WIND TURBINES

NEED PROTECTING
AGAINST THE EFFECTS
OF HUMIDITY

COTES.COM
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  3

TOUGH CONDITIONS
BIG CHALLENGES
At wind speeds
of 12 metres/second,
any 1 square centimetre
gap or opening
in the nacelle results
in approx. 6 cubic metres
of moisture-laden air
entering the nacelle
every hour — right
round the clock.

Operating in challenging conditions This combination of high levels of humidity and airborne
Glitch-free operation is crucial for the basic operating contaminants:
economics of any wind turbine, as well as for its service – Encourages and accelerates corrosion
life, availability factor and the overall ROI. – Increases the formation of condensation — which
under certain conditions can freeze to ice
But all wind turbines have to operate under challenging – Supports the growth of mould, biofilms and a wide
weather conditions. Furthermore, each turbine is range of microbial contamination
more-or-less constantly enshrouded in air that contains – Helps cause electrical malfunctions, such as short
a potentially corrosive cocktail of moisture and airborne circuits when powering up the turbine after a
contaminants of all kinds. downtime period or during commissioning.
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  5

WHY IS HUMIDITY MANAGEMENT

SO IMPORTANT IN WIND TURBINES?

—  Humidity is a major contributor to corrosion

—  Humidity increases the likelihood of condensation
—  Humidity affects key electronics and can cause service interruptions
   as well as major breakdowns
—  Humidity reduces the service life of individual components and the
   whole structure
—  Humidity reduces uptime, availability and output

BIG-TIME BENEFITS

There are big benefits to be gained, enabling you to provide

wind turbines that feature
—  Better uptime statistics and increased availability
—  Better control of conditions and operating parameters throughout
   the nacelle and tower
—  Lower ISO 9223 corrosion classifications, reducing costs of
   equipment, fittings and materials
—  Condensation-free surroundings, reducing costs for surface coatings
—  Faster, glitch-free commissioning
—  Full protection during idle and power-down periods
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  7

CHALLENGES
IF NOTHING
IS DONE
All nacelles have openings/cracks/holes/vents to the This will create a variety of problems such as:
outside where air enters. At fairly common wind speeds —  Mould/films on inside surfaces
of 12 metres/second, approximately 6 cubic metres — Condensation
of air enter the nacelle every hour through any hole only — Corrosion
1 square centimetre in size. —  Electrical glitches

With up to 50 square centimetres of cracks/holes

throughout the nacelle, 300 cubic metres of air enter the
nacelle every hour. This air will often be very humid as
well as being saturated with particles of corrosive salts.

IF NOTHING IS DONE

Moisture + salt outside

= moisture + salt inside

BIG PROBLEMS
BIG IMPACTS
Condensation and corrosion Knock-on effects
The two major humidity-related problems for onshore wind These conditions result in serious operating problems that
turbines are condensation and corrosion. can in turn have big effects on the industry reputation and
profit margins of any wind turbine manufacturer, and on the
When moisture-laden air comes into contact with cold profitability of any wind farm or wind turbine operator.
surfaces and structures, the moisture will often condense
as water, and pool on surfaces, structures and equipment. —  Deterioration/damage to both structures and equipment
—  Glitches and breakdowns in mechanical systems,
Any such condensed moisture accumulates and causes    electrical equipment and electronics
corrosion and a wide range of problems that affect operating —  Revenue-denting service interruptions and reduced
efficiency and undermine the profitability of wind turbine   availability
operations. Any such corrosion is worsened and accelerated —  Higher maintenance/service costs
by airborne contaminants, particles and salts. —  Reduced service life for each wind turbine
—  Unsafe working environment inside the nacelle and tower
—  Unreliable revenue forecasts and ROI calculations.

