STX Windpower B.V.
Is a manufacturer of multi-megawatt gearless wind turbines for electric power generation. STX Windpower B.V. is a member of the STX Group having a diversified interests in the energy field. Thereby allowing STX Windpower B.V. to provide its customers with a profound understanding of the issues that are faced and with the symbiotic knowhow of how best to solve the issues faced.
The company was founded in 2009 on the basis of the direct drive technology concept that was developed and was acquired by STX Heavy Industry in order to create STX Windpower. It has been the philosophy of STX Windpower BV to dedicate its wind engineering intensive staff to the constant evolution of the concept of direct drive permanent magnet wind turbines.
STX Windpower B.V. is at the moment expanding to meet the increasing world demand for sources of renewable energy by concentrating on the areas which it feels it is most effective in value creation given the current wind turbine market value chain. These areas are:
- Design,
- Sales,
- Manufacturing (key) components in collaboration with other expertise in the field,
- Assembly,
- After sales.
At the heart of the company is the driving force of being able to change the way we produce energy to provide a better future for the next generation.
The design philosophy of STX Windpower B.V.
The concept of the STX Windpower designed turbine is a permanent magnet direct drive wind turbine with only a few moving parts, designed for a maintenance interval of once a year. This pitch-regulated three-bladed up- wind turbine operates at variable speed. Major advantages of the permanent magnet design are the low generator mass and the excellent partial load efficiency. Elimination of the gearbox in the drive train takes away an important potential source of system failure.
The generated power with variable frequency is fed into the grid via an advanced AC-DC-AC converter system that meets the latest power quality standards. The power factor of the inverter is fully adjustable for active grid support. The system is also resistant to brief grid power dips (< 200 ms). This allows utilities to optimize and sometimes even expand wind power generation capacity when utilising the wind turbines in existing grids.
The generator is fully integrated into the structural design of the turbine. This has resulted in a very compact nacelle layout. The drive train comprises one single main bearing only. The bearing and generator support structure, together with the absence of a main shaft facilitates easy access to the hub internals where the blade pitch mechanism is housed. The nacelle itself is virtually airtight and in addition put under permanent overpressure with filtered or desalinated air, depending on the site conditions. This measure prevents saline air particles from entering the generator internals and blade pitch system. The main bearing, yaw bearing and blade bearings comprise PLC controlled lubrication systems.
The liquid cooled converter is placed at the tower base together with the cooling system, transformer and high voltage switch.
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