Researcher develops nanotube-reinforced PU turbine blades

More on the Wind Turbine front...

PLASTICS NEWS REPORT

Posted August 30, 2011

CLEVELAND (Aug. 30, 2:20 p.m. ET) -- A post-doctoral researcher at Case Western Reserve University has spearheaded an effort to build the world’s first polyurethane wind turbine blade reinforced with carbon nanotubes.
Marcio Loos, at Cleveland-based CWRU’s department of macromolecular science and engineering, worked with colleagues at the university and from Bayer MaterialScience LLC in Pittsburgh and Molded Fiber Glass Co. in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the project.
“The idea behind all this is the need to develop stronger and lighter materials which will enable manufacturing of blades for larger rotors,” Loos said in a news release.
Loos built the blade on weekends.
Lighter blades help to maximize energy output from wind turbines. In a comparison of reinforcing materials, the researchers found carbon nanotubes are lighter per unit of volume than carbon fiber and aluminum and had more than 5 times the tensile strength of carbon fiber and more than 60 times that of aluminum.
Fatigue testing showed the reinforced PU lasts about eight times longer than epoxy-reinforced fiberglass. The new material was also about eight times tougher in delamination fracture tests.
Performance was even better compared to vinyl ester-reinforced fiberglass, the researchers said.
“Results of mechanical testing for the carbon nanotube reinforced polyurethane show that this material outperforms the currently used resins for wind blades applications,” said Ica Manas-Zloczower, professor of macromolecular science and engineering and associate dean in the Case School of Engineering.
The research is funded by a U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grant and Bayer MaterialScience.

Annual Market Reports for Wind Energy, Advanced Vehicles, and Fuel Cell Technology

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released three 2010 market reports which detail the market conditions and trends for wind energy, advanced vehicles, and fuel cell technologies. Taken together, these three market reports illustrate growth in deployment and manufacturing across all three technologies—improving the nation’s global competitiveness in the clean energy economy and creating clean tech jobs for U.S. workers.
The 2010 Wind Technologies Market Report , produced by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analyzes trends in wind power capacity, manufacturing, performance, and costs. The results indicate that wind energy installations comprised 25% of new U.S. electricity capacity additions in 2010, representing $11 billion in new investments and enough new capacity to power roughly 1.3 million homes. The report also notes that U.S. manufacturing of wind turbine components continues to increase, with domestically produced goods used in U.S. wind power projects reaching approximately 68% in 2009-2010, up from 52% in 2005-2006. Another key finding from the report is a 33% decline in wind turbine prices since 2008. The report predicts that current turbine prices and improved turbine performance will drive the cost of wind energy down further in the coming years.
Full story

Department of Energy Awards Nearly $7.5 Million to Help Develop Next Generation Wind Turbines

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that six projects in four states—California, Colorado, Florida, and New York—have been selected to receive nearly $7.5 million over two years to advance next-generation designs for wind turbine drivetrains. Drivetrains, which include a turbine's gearbox and generator, are at the heart of the turbine and are responsible for producing electricity from the rotation of the blades. The advances in drivetrain technologies and configurations supported through these research and development projects will help the United States maintain its position as a global leader in wind energy technologies, support thousands of American manufacturing, construction and planning jobs in a key renewable energy market, and reduce the cost of wind energy in the future. The projects selected today will also help promote and accelerate the deployment of advanced turbines for offshore wind energy in the United States.
"Developing innovative drivetrain technologies will allow U.S. manufacturers to build larger, more cost-effective, and more efficient wind turbines than any in operation today," said Secretary Chu. "The projects announced today will help the United States to lead the global wind energy industry in this critical technology area, diversify our domestic energy portfolio, and create new jobs for American workers."
Full story