Chains help harness hydro power
A
Rexnord UK product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 18, 2007
Rexnord's triple stranded 48 B-3 and 28 B-3 chains have been used in a hydroelectric water mill on the river Ems in northern Germany.
Harnessing the power of water to generate power is one of the greenest ways of producing electricity.
And the more efficient, simpler and reliable the power transmission package between the motive force and the generator the better.
A privately owned water mill on the river Ems in northern Germany has been adapted by its owner to produce hydropower electricity using its two paddle wheels to drive a generator.
The driving energy of the paddle wheels is transferred to the generator via a chain and sprocket arrangement.
Particular attractions of this design are its high efficiency, easy installation, robustness in short-term overload conditions, and easy maintenance.
Further, this solution was adopted because only 500N were required to start producing electricity (much less than the alternative gear drive considered).
It also offered the advantage of being able to span the large shaft centre distances involved whilst the simple chain/sprocket configuration delivers maximum power (74kW) from the water wheel shafts to the drive chains.
The chain types selected for the two stage drive mechanism are Rexnord's triple stranded 48 B-3 and 28 B-3.
These chain sizes, together with centre distances and number of sprocket teeth, were specified to ensure maximum power transmission plus optimised service life.
Also considered were the clearances between the inner and outer links to ensure effective lubrication penetration to prevent possible fretting corrosion and cold welding.
Rexnord's triple stranded chains were selected in order to distribute drive loads.
This chain type also offers high tensile strength.
Considered in conjunction with the chain's properties were the sprocket dimensions and tooth size and number; the first with regard to wear properties and the latter to minimise the risk of vibration arising from the effect of polygonal action.
Different transmission ratios are employed on the two drive stages.
This is to reduce the impact of centrifugal forces and thereby minimise lubrication requirements.
Ultimately, power is delivered to the generator via a spur gear when input speed reaches 90rev/min.
After more than a year in usage the Rexnord roller chains are not exhibiting any signs of significant wear.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Rexnord UK
Related Stories
- NSK bearings reduce heat-related failure
- Elgoglide bearings support Barcelona bridge
- NSK solves water ingress problem on auger bearings
- Huletts utilises Shell Tellus S 68 on presses
- Seranit switch to Shell Tellus T 46 reduces costs
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (905)
- Machine Building (4,544)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,206)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (201)
- 3D CAD software (1,160)
- FEA and structural analysis software (372)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (919)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (198)
- Materials design and moulding design software (152)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (260)
- Electrical design software (165)
- Publishing and documentation software (230)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (318)
- Data, document management software (312)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (571)
- File conversion software, data capture (352)
- PLM and collaboration software (650)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,381)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (415)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,280)
- Linear Drives and Motors (115)
- Industrial Motors (499)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,069)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,982)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,045)
- Control and Instrumentation (1)
- Plantwide control (1,330)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,179)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (388)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (202)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (563)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (295)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (807)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,497)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (496)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (473)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (631)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (722)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (442)
- Data loggers (423)
- Materials testing equipment (418)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (509)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,228)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,185)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (558)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (685)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (710)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (424)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (804)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (370)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (634)
-
Materials and Processing (2,975)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,224)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (288)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,104)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (563)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (401)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (350)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (437)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (840)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (279)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (278)
-
Powertrain Design (3,628)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (949)
- Chains and belts (328)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,447)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (430)
-
Capital Equipment (3,399)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (512)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,099)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (934)
-
Sensors (7,118)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (431)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (705)
- Pressure sensors (624)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (619)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (528)
- Linear Position Sensors (404)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (551)
- Proximity Sensors (706)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (285)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (154)
- Temperature sensors (613)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,387)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,640)
