Supporting Winds Power

After a record breaking year of new capacity, the U.S. wind energy industry is poised to capitalize on future growth.
Shannon Kruse, Associate Editor

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r ive dow n a Riding Out stretch of highThese cast pieces (rotor hubs and bedplates) the Market way in Iowa past Worldwide, wind range from 20,000 to 30,000 lbs. and can be power generation acres of cornfields or through the open has tripled over the as large as 15 ft. in diameter. In the next few last five years, with ranchlands of Texas past miles of cattle most of the capacity years the trend will shift to larger pieces, and you might find concentrated in Euyourself in the middle rope. The European which are already on the drawing board. of one of the newest market already has types of farms in the reached the 2010 Joe Simko, president, Hodge Foundry U.S.the wind farm. target set by the EuA far cry from the ropean Commission who do, wind energys shining future is a wooden windmills that have peppered the of 40,000 MW installed capacity, while the breath of fresh air. rural landscape of Europe for centuries, U.S. currently has 9,149 MW. We have wind casting orders of just modern wind turbines are finding a place In Europe, they have set very aggressive one part for one customer to long-term of their own among farms all over the targets for renewable energy, said Ross commitments from other customers, said world, as well as in the oceans and deserts. Bushman, president and COO of Cast-Fab David Neil, president of ATI Casting SerWind energy is not as established in North Technologies Inc., Cincinnati, an iron castvice, (an Allegheny Technologies company) America as it is in Europe, but the U.S. wind ing supplier to the wind energy market. LaPorte, Ind. But, when youre talking industry is in the throes of a record-breakThe largest constraint to the U.S. wind about a 36,000-lb. [16,329 kg] casting, even ing growth spurt due to rising gas prices market has been political. The success of an order of 10 is a big deal. and more supportive legislative policies. the wind industry in the U.S. has depended Commercial wind turbines, which are greatly on the government-issued producconstructed over acres of land in tion tax credit (PTC), which prowind farms, consist of several Table 1. Top Ten Nations That Added New Wind Power Capacity vides a 1.9 cent per kWh credit for structurally and operationally in- in 2005 electricity produced commercially tegral metal castings that support from a wind energy facility during Country New capacity (MW) % of Global Growth these power-generating skyscrapthe first 10 years of its production. U.S. 2,431 20.7 ers. Depending on their size, The PTC was enacted in 1992 but Germany 1,808 15.4 todays commercial wind turbines must be renewed on a yearly basis. Spain 1,764 15.0 typically generate between 700 Three times in the last seven years, India 1,430 12.2 kWh and 2.5 MW of electricity a the PTC has been left to expire, and year. Currently, wind farms supply when the PTC expired, contracts Portugal 500 4.2 less than 1% of the nations elecwere put on hold and investments China 498 4.2 tricity, but by 2020, wind energy trickled to a halt. In 2001 and 2003, Italy 452 3.8 technology could provide 6% of new installations were near 2,000 U.K. 446 3.8 the electricitya share similar to MW, but because of expirations France 367 3.1 hydropower (electricity produced of the PTC, they dipped down Australia 328 2.8 by water) today. to less than 500 MW in 2002 and Between 2004 and 2005, 2,431 2004 (Fig. 1). Total top 10 10,024 85.2 MW of new wind energy was European countries have made Rest of the world 1,745 14.8 installeda 35% increase in caa strong, long-term commitment World total 11,769 100 pacity that accounts for the most to alternative power, Neil said. growth in the world (TaBecause there has been no ble 1). Recent legislative long-term commitment here, decisions have signaled a there are few manufacturing more serious and comcompanies in the U.S. mitted approach to the However, a few recent development of wind legislative actions have indienergy as well, lending cated a growing commitment some stability to what to wind energy. Congress rehas been a boom-andcently extended the PTC to bust market. the end of 2007, providing Wind energy could a three-year window of stamean big business for bility. Additionally, high oil some U.S. metalcasters. prices led to U.S. President Wind turbines, which George W. Bushs Advanced are growing in size every Energy Initiative, which year, require large casthe announced during his ings that weigh up to State of the Union Address 50,000 lbs. (22,680 kg). on Jan. 31. The initiative Few metalcasting fapromises $44 million of the cilities can pour castings 2007 budget to go to wind that size, but for those Fig. 1. Shown is the annual installed capacity of wind energy in the U.S. energy research, a $5 million

