We need to increase the lifecycle sustainability of wind turbine blades as wind energy becomes a larger part of the US energy market. Unsplash user Johanna Montoya contributed this image.
The US Department of Energy released three reports at the end of August indicating record growth in land-based wind energy, considerable development of the pipeline for offshore wind projects, and sustained reductions in wind energy generation costs.
” highlight the progress gained as well as the potential for considerably more cheap wind power in the future… In a DOE press statement, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “We will double down on efforts to deploy more wind energy around the country while simultaneously pursuing technology to make turbines even cheaper and more efficient.”
What the news release doesn’t say is what will happen to all of these wind turbines when they’re no longer in service.
Because there are limited choices for recycling, most decommissioned turbine blades are either kept in various locations or sent to landfills, as stated in a CTT post published at the beginning of this year. Such a strategy is unsustainable, especially if corporations want to increase wind energy deployment in the coming years.
Several firms and groups are looking into solutions to handle turbine waste in a sustainable way, and several of these efforts were mentioned in a previous CTT piece. Today, we’ll take a look at the work of two additional companies.
Carbon Rivers: Glass fiber reclamation and upcycling
The fact that wind turbine blades are composed of fiberglass, a composite material, makes recycling them extremely difficult.
“According to a blog post by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the mixed nature of the blade material makes separating the plastics from the glass fibers to recycle into a workable fiberglass material difficult, and the strength required for the blades makes them physically difficult to break apart.
Carbon Rivers is one company that is striving to solve this problem. Carbon Rivers, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, develops and commercializes novel materials “According to its website, this will lead to a more sustainable and technologically driven future.
Why are the shells need to be extremely smooth?
Many animals (including many people) find these shellfish to be quite delectable, thus they require shells to protect them from hunters.
Some fish can take up the shell and smash it against a rock with their jaws.
Other species, such as octopuses and snails, can pierce the shell and inject poison, killing and digesting the animal inside.
They then suck the digested animal out via the hole they made, just like a straw would be used to suck up a drink. A robust shell may aid in the protection of the mollusk living inside the shell from such attacks.
It’s feasible that the corrugations will aid in the reinforcement of these shells. Have you ever seen a house with a corrugated iron roof? Corrugating strengthens the iron and reinforces the roof. Scientists believe the same is true for corrugated shells.
Scallops have a corrugated fan-shaped shell that is difficult to break, even if dropped or hit. Scallops have strong and hefty shells because of these corrugations, which are known as ribs.
Corrugations could also aid in camouflage. Scallops can grow other creatures and plants on their shells, making them masters of disguise! When concealment fails, scallops can swim in a clumsy manner by rapidly opening and closing their valves.
Giant clams are immobile and do not dig into the sand. Their main defense technique is to develop super-strong, thick, and heavy shells with corrugations, as you can see. Giant clams are the world’s largest clams. They can grow to be 1.2 metres long (about the height of a six-year-old child! ), weigh over 200 kilograms, and live for over 100 years.
Smooth-shelled animals have a different technique to protecting themselves from predators. They have the ability to move quickly and dig deep into the sand! It’s like sliding on a playground; a smooth shell would allow these animals to go faster, just as a smooth slide would allow you to travel faster than a bumpy slide.
Smooth-shelled clams (including pipis) may dig into the sand in a matter of seconds! Digging is done with their foot (which resembles a tongue). When burrowed, they utilize their long siphon to breathe, similar to how you would use a snorkel to breathe underwater.
Animals can defend themselves using a variety of tactics. Many of these species have developed to have a variety of shells that are effective in different ways at keeping the squishy organisms within safe and secure.
What are the six components of a wind turbine tower?
Most grid-connected wind turbines, whether large or tiny, have a similar design and are made up of the following components. The blades of a wind turbine are joined to a hub, which is collectively known as the rotor.
The nacelle carries the primary electrical and mechanical equipment at the top of the tower, including the main shaft, gearbox, and generator, and is connected to the rotor.
Here’s a diagram and a quick rundown of all the components that go into making a wind turbine.
What is the significance of the rotor being as high in the sky as possible?
What is the significance of the rotor being as high in the sky as possible? The more energy in the wind, the stronger it is.
What are the 12 components of the nacelle?
This set of terms includes (12)
- rotor. The primary shaft is spun by catching the wind.
- The gearbox converts the rotor’s 22 RPM revolution into 1500 RPM spin for the generator.
- Magnets and copper wire are used to create useful power in a generator.
- brakes that are mechanical
Is it true that seashells have a life of their own?
Mollusks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, both on land and in the sea, and with and without shells. You’ve encountered a mollusc in real life if you’ve ever seen a snail or a slug.
Mollusks do not have skeletons inside, unlike people, cats, and other animals with backbones. Many people go through life relying solely on their delicate bodies. Some people, on the other hand, grow shells as a form of protection while traveling.
Tanner explained that’s where seashells come from. “She explained that a seashell is a protective outer layer secreted by an animal’s mantle, which is one of its muscles. Their body’s delicate outer wall is called the mantle.
The mantle of the mollusk constructs the shell from the bottom up. It takes in salt and pollutants from the water it’s in. When it has enough of the necessary elements, it turns them into calcium carbonate, a hard solid.
Calcium carbonate is the main component of strong, healthy seashells. (Eggshells are, too!) A mollusk’s mantle creates calcium carbonate, which it layers throughout the course of its life. The seashell is made up of these layers when they are all put together.
A seashell resembles your own hair in appearance. Your hair develops and becomes a part of you, yet it is not living. The body of a living mollusk creates a shell, but the shell is not alive.
A mollusk’s shell is left behind after it dies. However, the shell of the mollusk inside is significant long after its life has come to an end. Fish and hermit crabs use seashells as shelter, nesting material for birds, and even nutrition for other species to construct their own shells.
You’re correct in seeing that seashells come in a variety of colors. The origin of the color can be traced back to the way the shell forms.
“The color originates from the mollusk’s surroundings, so it’s either pulled out of the water or from what they eat, according to Tanner.
Seashells from warm waters, for example, are more colorful than those from cold waters. This could be due to their eating habits. The colorful edibles found in the warm Caribbean waters are more numerous than those found in the chilly ocean near Maine.
We know that the colors of seashells are influenced by their surroundings. However, experts are still puzzled as to how the colors are dispersed, resulting in beautiful patterns.
Maybe if you keep asking questions and looking for solutions, you’ll be able to figure it out.
Is it true that wind turbine blades are hollow?
The blades of commercial wind turbines are made of fiberglass with a hollow core, but aluminum and lightweight woods are also utilized.
What materials are utilized in the construction of wind turbines?
Wind turbines are generally constructed of steel (66-79 percent of total turbine mass), fiberglass, resin, or plastic (11-16 percent), iron or cast iron (5-17 percent), copper (1 percent), and aluminum, according to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Table 30). (0-2 percent ).
Many turbine components are made in the United States and are sourced domestically. Wind turbine towers are 60-75 percent domestically supplied, blade and hub components are 30-50 percent domestic, and nacelle assemblies are over 85 percent domestically obtained, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s Land-Based Wind Market Report. Internal parts such as pitch and yaw systems, bearings, bolts, and controllers, on the other hand, are frequently imported.
What kind of material is utilized to make turbine blades?
Due to their properties such as high strength to weight ratio, tensile strength, extended durability, and low maintenance costs, fiberglass and carbon fiber are commonly employed in the manufacture of wind turbine blades.