These kinds of problems don’t only arise during day-to-day

wind turbine operations. Condensation and corrosion are
also major problems during storage, transport, erection and
commissioning.
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  9

SOLUTIONS

WIND PRESSURE MOISTURE AWAY WIND PRESSURE OVERPRESSURE

Air containing moisture Ambient air is dried to Air/sea air containing moisture Creating a higher pressure prevents
and salt particles 2 predefined specifications. and salt particles 2 both moisture and salts from
Humid regeneration air entering the nacelle and tower

1 is then vented away

1

COTES OVERPRESSURE
COTES STANDARD

3 3
DRY AIR ZONE DRY AIR ZONE

Air inside the nacelle All the air inside the nacelle
and tower is kept dry and tower is kept dry
and corrosion-free and corrosion-free

COTES WIND COTES WIND

DEHUMIDIFIER OVERPRESSURE
DEHUMIDIFIER

COTES WIND COTES WIND

STANDARD OVERPRESSURE
This is the standard Cotes adsorption dehumidifier unit This type of unit is ideal for any wind turbine design This is a patented Cotes adsorption dehumidifier unit This type of unit is ideal for any wind turbine design
unit, designed primarily for onshore wind turbines, to where: specially designed to effectively prevent both airborne where:
deal with airborne moisture once it has entered the —  There are big openings or vents moisture and salts from even entering the nacelle —  Preventing corrosion is particularly important,  for
nacelle or tower. —  It is particularly important to prevent corrosion or tower of wind turbines, both onshore and offshore.    example in near-coastal areas
   and condensation during storage, transport, —  There are only limited numbers of openings or vents
Cotes Wind Standard units enable you to keep humidity    erection and commissioning —  It is particularly important to manage the working
under control by making sure that the air entering the    environment inside the nacelle or tower
nacelle or tower continually gets mixed with drier air. —  There is a strong focus on protecting key equipment
This reduces the relative humidity present and therefore    inside the nacelle or tower.
cuts back on any risk of the kinds of humidity-related And for larger wind turbine units where protecting the
problems listed previously. investment is of particular importance.
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  11

EASY TO MOUNT
— EASY TO INSTALL
Cotes humidity management solutions for wind turbines are easy,
practical and inexpensive to install and use.

COTES WIND COTES WIND

STANDARD OVERPRESSURE

Small footprint Cotes Wind Standard units are normally installed with Limited footprint Easy to install
These small, lightweight dehumidifiers only have a tiny one unit in the nacelle and one in the tower, placed These high-performance dehumidifiers are designed The only special fittings required to install Cotes Wind
footprint, making it easy to mount them just about wherever is most practical for each manufacturer or so that they don’t take up too much space — that’s why Overpressure units are:
anywhere without taking up precious space needed operator. they are designed higher rather than wider. A space of —  Ducting system to lead dry air from bottom of tower
for other equipment. approx. 80 x 60 x 130 cm is normally required.    to nacelle
Inexpensive to run —  Two vents in the tower door
Easy to install The combination of sensor control and energy-efficient A single unit (normally weighing approx. 130 kg) is
Cotes Wind Standard units are small, unobtrusive design means energy consumption is only minimal. The normally mounted in the base of the tower.
and light in weight (approx. 13–35 kg, depending on dehumidifier only runs when needed.
capacity), and only require
—  Two vents in the tower door
—  Mounting on a wall bracket or the floor
—  One single industry-standard humidity sensor
   mounted somewhere in the tower and/or nacelle
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  13

HOW ADSORPTION CONTROLLING HUMIDITY

DEHUMIDIFICATION ELIMINATES PROBLEMS
WORKS Keeping relative humidity below 50% is normally considered sufficient
to eliminate all humidity-related problems

1 REGENERATION AIR FLOW

Heated air is used to dry the rotor.
The moisture-laden air is then vented away,
leaving the rotor dry and ready for duty.
WATER g/kg
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

RELATIVE HUMIDITY %
5% 10% 15% 20%
50° 30%

45°
40%

40° 50%
2 PROCESS AIR FLOW SELF-SUSTAINING PROCESS
The rotor removes moisture from the ambient air The process is self-sustaining.