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increase over fiscal year 2006 levels. With the extension of the PTC, the U.S. wind energy market is expected to have another record-breaking year in 2006, rather than the slow year that usually follows boom years. Wind turbine manufacturers are continuing to ramp up new projects and establish more contracts with their suppliers. Installations in 2006 are expected to top 3,000 MW compared to the nearly 2,500 MW installed in 2005. Although commercial wind turbines vary in energy capacity, 3,000 MW of electricity would mean 1,200 new 2.5 MW turbines (or 2,000 1.5 MW turbines). Thanks to Congress extending the wind energy production credit before it expired for the first time in the credits history, companies can now plan for growth, create jobs and provide more clean power to customers nationwide, said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).We are finally beginning to tap into wind energys enormous potential.

Shown is the geographic distribution of installed wind energy capacity in the U.S. as of Dec. 31, 2004.

Supplying a Booming Industry

A member of AWEA, ATI Casting Service has been involved in the wind industry

for 15 years and produces cast ductile iron hubs, base plates, gearboxes and bearing housings for wind turbines. More than 20% of ATI Casting Services production consists of wind castings, and Neil sees continued growth for the wind market

beyond just the next few years. We see wind as a growth market for two reasonsthe price of fuel is never going to go up because wind is free. And, unlike most other sources of electric generation, there is no need for water, Neil said. Water is a shrinking resource, which makes wind practical. You can put a wind turbine out in the desert or the ocean. Its status as clean energy will give the wind market staying power, predicts Bushman. Access to cheaper, clean energy is something people all over the world want, he said. Wind energy is not using natural resources its really just capturing the wind. But U.S. late start in the wind industry means few manufacturing companies are located in the States. The negative about the wind industry is that other than a few American wind companies, most wind energy companies manufacture their turbines in Europe, where wind energy is more established, Neil said. If we have a longer commitment to production tax credits, I believe the companies currently manufacturing in Europe would locate their

Depending on the size of the turbine, each wind mill consists of between 10 and 20 tons of ductile
Rotor hubs for commercial wind mills are easily large enough for an adult man to walk through and can weigh as much as 36,000 lbs. These castings are the hubs for the wind mills long blades, which are made of fiber-glass reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy.

iron castings.
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EnginEErEd Casting solutions

manufacturing plants in the U.S. It would cut shipping costs, and the time to market would shrink. Clipper Windpower Inc., Carpinteria, Calif., is one American wind energy company that manufactures its turbines in the U.S. Clipper started up in 2005 with the production of five prototype wind turbines, but plans are in the works to build 151 2.5 MW turbines in 2006 and more than 250 turbines in 2007. This would mean an additional 1,000 MW of installed capacity for the U.S. This also means thousands of tons of ductile iron castings to construct the turbines.

Fig. 2. This graph depicts ductile iron casting weight vs. wind mill size. Four and a half MW turbines can consist of between 35 and 50 tons of ductile iron castings.

Depending on the size of the turbine, each wind mill consists of between 10 and 25 tons of ductile iron castings ranging in size from less than 200 lbs. to 50,000 lbs. (9122,680 kg) (Fig. 2). Its a staggering numberonly a few metalcasting facilities have the capability to pour such large components. Hodge Foundry,Greenville, Pa., is one of a handful of North American metalcasting facilities that handles these monstrous castings. We produce the center hubs and bed plate (or main frames), which attaches to the tower and supports the working generation components of the turbine, said Joe Simko, president. These

