A large wind farm in Paderborn (Ger) was fitted with LoviSil® 30 kV branch joints during the first phase of a large maintenance operation carried out by a German windmill manufacturer. The temporary use of branch joints has allowed the project to be carried out efficiently and cost-effectively.
Affordable interim solution
Naturally, energy supply cannot be compromised when maintaining wind farms. The commercial interests are high and farms must remain operational wherever possible. That is why they turned to Lovink Enertech for a solution.
Windmills in wind farms are often connected to each other using a ‘circular grid’. However, thanks to LoviSil® branch joints, individual windmills can be removed from the grid and maintenance can be carried out without disrupting the whole grid. This means windmills can be disconnected and maintained one by one. Once all windmills have been maintained, the branch joints can be removed and the grid can operate as normal.
The project involved connecting a main cable with a cross section of 630 mm2 to a branch cable of 400 mm2 and 95 mm2. LoviSil® branch joints feature a special branch connector, which means it was easy to realise the branch connections.
Support on-site
The project was carried out by a certified installation company, which specialises in cable installations up to 110 kV. Stefan Pap, Account manager Germany, was present during the installation and explains: “They quickly saw the installation-related advantages of LoviSil® technology. Installation was carried out with great expertise, despite the poor weather conditions.”
The client was very pleased with the proposed solution and believes that the cable joints of Lovink Enertech can also be used for other purposes. LoviSil® liquid silicone technology offers major operational benefits in sustainable energy networks.
