Slip system protects wind turbine generator

In wind power plants, electrical circuit problems often cause short-term torque peaks. In this event, slip clutches protect the costly gearbox against overload by slipping at a defined maximum torque in order to temporarily interrupt the drive. In one company’s new design, the slip process takes place not on the generator shaft surface, but inside the CENTA Torque Hub, which is mounted on the generator shaft in the coupling’s clamping set.

A new development in slip systems, the CENTA Torque Set now positions the slip unit to the middle section of the shaft. By relocating the slip function, manufacturing tolerances at the generator shaft no longer cause variations in the slip torque, resulting in improved accuracy of the slip function. Another advantage of the new design is that the slip system is made to be pre-mounted as a complete unit. The maximum torque is set on a certified test bench according to the manufacturer’s requirements and documented in a test report, eliminating the need for on-site adjustments.

The low-maintenance slip system is also designed to allow for multiple slip processes (> 200) without having a major impact on the slip torque setting. Depending on the size, a torque range of up to 120 kNm is covered. The new slip system can also be provided as a low-cost system component that does not include the coupling unit. For more information, visit CENTA Corp.