On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:31 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > What happens with the wind turbines in your area when you get a
> > hurricane/tornado/whatever ?
>
> As mentioned, they have the ability to feather the blades, apply
> brakes and/or locking mechanisms and also the ability to rotate the
> entire thing to a position which either stops the blades or puts a
> different force on them.
>
> However, that's not always successful. A direct hit with a tornado (of
> any size) will likely do significant damage to the blades and/or hubs.
> After a hit, they have to be hand inspected before being returned to
> service. This requires a visual inspection that literally involves
> rapelling down each blade (they rotate them into place) looking for
> cracks. Depending on the damage, they can be fixed with a fiberglass
> repair kit.
>
It is pretty awesome to drive down I-65 through the middle of that farm -
turbines as far as you can see on both sides of the highway. And they seem
to be turning so slowly... until you do the mental math, figure out just
how far the blade tips are actually traveling, and you realize that they
are turning at a good clip. You try not to think about what happens if a
blade happens to shear off while you're driving by...
It's also an optical illusion. With the blades and turbine housings up so
high, they don't look all that huge... until you see a semi with a flatbed
drive by on the way to a new construction site with a blade strapped down
to the flatbed. That's when you realize just how immense those things
really are.
--
Paul Braun
Music Junkie
"Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Harlan Howard
--
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