Wind power is attractive because it to rotational motion by the rotor, which is a form of renewable energy that is reis usually a three-bladed assembly at the plenished daily by the sun. Because only front of the turbine (Fig. A). The rotor a tiny fraction of the potential energy from turns a shaft, which transfers the motion wind currently is captured by the U.S., into the large housing at the top of the the wind industry is expected to have tower, often called the nacelle. several years of growth ahead. But cast Inside the nacelle, the slowly rotatcomponents used in wind turbines must ing shaft enters a gearbox that greatly meet some strict guidelines because of increases the rotational shaft speed. their unique design and operation. The high-speed shaft is connected to a Wind power is created by the rush generator that converts the rotational of air filling low-pressure areas caused movement into electricity at medium by the warmth of the sun. The power in voltage (a few hundred volts). The electhe wind is stronger at higher elevations. tricity flows down thick electric cables Wind can be five times stronger at the inside the tower to a transformer, which top of a 40-story building than the breeze increases the voltage of the electric rustling the leaves on the ground. So, the power to the distribution voltage (a few Fig. A. Shown is a configuration of a horizontal trend has been to make wind turbines axis wind turbine, which is the most common type thousand volts). bigger and taller to capture the largest of commercial wind turbine. The distribution voltage power flows amount of wind power through underground possible. lines to a collecLarge, utility-scale tion point where the turbines can have power may be comblades more than 130 bined with that of ft. (40 m) long with a other turbines. diameter of more than Utility-scale turbines 260 ft. (79 m) The turthat produce 1.8 MW bines are mounted on of power, can supply towers that can be 260 enough electricity for ft. (79 m) tallnearly 600 homes and cost the length of a football over $1.5 million. But field. Currently, wind power generation is turbines with 188-ft. constantly growing as Table A. Wind Turbine Sizes Over the Years (57 m) blades are newer, bigger turbines 1985 1990 1996 1999 2000 2005 being tested. These are developed and turbines stand nearly produced. The newest Rotor diameter (ft.) 56 88 131 164 233 377 400-ft. (122 m) tall. turbines can generate Rating (kW) 100 225 550 750 1,650 5,000 Kinetic energy in up to 5 MW of power Annual MWh 220 550 1,480 2,200 5,600 17,000 the wind is converted (Table A). ECS

Collecting Energy is a Breeze

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Ductile iron castings found in a wind mill turbine such as the one shown above include the rotor hub, main shaft, machine base frame, gears and yaw motor. The locations of these castings are shown in the diagram below.

cast pieces range from 20,000 to 30,000 lbs. [9,072-13,608 kg] and can be as large as 15 ft. [4.6 m] in diameter. In the next few years the trend will shift to larger pieces, which are already on the drawing board. Metalcasting facilities are working hard to free up capacity and expand the capabilities for the large castings. In the meantime, U.S. wind turbine manufacturers shop around the world for casting suppliers. We buy castings from all over the world, said Fred Chase, of Clipper Windpower. We buy as many as we can in the U.S., but there are so few metalcasters that can make these large castings, and right now, the metalcasters we buy from are at capacity. Chase said that in some instances, manufacturers are forced to forego purchasing a cast component because theres no one to supply it. The support base (of the wind turbine) is better as a casting, he said. But some manufacturers will use a welded support base because there are not enough metalcasters with the ability to cast a piece this size. And, because of the historical boombust market of the U.S. wind industry, when the PTC is in effect, as it is now, wind companies rush to production, placing orders for as many castings as they can from as many casting facilities they need. When there is a PTC, there is a good level of business from wind energy companies ordering castings, Neil said. Bushman sees a global trend of formal capacity commitments while the financial picture is strong. Theres such an interest worldwide in wind energy, he said. As the world economy gets stronger, companies are trying to secure metalcasting capacity all over to ensure theyll get their orders filled in the coming year.

Standing Strong Against the Wind

Commercial wind energy capacity can range from 1 MW to 5 MW of power per turbine, and the turbines stand between 120-380 ft. (37-116 m) tall. Several castings are used in the construction of wind turbines, both as structural pieces and as part of the machine work (Table 2). The largest castings, such as the rotor hub, machine frame and baseplate, serve as the support system for the wind turbines long, tall, tower, gigantic rotor blades and machinery and gears. Most of these large castings are ductile iron, which exhibits the highest strength of the cast irons as well as good wear resistance and fatigue strength. In addition, ferritic ductile iron holds adequate mechanical properties while offering

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Table 2. Weight Ranges for Ductile Iron Castings Used in Wind Power Turbines

Castings Rotor hub Blade adopter-three pieces Frame-the machine body Frame-the foundation Bearing house two pieces Shaft Gears Jaw ring Brake disc

