New Cable Requirements for Large Wind Turbines

Wiring changes are looming for wind turbines.

The electrical systems on large wind turbines will soon be subject to a new standard, UL 6141, which could result in drastic changes to cabling practices. The standard applies to both new and refurbished wind turbines that generate more than 500 kilowatts of power. 

While UL 6141 has not yet been finalized, it proposes strict limits on the use of appliance-wiring material (AWM) within and between key generator subsystems.

The limits spring from a requirement that all accessible wiring must be either enclosed in a raceway or rated for tray cable usage. Since only UL listed cable offer the tray rating, AWM will no longer make the grade in many turbine wiring applications.

Here’s a breakdown of how the new standard will likely affect the different wind turbine subsystems:

Gearbox. There is no UL component standard specifically for gearboxes, so UL 6141 will apply to the wiring for gearbox components such as heaters and PT 100 temperature sensors.

Generators. The existing UL component standard for generators permits AWM cables under limited circumstances. To use AWM in generator wiring, there must be a ready-to-connect cable with connector. The generator must also be fitted with a grounding cable within the generator itself.  Since neither option is common with wind turbine generator manufacturers today, UL listed cable products will likely be the safest design strategy once UL 6141 comes to pass.

Tower. Since there is no UL component standard for the tower, UL 6141 applies. The proposed standard clearly calls for listed products for cables that run vertically up the tower—including those for power, control signals, lighting and hoists.

Drip Loop. Raceways are not commonly used in drip loops.  Assume that listed cable products will have to be used in this application.

To learn more about all the changes UL 6141 will bring, download our technical update.

CAT.6A Cables For Continuous Flex and Torsion Applications

CAT.6A Cables For Continuous Flex and Torsion Applications

 

CAT.6A cables already provide fast data transmission rates in industrial Ethernet systems. Yet these cables could not withstand the continuous flex or torsion requirements associated with moving machine applications. Our new ETHERLINE® CAT.6A cables remove this limitation.

In an industry first, the new ETHERLINE cables combine CAT.6A’s 10 Gbit/sec data transfer rates withcontinuous flex and torsion performance suitable for robotics, machine vision systems, wind turbines and other industrial machines with motion systems. 

 

Previous continuous flex industrial Ethernet cables offered a maximum data transfer rate of 1 Gbit/sec.To raise the bar on CAT6.A continuous flex performance, our engineers had to solve a tricky shielding challenge. CAT6.A cables operate at frequencies as high as 500 MHz, which predisposes them to electromagnetic noise and interference (EMI). A conventional shielding system capable of warding off EMI at these high frequencies would have made the cables too stiff for continuous flex or torsion applications. 

 

So our engineers created an entirely new shielding system that strikes a balance between EMI

protection, flexibility and the mechanical strength to withstand the high strains associated with continuous flex or torsion. This new shielding employs a proprietary wrapping process that wraps aluminum compound foil around individual twisted pairs at an angle optimized for shielding performance. 

 

In addition, the cable has a copper braid reinforced with a foil-laminated fleece.This high-quality screening, the first of its kind,ensures extremely reliable data transfer. 

 

ETHERLINE CAT.6A comes in two different versions, one optimized for continuous flex and the other for torsion. The continuous flex version is suitable for use in cable tracks and has been tested for morethan one million bending cycles.Available with either PVC or PUR jackets, both versions of the ETHERLINE CAT.6A offer: 

 

• Compliance to the PROFINET standard.
• Resistance to UV and flame.
• Performance in damp or dry operating environments.

 

New RJ45 and M12 x-coded connectors designed specially for ETHERLINE CAT6.A cables are also

available. 

 

 

 

For more information on ETHERLINE CAT.6A FD and torsion cables, visit www.lappusa.com/ethernetCAT