Bosch Rexroth, a Bethlehem, Pa.-headquartered subsidiary of the Bosch Group, has released its hydraulic pitch drives to the North American market. According to the company, these devices help maximize the value of wind energy by enabling turbines to shift automatically with changes in wind velocity. As the wind grows stronger, the hydraulic pitch drives actively turn the rotor blades away from the wind so that the turbine can continue to generate the nominal output.
Bosch Rexroth's pitch drives are built from a combination of hydraulics, and proportional valves control the hydraulic actuators, with communication between the turbine and the proportional valves through current or voltage interface or directly via field bus. Bladder-type accumulators developed specifically for wind turbine generators store sufficient energy for an emergency operation of the pitch control and operate with high reliability - even at extremely low temperatures, the company adds.
