Wind and Solar

We have been involved in a number of renewable energy projects including wind and solar systems.

 

Wind turbine Power Generation - Ice Detection System

Cepha Controls developed a control system to detect ice on the blades of a set of wind turbines. The  Wind Turbines had been installed many years ago next to a road. During certain weather conditions sheet ice would accumulate of the blades of the turbine. If the turbine blades were allowed to continue to rotate there was a significant Health and Safety risk of large sheets ice becoming dislodged from the blades and landing on the road.

 

The control system included the serial interface to a number of temperature and humidity sensors and the development of an ice detected alarm. If ice conditions were detected, the turbines would be placed out of service and the blades inhibited from rotating. The system was implemented using the Bristol Babcock Control Wave PLC controllers.

 

Wind Turbine Sequence Of Events Alarm Logging system

High speed Sequence of Events recording and alarm system for a set of 32 Wind Turbines installed near Inverness. The system included the Modbus TCP interface to a number of intelligent instruments, circuit breakers and overloads. The system was implemented using the Bristol Babcock Control Wave Controller and Open Enterprise SCADA package. The system was designed for a 4 mS resolution between the alarms and the control system uses the DNP3 communications protocol for robust and efficient communications between the network of Remote Telemetry Units and the centralised DCS Servers.

 

Solar Panel Manufacturing Process

Developed control systems for the movement of carts holding Solar Power Panels during their manufacture.

 

The panels are first passed through a glue curing system. The operator then loads them onto a cart mounted upon a load transfer trolley. The trolley is then moved to a curing oven and transferred to a chain drive. The cart passes through the curing oven, during this process a vacuum is created in the solar panel. At the end of the curing oven, the cart is transferred to the unload transfer trolley, moved to the unload area and the Solar Panels unloaded. Carts are then returned via a return chain conveyor to the load area.

 

The Carts are equipped with local PLC’s to enable data logging during the oven and vacuum process. The customer has the facility to extract the data logs for storage / interpretation elsewhere.

 

The Solar panels are capable of producing 300°C water under any climate condition thanks to the high vacuum.

 

It is estimated that a single solar panel will generate enough energy for 50% of a standard home’s requirement.

 

The solar panels are connected to a supplementary control system for the generation of electricity.