherson, D.E. ; Mueller, M.A.
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Eng., Univ. of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Abstract :
Marine energy devices such as wave energy converters and tidal current turbines are set to play a significant role in contributing to electricity generating by renewable means. The offshore location where these devices operate demands high reliability and robust fault tolerance. Bearing failure is a key issue for renewable energy devices and is a cause of significant downtime in wind turbines. Bearing wear is accelerated due to unbalanced magnetic pull in the rotor of an electrical generator. This paper presents a review and assessment of methods to reduce bearing wear through both machine design and active control through power electronics.
Keywords :
asynchronous generators; machine bearings; offshore installations; power generation faults; power generation reliability; renewable energy sources; tidal power stations; wave power generation; wear; wind turbines; bearing failure; bearing wear reduction; electrical generator; induction generator; marine energy device; power electronics; renewable energy device; robust fault tolerance; tidal current energy device; tidal current turbine; unbalanced magnetic pull; wave current energy device; wave energy converter; wind turbine; Bearing wear; induction machines; tidal current energy; unbalanced magnetic pull; wave energy;
Conference_Titel :
Renewable Power Generation (RPG 2011), IET Conference on
Conference_Location :
Edinburgh
DOI :
10.1049/cp.2011.0220
