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Initial excavation of the turbine foundation
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52” wide excavating bucket – 3 yard capacity
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Foundation excavation
65 – 70 ft diameter hex, 9 - 10 ft deep
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3 - 4” concrete floor base (rat slab) for rebar
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Setting up the rebar structure
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Bolt pattern ring
15 ft. bolt pattern ring form to be centered on the foundation base
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Bolt ring guide
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Rebar foundation curved to center ring
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Concrete delivery
Pumper truck pumps 23 loads ( 240 yards ) of concrete into rebar form
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Concrete delivery
Each concrete truck driver inserts his load ticket in the mail box on top of the pumper to indicate the completion of their load
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Base platform is filled with concrete
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Center support
Top center base form over platform base
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Center support
Note the size of the nut compared to the brick
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Final foundation completed
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Final preparation of center support
Dirt filler packed over foundation base up against center support
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Electrcal conduit
Burying electrical conduit from foundation to future electrical box (transformer)
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Electrical trench
Electrical trench extends from tower to tower to the sub-station
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Wiring
Top – insulated electrical wire. Bottom - copper ground wire
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Computer control center and electrical transformer
White shrink wrap covers computer control center that is placed over the tower base, green electrical transformer is set beside tower base
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Inside the electrical transformer
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Nose cone shipped in shrink wrap for protection
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Inside the nose cone
Three total motors for changing the pitch of the blades
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Nacelle arrives on 9 axle trailer
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Nacelle
Located on top of the tower and houses the main components such as the gear box, generator, main bearing and shaft
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Nacelle
Size - 29 ft x 11.5 ft x 12.5 ft. Weight - 114,640 lbs (57.32 tons)
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Top of nacelle
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Inside nacelle – generator and gear box
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Variable speed, doubly-fed induction generator
Maximum power output - 1.5 MW or 1,500 kW. Dimensions – 11 ft x 5.5 ft x 6 ft. Weight – 17,636 lbs
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Main power shaft – approximately 23” diameter
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Three tower sections
Base diameter = 14.92 feet
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Three tower sections
Bottom section – 73 ft long, weighs 64 tons. Mid section - 82 ft long, weighs 42 tons. Top section - 98 ft long, weighs 33 tons
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Cleaning tower components
All tower components are thoroughly washed inside and out before assembly
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Ladder inside the tower base
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Red (mid-size) crane positions bottom two tower sections
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Final tower section is lifted into position
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Final tower section fastened into position
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Nacelle lifted to position on top of tower
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Nacelle fastened to top of tower
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Arrival of the blades
122 ft. long blades arrive on site. Each blade weighs approximately 13,000 pounds
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Blades are bolted to the hub
Rotor is composed of three blades and a hub. Diameter - 252 feet. Overall weight - 73,193 pounds (36.6 tons)
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Blades are bolted to the hub
After blades are bolted to hub, marks are made to easily identify any movement
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Lifting the rotor assembly and blades
Rotor being wrapped into crane cradle hook (note man in orange safety vest)
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Lifting the rotor assembly and blades
Large crane to lift rotor assembly & small crane supports bottom blade from dragging
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The blades go up!
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The blades go up!
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Finishing touches
Technician crawls up tower, through the nacelle, and into the hub to bolt rotor to nacelle
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Ready for service!
Tower height - 263 feet. Total height of tower & blade in vertical position - 389 feet. Complete weight of tower, nacelle and rotor - 232 tons
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View 21st Century technology… providing electricity for our future!
