More Safety, More Future!
Sustainable (raw) materials will play an increasingly important role in the industry of the future and already form pat of the cable support systems that we produce today – without any loss of bearing capacity or safety.
On the contrary – the Niedax Group's technology center is constantly questioning, testing, and optimizing our products. This way, we can produce products that are safe, flexible, and durable. Niedax cable support systems and GRP products make the right impression
- Onshore and offshore
- With their high resistance to corrosion
- In all weather conditions
- In all environments
Trend-Setting Electrical Installations for Wind Farms
Whether onshore or offshore, wind turbines impose high quality requirements on components. Water, wind, and the weather all take their tribute. Electrical components have a particularly key role to play. They help to ensure the intrinsic functionality of the system, from the foundation to the tower and turbine, the substation, and the energy storage. That's why we look at every wind energy project holistically and undertake production, supply, and assembly of our electrical installation solutions, alongside consultancy, planning, and design. For wind turbines that can cope with every challenge.
3 questions for Gerard Opsteyn, Project Manager Smulders
A Transition Piece (TP) project is always special. These projects require a serial production with an output rate of 3-4 TP's per week, it demands a different approach to engineering. It needs to be detailed out to the smallest parts and sourcing. The logistics and installation of all materials and electrical equipment need to be completely well aligned. Otherwise an engineering problem or misunderstanding could compromise not only one TP but all already produced, which would require costly rework. As the DoggerBank project will be the biggest windfarm in the world, consisting of 277 TP’s, it’s key to have everything well aligned.
The experience with Niedax was superb. From day one they understood the logic in having everything well prepared and that’s exactly what they did. Their documentation proved was as requested and so everyone through the production process exactly new what to do. Except for the always inevitable minor details Niedax proved they can organize and align themselves perfectly to a TP project of the scale of DoggerBank. In the few cases where small adjustments were required, their response time was amazing and things were aligned immediately. That’s exactly how we want it.
Niedax is involved in all cable containment which goes inside the TP. From the design phase, over producing and sourcing all required cabletrays and mounting materials, up to actual delivery in line with the production process. The end goal is to let the people outside know exactly how what and where to install. Niedax did this successfully.
Ivry-Paris XIII (IP13)
The project comprises a total of 380 Niedax products with a total length of almost 100 kilometres of cable trays. The majority of the trays consist of 50 to 500 millimetre wide, hot-dip galvanised mesh trays.
Fossil power plants are still important suppliers
Despite the increase in the use of renewable energy for power production, fossil power plants are still an essential part of the energy mix. A broad-ranging mixture of hard coal and lignite, natural gas, and mineral oil is the backbone of the global economy, in part due to the increasing demand for energy from Asian consumers. One problem with renewable energies is the absence of sun and wind when they might be needed. When it's dark or still, it's impossible to produce enough electricity, while in the winter months, people tend to need more electricity for lighting and heating. This scenario represents a practical test for a global energy transition.
Conventional power plants typically burn coal which produces hot gases to generate steam. The steam is passed through a turbine and transfers the energy to the turbine blades. Rotational energy is then produced, which drives a generator and ultimately produces electricity. The steam is cooled and condensed back to water in a condenser, which is then fed back to the steam generator.
With these temperatures, pollutants, and moisture levels in the air, it is especially important that durable cable channels and large-span cable channels are used, as they are less susceptible to rust and offer improved safety. The Niedax Group has been equipping Europe's largest power plants, and power plants around the world, with cable support systems for decades, and works with RICO to plan their installation.
Solar Energy Requires High-Quality Components
The earth receives 2,850 times more solar energy than humanity actually needs. Even in Germany, solar irradiation is 80 times the amount required. This one simple fact has raised mankind's awareness to the dream of free and eternal energy – to solar radiation as a natural source of power to supply the globe's energy needs.
A number of different technologies are in use to help convert the power from the sun into electrical energy, and each and every one of them requires flexible cable systems to protect and guide the cables.
The use of solar energy is gaining ground elsewhere, and increasing numbers of photovoltaic systems are being installed on roofs, including those of production halls, supermarkets, and logistics centers. These allow system owners to use the energy produced for their own needs, or to feed into the local energy grid. State-of-the-art roof-mounted solar systems and their power modules and inverters must be wired by professionals. As a strong and reliable partner for craft and industry, Niedax supplies hot-dip galvanized cable trays with covers that are suitable for outdoor use through electrical wholesalers.
A parabolic trough power plant consists of semi-circular, curved mirrors that concentrate the sunlight onto a tube filled with thermal oil. The oil heats up and transfers the energy to a circuit filled with water. The water vapor that results passes through a turbine, which generates electricity. Fresnel collector systems have a similar mode of operation, which involves the user of smaller mirrors to focus the sunlight. The efficiency of solar power plants is around 30 per cent, which is higher than the average photovoltaic system.
An alternative system is the solar tower power plant, which also uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a point of focus. To prevent excess shading, the absorbers are located at the very top of the tower, where temperatures as high as 1,000 °C or more are possible. Storage tanks are used to absorb the thermal energy and then transfer it to a second circuit in which the water evaporates. The water vapor passes through generators, which generate electricity. This kind of system also has an efficiency of around 30 per cent.
Safety is an important priority in all power plants
Even though Germany has resolved to phase out nuclear power, interest in nuclear power around the world is growing. Quite apart from concerns about safety and disposal, nuclear power plants offer a good compromise between climate protection and energy efficiency, and it's no surprise, therefore, that some countries are exploring the use of small modular reactors (SMR).
China intends to complete construction of 44 new reactors by 2030, closely followed by Russia and India, as well as Turkey and Egypt. In Europe, countries are divided, with Finland, France, the Netherlands, and the UK continuing to expand nuclear capacity, Sweden having cancelled its phase-out, and Poland planning its first nuclear plant.
The big question of safety remains. Many experts see the solution in "assembly-line production" of small modular reactors which, thanks to their design and the use of new, passive safety technologies, almost rule out the possibility of nuclear accidents. A key factor in the safety of nuclear energy is the use of high-quality materials in the reactors. Here too, the Niedax Group can supply tried-and-tested, TÜV-tested (heavy-duty) cable ducts to ensure seamless workflows.
