Wind Turbines, Global

Industrial

Wind turbines, used to generate renewable energy, are now being protected by Apollo’s next generation Soteria range of detectors.

This project was from one of the biggest wind turbine manufacturers in the world. They have 29,000 employees dedicated to the design, manufacture, and servicing of wind energy projects, totalling 169 GW of installed capacity.

The Challenge 

At the heart of each Wind Turbine is the nacelle (plant room) an incredibly dirty environment. A variety of materials contaminate the area: desert sand, pollen, and even oil mist thrown up by the turbine machinery. This can cause detectors in this environment to go into fault, sometimes just months after installation. This leads to the turbine being shut down, and engineers having to be sent to replace the detectors, often in some very difficult locations. This project needed: 

  • A robust detector with excellent dust protection 
  • A reliable solution that would last longer than just a few months 
  • A familiar technology for ease of installation 

The Solution 

Apollo’s latest Soteria Multisensor technology was chosen for this project. They were encouraged by results in the lab, that showed Soteria detectors lasted 14 times longer in dusty environments than the previous generation of detector. 

The initial trials were a success, leading to the installation of almost three hundred devices between multiple wind farms. All running with no faults and minimal drift compensation. 

The company have now initiated the process of switching their turbine production to use the new Soteria detectors, as well as reconfiguring their maintenance service so that when maintainers order a replacement device, they always get a Soteria.  

Improving sustainability is a main focus at Apollo. We've been able to provide not only a superior product that is better at protecting these wind turbines, but also a product that results in less waste. Which is a perfect combination when designing new detectors.

Dr Phil Watson Head of Research, Apollo

Products used in this case study

Der Soteria Wärmemelder verfügt über zwei längs angeordnete Wärmesensoren, die für eine genaue Wärmeerkennung in allen Richtungen sorgen.

Der optische SOTERIA® Rauchmelder verwendet die neue optische Sensortechnologie PureLight®, um Rauchpartikel in der Melderkammer zu detektieren. PureLight® ist Apollos neue optische Sensortechnologie zur besseren Falschalarmreduzierung und zur sicheren Detektion von echten Bränden.

Der Soteria Mehrfachsensormelder O/T verwendet die neue optische Sensortechnologie PureLight®, um in die Kammer dringende Rauchpartikel zu erkennen und ist mit zwei Thermistoren zur Wärmeerkennung ausgestattet. Er kann so konfiguriert werden, dass er entweder Rauch oder Wärme oder eine Kombination aus beidem erkennt, was eine höhere Flexibilität bietet.