Slip rings are one of the most overlooked components and devices found in various machines and devices that have a rotary aspect to it.
However, they’re one of the crucial devices that some of the biggest devices such as wind turbines wouldn’t be able to function as efficiently.
They’re very versatile and can fit many different purposes, but in this article, you’ll find out exactly how slip rings help create a green lifestyle and help generate electric energy from renewable sources, the wind – so keep on reading!
Slip ring is a small device that is made to solve the problem of wire winding in machines and devices that have a rotary aspect to it.
Therefore, slip ring attaches to the stationary part of the device and it can transfer signal, power, data, and other types of medium to the rotary part of the device.
All this is done through a small ring that consists of a couple of components only. The main components are a ring and the brushes (or wipers inside the ring). The ring rotates with the help of a rotary part of a machine, and as it rotates, brushes make contact with the inner ring, providing a stable contact that helps with the transfer of the medium.
This way, slip rings can help eliminate wires near the rotary joints, hazard, and downtime of a machine that would occur due to wiring errors.
There are many different types of slip rings and it is such a versatile device that it can be used in so many types of machines, fit so many industries, and yet provide a solution to so many needs.
Wind turbines are just one of many devices and machines slip ring is used for and in this scenario, slip ring is an unavoidable device that’s small and often overlooked, but a very important part of a wind turbine.
A wind turbine includes a couple of slip rings from the top where the blade meets the rotor, all the way to the bottom where the rotor meets the generator that produces electricity.
Slip ring maintains a contact between the blades and the rotor, allowing a transmission of contact between two rotating components while transferring the kinetic energy. From there, rotor transmits the kinetic energy all the way down to the generator.
Right before the generator, another slip ring helps transfer the kinetic energy from the rotor to the generator. After that, the generator’s purpose is to create electric energy, and that’s how the whole wind turbine works.
Slip rings are also used to limit the spinning speed of the blades, preventing them to sping too fast in case of a strong wind as that would damage other components.
Also, slip ring can be used to control the generator’s speed as well by adding resistance into the windings.
Slip ring is a tiny device and yet it is so well designed and crafted that it can simplify system operation in so many devices.
One of the devices is a wind turbine where the weakest links are the joints that connects a rotary part with another rotary part or a rotary part with a stator. Any hazards or errors in those sections would result in a downtime of these machines and devices.
Yet with a slip ring, these problem are eliminated, and in the case of wind turbines, slip rings help maintain a connection from the top of the wind turbine, all the way to the bottom.
Therefore, slip rings are efficiently helping in a way of helping the environment by producing electric energy from a renewable source without having to use any other source other than wind.
With the long lifespan of wind turbines, slip rings, with proper maintenance, can last as long and they are really well built to withstand the needs of certain working conditions.
And even though slip rings don’t produce any benefits to improve our planet, they have an important role in devices that can do that.
With companies such as Moflon, there are all types of slip rings that can fit so many devices and machines such as wind turbines. The most Moflon’s standard slip rings fit industries such as medical industry, aviation, robotics, radars, monitoring equipment, and much more, and on top of that, there are also custom solutions to ensure slip rings fit and provide a solution to any type of a need.
Not only can wind turbines generate electricity from a renewable source, they also get to create green jobs.
By green jobs, we mean on all jobs related to the construction, installation, and maintenance of wind turbines which are all paid from the electricity that’s generated and sold to the consumers.
This way, a sustainable economical circle is maintained with the help of wind turbines, and with an increase in popularity of wind turbines, but also a better efficiency each year – without releasing any emission to pollute the air or water.
Wind turbines don’t even require water for cooling so in theory, they’re a perfect way to generate electricity in a sustainable way, regardless of the manufacturing and installation costs.
Not many people even know what a slip ring is, how it works, and what its purpose is, but they have an important role in some of the best green machines that can provide so many benefits to our planet.
Wind turbines is just one of the devices and yet slip rings are so versatile that they can be found in so many different devices that can also provide benefits to our environment.
With so many different types of slip rings, they fit so many different industries, making an often silent change in the world not many are aware of.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Newspapers, magazines, websites & blogs: run EarthTalk, an environmental Q&A column, for free in your publication...