Combining Turbine Outputs? [RE-wrenches]

[Matt Tritt]

Exactly. I would go so far as to suggest step-up transformers at each
turbine feeding a final transformer (and switch gear) with line voltage
output. As you know, this installation might attract some pretty
heavy-duty opposition and microscopic scrutiny by utility interconnect
staff. When you have the possibility of wildly varying outputs from
several sources you really get their attention. 

Hire a good engineer, maybe an ex-utility employee, if you want the
project to go.

Matt T

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard L Ratico [mailto:Richard.L.Ratico at VALLEY.NET] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 6:07 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Re: Combining Turbine Outputs? [RE-wrenches]


Dave,

I agree with Matt and would add the following:

In my experience if you are moving 200 amps at 480 Volts some 700 feet
you may need at least 2 parallel runs per turbine, 6 or more total.

I'm assuming you'll be going underground, in conduit. Taking amperage
and 5% voltage drop into consideration, you are talking some big wire
here, perhaps 700kcmil copper, using one run per turbine, or parallel
runs of 4/0 per turbine . Pulling conductors this size, that distance,
resembles real work. Combining the output of three turbines, in one run,
seems impractical. I've only worked with 500 kcmil copper max. Wrestling
Tom Lane's gators might be easier. In any case, it is often more
economical to use parallel runs because the ampacity of conductors does
not increase linearly with conductor size. 

It might be most economical to use a transformer/s and boost the output
to grid voltage at the turbines. Perhaps this is what you had in mind.

Hope this helps.

Dick Ratico
Solarwind Electric 

--- You wrote:

I'm working on the design of a 3 wind turbine project.  Each turbine is 
65kW at 480V, 3-phase, 200 Amps max.  The machines will be located about

700 feet from the point of interconnection (POI) and rather than bring 3

sets of parallel cables back to the POI, I'm thinking that it would be
more 
economical to combine their outputs in the field and run a single set of

cables back to the POI.

Does anyone have a suggestion on what type of equipment is available to 
establish a code-compliant 3 into 1 combiner bus? I'm imagining some
kind 
of pad-mounted NEMA enclosure, but quite frankly, this is bigger than 
anything I've ever done and I'm quite clueless about the options.
--- end of quote ---

- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/

List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com

- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/

List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
--^----------------------------------------------------------------
This email was sent to: michael.welch at homepower.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Qcs.bz9JC9.bWljaGFl
Or send an email to: RE-wrenches-unsubscribe at topica.com

TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html
--^----------------------------------------------------------------