Deliveries Underway to Creag Riabhach Wind Farm

Thursday, 21st July 2022

Beginning in June, the Collett Team are well underway with deliveries of 242 components to construct 22 Enercon E115 E3 wind turbines at Creag Riabhach Wind Farm.

Currently under construction, Creag Riabhach Wind Farm is situated on the Altnaharra Estate, near Lairg in the North Highlands, and features 22x 67m hub height turbines with 57m blades.

Arriving at the Port of Nigg, the largest open port in the Moray Firth, Inverness, the components faced a 53-mile journey to the construction site in the North Highlands. Having already undertaken a test drive of the route utilising a 48m trailer, complete with a 9m rear projection to simulate the loaded Enercon E115 turbine blades, our Team had fully surveyed the route to ensure suitability.

Alongside highlighting any necessary route modifications and road widening requirements, our test drive also identified areas of street furniture removal, relocation of flower beds and lamp post removals to accommodate the wind turbine oversail. Having modified the route for the passage of the blades, the longest of the components, our Team could ensure safe passage of all 12 components necessary to construct each complete turbine.

With this in place, Collett began the project, transporting the 66 blades, 66 tower sections, 44 stator halves and 22 nacelles, hubs and rotor centres the 53 miles from Inverness to Lairg. Utilising a total of nine trailers across our fleet to accommodate the varying components, deliveries are now underway. With cargoes ranging from 31 to 73 Tonnes, our Team are employing the capabilities of our super wing carriers, clamp trailers, stepframes and 40ft flats to systematically deliver the components in line with the construction schedule.

Travelling in convoys of three, and utilising each of the trailer’s hydraulic capabilities to ensure a maximum travelling height of 4.95m throughout, our Team employed manual steering and contraflow manoeuvres along the route, safely delivering the first of the components to the site.

On arrival at Creag Riabhach, due to site gradients, the dynamic nature of the weather and the subsequent site conditions, our Team employed the additional traction of a double-drive towing vehicle, travelling in front of the delivery convoys for the heaviest of the components.

Beginning in June, our team completed the delivery of components for four 115m rotor diameter turbines, with all 22 expected to be complete by September/October. Once fully operational, Creag Riabhach Wind Farm will generate up to 72.6MW of clean, renewable energy, enough to power 36,000 homes.

New Cycle Shelters by Glasdon Maximise Space and Cut Maintenance Requirements

Thursday, 21st July 2022

Glasdon expands its cost-effective and low maintenance cycle shelter range.

Designed to coordinate with contemporary architectural environments, the Cadence™ Cycle Shelter and Strada™ Cycle Shelter are cost-effective and low maintenance solutions by Glasdon for cycle storage.

Ideal for city centres, coastal locations and modern outdoor environments, the cycle shelters are available with optional cycle toast racks and stands to accommodate up to 10 bicycles and arrive pre-assembled for immediate installation.

Maximising Space

Designed to sit side-by-side with other Strada or Cadence Shelters, the shelters maximise space and bicycle storage capacity while allowing users the flexibility to provide cover to a greater number of bicycles if required. Available with or without Toast Rack Cycle Stands, the shelters can easily store up to ten bikes and are adaptable to different applications, such as motorbike or scooter storage.

Lowering Maintenance Requirements

Featuring a sturdy yet simple design, both the Cadence Cycle Shelter and Strada Cycle Shelter offer contemporary and stylish cycle storage. With an Armortec® coated steel frame and Rivnut roof panel fixing, Glasdon’s latest cycle shelters prevent steel frame corrosion and protect from weather and vandalism.

Like the curved roof on the Cadence Cycle Shelter, the angled roof design of the Strada Cycle Shelter prevents rain and snow from accumulating on the shelter and, along with the UV protected 3mm PETG roof panels, provides a natural run-off for rainwater and snow.

Providing Strength and Durability

Constructed using corrosion-resistant Armortec coated steel framework and PETG roof panels, the shelters protect the bicycles from weather elements.

To ensure sturdy and safe cycle storage, both shelters utilise a 15mm thick base plate and anchor points to secure the frame to a pre-prepared concrete foundation and a 3mm thick mild steel frame to provide sturdy and durable cycle storage. A one-year warranty is available on both cycle shelters as standard.