TEMPERATURE
60%
so that it meets predefined humidity specifications. Very little inspection or maintenance is needed. 35°
HUMIDITY 70%

80%
30°
90%
100%
TWO FLOWS OF AIR 25°

The effect of Cotes adsorption dehumidifiers basically 2. Regenerating the rotor with warmer air
stems from the action of two flows of air. The second air flow (the regeneration air) is filtered 20°
by a regeneration air filter, and heated by heating
1. Drying the flow of air elements. On its way through the rotor, this heat
The incoming moisture-laden flow of air (process air) evaporates the moisture previously adsorbed by 15°
enters one side of the cabinet and gets filtered by a the silica crystals in the rotor. The resulting water
process air filter. The air then passes through a slowly vapour now leaves the dehumidifier in the outgoing
10°
turning rotor whose inner surfaces are coated with regeneration air. The regeneration air is controlled
desiccant silica crystals that attract the water mole- by a regeneration air fan. 60 kj/kg
cules passing through. 5°

When the moist air passes through the rotor, water

molecules are adsorbed and lodge in the pores on 0°
the surface of the silica gel.

TEMPERATURE °C
This means the air leaves the rotor containing less -5°
moisture (humidity) than when it entered. And because
the adsorption process releases energy to the air, the
temperature increases. The process air is controlled -10°
by a process air fan. 40 kj/kg

ENTHALPY 0 kj/kg 20 kj/kg

 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  15

EASY SERVICE
— MINIMAL MAINTENANCE

Out of sight, out of mind Easy to look after

The internals of wind turbines aren’t easy to get at — any Once mounted, Cotes Wind dehumidifiers are extremely
access for repairs or maintenance is time-consuming easy and inexpensive to service and maintain.
and relatively costly. That’s why the equipment inside has —  Filters only need changing once a year (this only
to be exceptionally reliable, regardless of weather or    takes 3 minutes)
operating conditions. —  The fan, fan motor and gear system only need
   changing once every 5 years (this only takes
Cotes Wind adsorption dehumidifiers are therefore    30 minutes)
specially designed to ensure maximum reliability and —  The silica-coated adsorption rotor only needs
uptime.    changing once every 10 years (this only takes
   60 minutes).
They only require minimal service and maintenance,
CONTROL SYSTEMS AND SENSORS which can easily be timed to coincide with normal
service intervals and maintenance visits for other
equipment.
Control is crucial Easy to integrate
Any equipment used in wind turbines is only as good Cotes humidity management solutions feature industry-
as the control systems that make sure it operates standard control systems and sensors that are easy to
exactly as intended — so that wind farm operators get install, and easy to use.
the full benefits.
They can be configured to your exact requirements.

3 MINUTES 30 MINUTES 60 MINUTES

ONCE A YEAR EVERY 5 YEARS EVERY 10 YEARS

CHANGE FILTERS CHANGE FAN, MOTOR AND GEAR CHANGE DESSICANT ROTOR
 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  17

COMPARISON ADSORPTION
WITH OTHER POSSIBLE DEHUMIDIFICATION
TECHNOLOGIES BENEFITS
Adsorption dehumidification isn’t the only technology that can be
used to help regulate humidity levels inside the nacelles and towers
of wind turbines.

CONDENSATION DEHUMIDIFIERS CAN ALSO BE USED

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Cheaper up-front Cotes has sold more than 20,000 adsorption dehumidifier units
Don’t work at low temperatures (normally below 8°C)
purchase costs for use in wind turbines in service all over the world.

Only effective at high levels of relative humidity Cotes adsorption dehumidifier systems have the big advantages
of working effectively
Requires installations to dispose of/vent condensed moisture —  At all temperatures
outside the wind turbine structure —  At all levels of ambient humidity
—  Under all weather conditions
Difficulties withstanding the shaking and vibrations often encountered
in wind turbines They're also
— Compact
— Lightweight
and use ony a bare minimum of energy.
TRADITIONAL BLOWER HEATERS CAN ALSO BE USED

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Cheaper up-front
Don’t work at high humidity levels
purchase costs

High energy consumption/energy costs/environmental impact

Relatively heavy/bulky

Control issues – when to switch on/off

Relatively big investment for relatively limited range of possible use

Cannot be placed near structures or equipment — fire dangers, etc.

