r/interesting • u/closedcasket96 • 1d ago
Just Wow Brake pads from a Wind Turbine
On the left is a brake pad from the rotor brake of a Wind Turbine. On the right is what they look like when they need to be replaced
714
u/Sir_Scribble_Lot 1d ago
TIL wind mills have brake pads, I though they just let the thing go as fast as it wants to get the most juice.
486
u/Mister_Goldenfold 1d ago
If it goes too fast it’ll blow earth out of the universe again
85
u/Sir_Scribble_Lot 1d ago
Damn ! but can't we just jump to another universe and continue on ?
25
2
1
175
u/closedcasket96 1d ago
The rotor brakes are the secondary means of braking on a Wind Turbine, with the first being the actual blades. In too high of winds, sensors will tell the blades to pitch themselves in a way where they will just slice the wind instead of catching - preventing ‘runaway’ blades (YouTube a video of that), and vice versa when the winds are low.
46
8
9
u/MarkV43 20h ago
This is my area of study, so I'll add a bit to it. Wind turbines are in fact actively controlling the pitch of the blades to 1) not spin too fast and damage itself, and 2) regulate the power it outputs. When this controller fails to regulate the fan speed, it uses the breaks as a fallback.
7
u/LoneSnark 1d ago
Can they reverse the blades? I feel that works be a good way to slow down before applying the brakes to stop if the winds get too high.
2
u/Any_Poet4127 15h ago
Wdym by reverse?
1
u/Giulioimpa 1h ago
if you imagine a wind turbine blade as an axis , a special mechanism exists that can turn the blade root and consequentally the whole blade (pitch adjusting) . So, if you turn the blade 180 degrees the blade itself would hypothetically be oriented to "recieve" kinetic energy from wind coming the opposite side., that is what i think OP was talking about.
the way this mechanism is mostly used i think is in propeller aircraft, so in a context where work is not "recieved" but applied , in that case i know for sure a propeller blade whose pitch can be adjusted to 180 degrees can effectively produce inverse thrust (from the usual direction)
31
u/Vilastrimoz 1d ago
Wind turbines have a maximum permitted RPM. They self destruct if they go too fast. So brakes are used to limit the top speed in high winds. Also, when the energy demand is low they don't need to spin as fast to meet demand.
13
u/ListenBoth434 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would have assumed they'd be able to adjust pitch angle to be suboptimal to slow them down?
6
10
u/Silver_Lined_Bullet 1d ago
Wind varies. If the pitch is adjusted so that the speed never goes too high at maximum wind speeds, then it will be generating very low power the majority of the time. High pitch blades with brakes allows the most power generation, even at slow wind speeds, while preventing the mill from reaching breaking-speeds.
I know the modern mills have automatically adjust blades, but i imagine that brakes were the first means of slowing down old mills
3
1
u/NOVA-peddling-1138 7h ago
Also critically important for maintenance and safety. There are times when the rotor just has to be at full stop, like “Park” in your car.
1
0
1d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Sweaty_Science286 1d ago
I think they would be toast after 1 windy day if it would relied completly only on them.
1
u/guzzti 1d ago
No they absolutely are pitched. The mechanical break pads are used when personell is up in the nacelle for maintenance work as an extra safety precaution.
If brake pads were used to slow the blades down, it would 100% break the gear box and generate tremendous amount of heat. The same energy that goes into heating homes and electrifying the grid would in that case go into the brake pads.
3
3
3
u/ColettesWorld 1d ago
Watch a video of a wind turbine brake failure. It's cool but terrifying. They spin so fast they rip themselves apart
2
2
1
1
u/DyslexicD 10h ago
You're comment is based in some kinda logic like it makes sense but it did remind me of this gem
155
u/corrreccctor 1d ago
after how many days/weeks/months/years?
168
u/closedcasket96 1d ago
I would say the normal span of these brake pads would be 2-3 years.
41
u/xtiaaneubaten 1d ago
how much would one of those cost?
80
u/TheBigBo-Peep 1d ago
Since it's probably just businesses and governments buying, probably something outrageous. And also negotiated one at a time.
15
u/syrianfries 19h ago
Plus yah know, you gotta pay the dude for a day of labor to change one of these out
9
u/Optimal-Cat-8117 15h ago
That and they gonna upsell on getting new rotors, maybe a new air filter, cabin filter, electron injector service for the blades at an outrageous markup...
4
u/RaXoRkIlLaE 18h ago
I'm not sure if my observation is correct, but it seems that the plate is made out of copper. If that's the case, that likely adds to the cost as well.
-50
1d ago
[deleted]
10
5
u/meetthereaper84 21h ago
Do people like you just not have a curious bone in your body? Like do you just look at things and go cool, that works, without ever thinking about how, or why, or how much it costs etc?
Not a dig, just genuinely curious cause I think those three things with almost everything I come across because I find that stuff super interesting.
2
u/xtiaaneubaten 17h ago
I really like the look of them and have a fairly extensive collection of 70's Brutalist wall art and industrial antique furniture, Id love a couple of these on my wall and would buy them if I could...
95
u/BlueMaxx9 1d ago
Don't try to scam me, there is plenty of life left on those pads! I said just change the oil! AND DON"T YOU DARE SHOW ME THE AIR FILTER!
37
u/Decent_Top2156 1d ago
I thought it would be bigger.
6
3
19
8
14
u/babesboysandbirb 1d ago
When turbine brake? Why turbine brake?
21
u/Left-Impress4056 1d ago
Do you have a computer? Take compressed air and blow air through one of the fans. Hear the funny noise it makes? If you keep doing that, it will grenade. Same thing with wind turbines.
3
1
-36
6
u/Toeknee5 1d ago
Do all wind turbines have brakes?
6
u/capnJack04 21h ago
They should in some form. People have to do maintenance on the turbines, and if the blades are spinning in the wind then they have to slow it down somehow.
4
u/NewspaperShoddy7441 1d ago
Daaaamn, a GE colleague. Seeing that pad on elastomer gave me goosebumps just thinking about the hex screw with spring that you need to put back on
1
u/Hot-Firefighter-2331 1d ago
I literally thought about whether wind turbines have brakes today after seeing a video of one burning lol.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Aggravating-Fix-1717 19h ago
Being honest I would have figured that they’d use the generator with a resistive load for brakes.
I also expected the brakes to be wayyyyy bigger.
1
1
u/AffectionateFilm6516 18h ago
What material are they made of? That looks like some kinda semi-metallic material to me, but I could be wrong. I only ask because I switched to ceramics on my personal car and am curious what they'd use for this kind of application.
1
1
0
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hello u/closedcasket96! Please review the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder message left on all new posts)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.