Seals in the world's largest wind turbine
Did you know that the giant blades of the world's largest wind turbine can cover an area of more than 43,000 square meters when they turn just one revolution - the equivalent of the entire Copenhagen Opera House!
The offshore wind turbine, nicknamed "Blue Marlin", is 280 meters tall (that's taller than the pylons of the Great Belt Bridge!) and is produced by Vestas. But at Betech, we've also had a hand in it. We help to seal the elements of the turbine to extend the lifetime of the entire structure.
- Wind energy
Rubber profiles increase mill lifetime
The nacelle - the machine house of the V236-15.0 MW - is built in a modular way with modular boxes that can, for example, hold equipment and spare parts for maintenance work at vindmøllen. An innovative layout that can be adapted to the customer's conditions, making the operation of remote offshore wind turbines easier and more efficient.
We supply hatch seals and extruded edge profiles in EPDM rubber, which is known to be ozone and weather resistant. This is very much needed in the harsh marine environment in which the turbine operates. High winds, humidity and salt increase the risk of water ingress and erosion, which the rubber profiles protect against.
In this way, our product solutions contribute to the reliable operation and longevity of wind turbines. We have developed and supplied sealing profiles, bushings, O-rings, elastomer dampers and much more to Vestas since the development of commercial energy wind turbines began more than 30 years ago.
V236 Expected to become an attraction
With a wingspan of 236 meters, a single Blue Marlin turbine can produce up to 80 GWh of electricity per year. This corresponds to the electricity consumption of approximately 18,000 households.
When the wind turbines are completed off the coast of Thyborøn, they are expected to become an attraction for locals and tourists. And even though we know that very few people will come to admire our hatch seals and edge profiles, we are proud to be a part of this huge project.
Extruded and machined edge profile for the modular boxes on the V236 turbine from Vestas.
Land transportation of a Blue Marlin nacelle, Vestas V236-15.0 MW (photo here and top: Vestas A/S)
Also solutions for system manufacturers
In addition to Vestas, we also supply system suppliers in the wind energy industry. For example, we have developed a smart rubber gasket for a tank cap that both seals and collects waste oil. But that's a whole other story, which you can read more about here.
Multifunctional gasket for hydraulic systems in wind turbines.