Weight range (tons) 4-25 <0.1 6-19 4-12 0.1 1 0.1 0.1 <0.1

Typical weight for 1 MW wind turbine (tons) 4.5 0.1 -5.0 0.2 --0.2 -10.0

Total typical weight for 1 MW wind turbine

superiority over steel in machinability, castability, low temperature toughness and exibility. We certainly can control the quality we want as well, Chase said. And it is more reasonably priced than cast steel. Cast-Fab Technologies produces castings for several di erent turbine companies, but most of the castings ultimately end up on either a 1.5 MW or 2.5 MW turbine. e castings, which include bearing housings, input housings, midplate casings and gearbox castings, range in size from less than 100 lbs. (45 kg) to more than 30,000 lbs. (13,608 kg). Orders for 2006 are up signi cantly from 2005, with all of Cast-Fabs manufacturing customers predicting solid to aggressive growth. In 2005, 15% of our casting sales were related to wind energy. In 2006, that percentage is forecast to jump to more than 25%, Bushman said. Our long range plans are to continue to increase that market segment. e majority of Cast-Fabs wind parts are made out of some of the more challenging ductile iron grades, such as the EN speci cation 1563. Many of the castings used for wind turbines, such as the 3,000-lb. (1,361-kg) bearing housing, are located far o the ground and susceptible to high-powered winds. is ferritic grade of ductile iron features the properties necessary to withstand the force of the wind without failure. Ductile iron has ideal physical properties for this application, Neil said. It is known for its good tensile, elongation and yield properties, but a fourth property is what makes it so attractive for wind applications. at fourth property is its high impact strength at low temperatures. is physical property is measured via a Charpy V-notch impact test. Achieving the proper properties for application in the wind industry is dif cult,
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Shown is a nacelle frame for a commercial wind turbine. The nacelle of the turbine includes the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller, and brake.

however, and requires a balance among chemistry, microstructure and mechanical properties. e castings must achieve high impact strength at low temperatures, so the metal must be modi ed to achieve lower silicon and phosphorous levels. e alloy also must have high nodularity without a high nodule count, so great care is taken during inoculation to achieve the optimal nodularity. Critical components in wind applications are required to have an average minimum Charpy V-notch impact resistance of 10 Joules at -20C in addition to achieving a minimum of 12% elongation, as required by the material speci cation DIN EN 1563, ENGIS-400-18U-LT. Wind turbine manufacturers, such as GE Energythe countrys leading wind energy company, prefer these properties to be met as-cast in the critical castings, and the components must pass rigid ultrasonic, magnetic and penetrant inspections. Taking trepan specimans from bolthole locations on the rotor hub is also routine. If the hubs show any evidence of a degenerated graphite structure beyond what

3040 Forrer Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 Phone: 513-758-1000 Fax: 513-758-1002 www.cast-fab.com

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is allowed, the hub is rejected, said Greg Bouse, engineer for materials and processes engineering of sand castings for GE Energy. So we have checks in place from the test coupon and the component itself.

Accommodating Wind
As the U.S. wind industry continues to grow and more American manufacturers look for local suppliers, U.S. metalcasting rms like Hodge, ATI Casting Service and Cast Fab are nding ways to accommodate this growing market. Mission critical wind castings are a key component in our power generation market, Simko said. Hodge Foundry is in the midst of a $2 million upgrade which positions us well to handle the size and weight required in the future. Cast Fab is in the process of expending signi cant capital throughout the facility, all with the thought in mind of improving speed and process. e rms lean manufacturing e orts already have sparked some rearranging of parts ow to nd more ways to gain ef ciency. Were interested in this market, of

This wind turbine gear box weighs more than 8,000 lbs.

its capacity to produce large castings. is expansion, to be completed this spring, includes the installation of new molding pits, a larger building and a new coreroom. e company also invested in tools to ensure the quality of these wind castings. is metal is very demanding, so it is required that we invest in the laboratory equipment to make sure we meet our quality targets, Neil said. Casting Service has its own Charpy testing facilities on site along with an image analyzer for the microstructure of the metal, and a new spectrometer has been ordered. ese investments are substantial, but with them these facilities can catch the wind markets strengthening current. Wind is certainly going to have a bright future, Chase said. Not just as an alternative energy source, but as a real commercial source of energy. ECS
For More Information
Factors Affecting Ductile Irons Impact, Tensile Strength, D.E. Kippola and G.M. Goodrich, MODERN CASTING, April 2001, p. 42-44.

course, Bushman said. So were working to be more ef cient and make room for increased wind energy sales. ATI Casting Service recently expanded

3040 Forrer Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 Phone: 513-758-1000 Fax: 513-758-1002 www.cast-fab.com
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