Vented moisture causes practical and structural problems

 PROTECTION FOR ONSHORE WIND TURBINES  19

COTES IF YOU’RE A WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURER

RECOMMENDS Installing Cotes humidity management solutions as part of the OEM

configurations for your wind turbine products helps you:
– Keep manufacturing costs down by making it possible to use
less expensive materials, fewer coatings and less equipment
as well as fewer measures to protect against the effects of humidity
– Promise your customers lower operating costs, higher availability
factor and longer service lives for your products
– Provide your customers with savings on service contracts as
a result of lower service, maintenance and repair costs.

Expertise makes the difference Things to consider

Cotes is one of the world’s leading suppliers of intelligent humidity management – Keep structures enclosed
solutions for wind turbines. Cotes practical experience in this specialist field helps – Install a valve system IF YOU’RE AIMING TO PURCHASE WIND TURBINES
manufacturers of both onshore and offshore wind turbines improve the design of – Keep humidity levels below 50%
their products. Having Cotes humidity management solutions pre-installed in the turbines
you plan to acquire provides you with advantages that include:
We help you access specialist know-how and humidity management capabilities – Higher availability
that make a big difference to the operating availability statistics and turbine service – Less frequent downtime
life that you can promise your customers. – Fewer service requirements
– Increased service life expectancy for your investments
In general terms, you have to keep tabs on levels of humidity throughout the nacelle – Overall better ROI
and tower. Depending on the outside temperature, Cotes normally recommends – Increased working conditions for service personal.
keeping such humidity levels from exceeding 50%.

Keep it closed
In order to achieve best results, Cotes recommends structures that are as enclosed
as possible. We also recommend installing a valve system to keep all kinds of air IF IT’S YOUR JOB TO SERVICE WIND TURBINES
inlets and outlets closed whenever the wind turbine is powered down or not in
operation for any other reason. Installing Cotes humidity management solutions in the wind turbines you
have to service gives you benefits that help you reduce costs:
This results in a significantly smaller volume of air for dehumidification, paving the – Less service work required
way for the most appropriate choice of air recirculation or overpressure systems. – You can do service easier and faster
In some cases, an overpressure solution can be used to protect particularly – Better protection of in-turbine components, which means less
critical components, such as the electrical converter and electrical panels. This replacement work
can be done by venting the dry air into electrical cabinets or other enclosures that – Better/safer working conditions for your staff when working inside
contain a particular item of equipment. the turbines.
THE BENEFITS ADD UP
Cotes Wind dehumidification units make it possible
to effectively manage the humidity inside wind turbine
nacelles and towers.
LOWER COSTS
These relatively small, lightweight units provide you FOR MATERIALS, COATINGS
with big benefits for your products’ reliability and
operating costs.
AND COMPONENTS

RAPID, GLITCH-FREE
TURBINE COMMISSIONING
HUMIDITY
UNDER FULL CONTROL FEWER MECHANICAL
AND ELECTRICAL FAULTS
CORROSION PROBLEMS
DONE AWAY WITH GREATER UPTIME
AND BETTER PRODUCTIVITY
CONDENSATION PROBLEMS
DONE AWAY WITH LOWER SERVICE
AND MAINTENANCE COSTS

SAFER WORKING
ENVIRONMENT
TALK TO US
ABOUT WHAT’S POSSIBLE

Talk to the experts Want to know more?

Cotes engineers are among the world’s leading experts in using adsorption Contact Cotes experts at
dehumidification technology to manage the levels of humidity in both onshore T  +45 5819 6322
and offshore wind turbines. or sales@cotes.com

A question of control
Dehumidification is the best and most economical way to manage levels
of humidity in the air, and managing humidity is the most cost-effective way
to control conditions in turbine nacelles and towers.

Controlled conditions mean less risk and lower operating costs — and a solution
your customers really feel they can rely on, because the uncertainties have been
dealt with.

Keeping ahead of the competition

Talk to our experts about how this specialist technology can help your company
get an additional edge in the fiercely competitive world market for reliable
wind turbines.
TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT’S POSSIBLE
COTES A/S DENMARK +45 5819 6322 INFO@COTES.COM COTES.COM