Key Features and Benefits

Modern and Contemporary Styling – a simple design with clean lines to suit contemporary architectural environments.
3mm Thick Mild Steel Frame – provides a robust and durable structure that is vandal, corrosion and weather resistant.
Structural Analysis – ensures safety when subject to strong winds and snow loading.
Armortec Coating with Pre-Drilled and Fully Coated Holes – help to protect the frame and reduce maintenance requirements.
Rivnut Roof Panel Fixing – prevents steel frame corrosion and provides a strong construction.
UV protected 3mm PETG Roof Panel – provides weather resistance and a long service life.
15mm Thick Base Plate and Anchor Points – provide a strong ground fixing platform for bolting shelter down to pre-prepared concrete foundations. (Self-tapping ground fixings included).
Standard Model Supplied Fully Assembled – allowing for immediate installation.
Storage for up to 10 bicycles – maximises cycle storage capacity.

Cadence Cycle Shelter
Overall Height: 2970mm
Overall Depth: 2160mm
Width: 4000mm
Weight: 263kg
Strada Cycle Shelter
Overall Height: 3080mm
Overall Depth: 2210mm
Width: 3950mm
Weight: 281kg

Ground-breaking Project successfully crosses the Atlantic Ocean

Monday, 11th July 2022

A pioneering project, supported by Rotec Hydraulics Ltd, has achieved a fully autonomous ship sail across the Atlantic Ocean.

Solo and unaided, the Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship (MAS) set sail from Plymouth harbour in the UK and reached its end destination of Plymouth USA on 30th June 2022 after 36 days at sea and 3,900 miles, having made two stops in Horta (Azores) and Halifax (Canada).

The futuristic vessel was powered by AI and powered using renewable solar energy technology, and a backup diesel generator for night sailing. Throughout the journey, the vessel collected data that researchers hope will provide critical information in the battle to safeguard the future of our oceans. A challenging project relied on a diverse team that spanned 10 countries and 3 continents, including Rotec Hydraulics Ltd.

ProMare, a US based non-profit organisation with a branch in Plymouth UK, teamed up with IBM to build the third Mayflower and asked Rotec to supply a range of hoses and hose assemblies to support the project. Rotec was also pleased to be able to help spread the word of crowdfunding efforts at the start of the project.

Brett Phaneuf, Managing Director of the MAS Project, commented: “[The Mayflower Project is] ushering us into a new phase of oceanographic and climatological research with state-of-the-art technology.”

Paddy Dowsett – Project Manager, MSubs says:
“This project brings a number of new technologies together in a way that hasn’t been done before. There are some smaller autonomous crafts in existence, however nothing anywhere near this scale in terms of size and technicality.”

Find out more about the project, including live video stream when the vehicle is on a mission and footage from previous journeys at Mas400

ROCOL Collaborative Wire Rope Lubrication Research Rewarded

Monday, 4th July 2022

The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) has given Product Development Engineer Dr Chris Dyson and his colleagues the Walter D. Hodson Award.

The Walter D. Hodson Award honours one of STLE’s founding fathers. It is given to the lead author of the best paper written by an STLE member 35 years of age or younger and published by the society in the previous year. The purpose of the award is to stimulate the interest of young engineers in the science of tribology and lubrication and the activities of STLE.

The award was given for the paper “Representative Tribometer Testing of Wire Rope Fretting Contacts: The Effect of Lubrication on Fretting Wear.

This project was one output from several years of collaborative research on wire rope tribology between ROCOL, The School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, and the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Bradford.

Chris said, “This is really an award for the whole project team. I’m thankful to my co-authors, colleagues and everyone who has been involved in this. The collaborative work this paper describes has been a huge success. It has given us all great insight into fretting wear and lubrication, facilitated conversations in the wire rope industry about the importance of lubrication and running-in in maximising asset life, and given students opportunities to work on industrially linked research projects. We are grateful to STLE for giving us this award.”

The co-authors who also received this award were: Dr Richard Chittenden (University of Leeds), Professor Martin Priest and Professor Malcolm Fox (both University of Bradford), and Dr Bill Hopkins (retired Technical Director at ROCOL).

Prof Priest, who also received an award, said: “Chris is an outstanding researcher, innovator and practitioner who I have worked with throughout his career; from undergraduate student to PhD student and then KTP Associate at ROCOL, and now as a collaborator in research. The work we do together champions student research projects, and the many students we have worked with have been inspired by the experience of working on innovative projects of genuine value to industry

Maintaining and nurturing long-term relationships with high technology companies such as ROCOL is vital to academia, as it grounds everything we do in the demands of international industry. ROCOL often seeks the views of trusted academics such as Malcolm, Richard and I, on their latest challenges, and their staff, notably Chris in this instance, contribute their skills and experience to the University sector.”

The STLE is the premier technical society for tribologists and lubrication engineers. It has 250 member companies and over 13,000 individuals as members, many of whom are employed by the world’s leading corporations, academic institutions and government agencies.

Month: July 2022

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