The new 3.0 MW direct drive permanent magnet generator wind turbine from Siemens (image courtesy of Siemens Energy)

There has been much interest in the development of direct drive systems in recent years, since the elimination of the gear box theoretically the turbine system more reliable.  What Siemens appears to have done is to take that a step further – by eliminating half of the components at the top of the tower, there is less maintenance for the service technicians to have to worry about.  This is good for onshore systems, but even more valuable for wind turbines that are to be located offshore, far from land. It also means, in theory, more uptime for each turbine, thus allowing them to produce electricity over wider intervals.

Siemens installed the first prototype of the SWT-3.0-101 at the beginning of December 2009 close to the town of Brande in Denmark. Siemens entered the wind energy business through the acquisition of the Danish company Bonus Energy A/S approximately five years ago, a company that had been in business since 1980, as Danregn Vindkraft. This company was a pioneer in the early days of recent interest in wind power, and was a logical acquisition for Siemens as it looked to enter the market. The Siemens Wind Power business unit is still headquartered in Brande. The permanent magnet generator is being produced by the Large Drives business unit within the Siemens Industry Sector.

The compact nature of the nacelle for the new wind turbine from Siemens means that it is easier to transport than other systems (image courtesy of Siemens Energy)

Siemens first tested direct drive systems in the form of two 3.6 MW concept turbines in July 2008, leading to the 3.0 MW prototype installed late last year. While Siemens acknowledges that they were not the first to market with a direct drive permanent magnet generator system, the company appears to have deliberately taken its time with the development of its own systems. In a news release from late last year, Mr. Stiesdal indicated that rushing to the market with immature technology was not an option for Siemens. While the nacelle contains new technology, the blades, rotor hub, tower and controller were developed from existing products. Full commercial launch of the new turbine through serial production, is expected to commence next year, with a number of systems being installed around the world in the meantime.

One comment from Siemens is worthy of note for the permanent magnet industry and its supply chain. In a promotional video that was released to coincide with the launch of the new turbine, Ernst Frendesen, Director of Global Sales and Proposals for Siemens said that the

“market demand that we expect on this machine will be extremely big and therefore for a period, we think that the magnet demand will outweigh the production capacity.”

This is a very significant comment. Attempts to ascertain the specific amount of permanent magnet materials used in SWT-3.0-101 turbine design were declined by the company for reasons of confidentiality, and so at the moment it is difficult to determine just what this statement means, and on what basis it was made. It is clear, however, that Siemens is putting the permanent magnet industry [and indirectly, the rare earths supply chain] on notice.

Schematic of the new 3.0 MW direct drive permanent magnet generator wind turbine from Siemens (image courtesy of Siemens Energy)

Mr. Stiesdal has kindly agreed to do an interview with me on the SWT-3.0-101 wind turbine and its direct drive, permanent magnet-based drive system, which I will post to Terra Magnetica once completed, along with any other developments in the area of DD PMG turbines as they happen.

It could have gone either way; but what did happen next, is in my mind a fascinating case study on the value of scientific collaboration in the absence of a profit motive, combined with a remarkable leap of faith, to successfully overcome political, geographic, cultural and scientific challenges.

Late in 1984, the Concerted European Action on Magnets [CEAM] was born at a meeting in Brussels, the result of a unique coming together of the leaders of five European academic laboratories. This was a time before the fall of the Berlin Wall, before the Single European Act and before the European Union. It was a time when the bureaucrats of Europe were trying to find ways to help member countries work more closely together, as part of efforts to reduce mistrust and to achieve the objective of a more integrated pan-European economic system. This is a system that today most Europeans simply take for granted, but at the time, it was far from clear as to whether or not it would, or could, be achieved.

By the end of its remarkable eight year run, CEAM eventually produced over 1,000 research papers and well over a dozen patents as a result of the research of over 150 scientists, engineers and product designers, from 93 participating laboratories in 13 countries. Crucially, CEAM produced enduring relationships and collaborative efforts among key research groups within Europe, who to this day continue to work together in areas of magnetics research. Just as important, CEAM enabled the creation of a new generation of research scientists and engineers, whose Ph.D. studentships and activities were made possible in whole or in part by CEAM.

I put it to you that the CEAM approach is potentially an effective model for the creation of a framework for reviving rare earths research and development, and the subsequent “incubation” of new technical talent for this sector, in the USA, Canada, Europe and beyond. It is imperative that the Western rare earths supply chain [such as it exists today] realizes that its constituent members are part of a single international “ecosystem”, and that the most effective way to challenge the People’s Republic of China in this area, is to work together within a framework NOT motivated strictly by profit or limited by national borders.

To learn more about CEAM, why it was so successful, and the six steps that could be taken to apply the CEAM model to the revival of rare earths research and development in the West, you can download a copy of my new paper on the subject: “The Concerted European Action on Magnets: A Model for Facing the Rare Earths Challenge?” in PDF format.

Take a read, and let me know what you think by adding comments below.

The research was conducted at IBM’S Zurich Research Labs in Switzerland, in conjunction with Fujifilm. What’s interesting is that just as hard disk drive media has gone from longitudinal recording, where the data bits are stored lengthwise, to perpendicular, where the bits are stored perpendicular to the surface – the same concept has been applied here to magnetic tape. The result in both cases is a significant increase in areal density of storage. Thinner tape can also be used with this technique, which means more tape can be stored on a spool. the particles used are made from barium ferrite – more commonly seen in everyday ceramic ferrite magnets.

However, the new tape technology created a problem:

Increasing the density of data that can be stored on a tape makes it more difficult to reliably read information. This is already a problem because of electromagnetic interference and because the heads themselves will retain a certain amount of residual magnetism from readings. To overcome this, the IBM group developed new signal processing algorithms that simultaneously process data and predict the effect that electromagnetic noise will have on subsequent readings.

Since tape backups are still a mainstay of any self-respecting IT department these days, this new development will hopefully make their lives easier. And let’s face it – if your IT department is happy – YOU’RE happy, and vice-versa, if you know what I mean….

The folks at IBM say that it might be as long as five years before the tape material is ready for prime time, but even so, this new development may well extend the lifespan of this data storage technology for many years to come.

It also asks some questions on the lack of an accelerated pace for funding North American rare earth initiatives, and includes one hypothetical situation which, if realized, has the potential to severely disrupt the present rare earth supply chain, long before we can handle such a disruption.

Check the article out, and feel free to leave comments either here or over there, on what you read.

Rare earths are, of course, a critical component for the production of high performance permanent magnets. The procurement of rare earth elements for magnets and other applications is these days a hot topic, given that demand is predicted by many to outstrip supply within the next 3-5 years.

The conversation with Ed and Jack was certainly lively and we covered a range of subjects, including:

• The history of US Rare Earths and the reasons for its recent name change from Thorium Energy;
• An update on the company’s Lehmi Pass and Diamond Creek properties;
• The value of thorium as a rare metal;
• Why Jack thinks that Diamond Creek is one of the most accessible, undeveloped rare earth resources with significant heavy rare earth elements in North America;
• The value of being a US-owned company when dealing with the Department of Defense;
• The current level of understanding of rare earths in Washington;
• The critical & strategic nature of rare earths at the present time;
• The effects of the global financial crisis on the ability of junior miners to raise capital;
• A recently proposed national rare earth processing facility;
• And plenty of other stuff too.

I had a chance to take the audio of the one hour of discussions with Ed and Jack, and transcribed it into an 11-page article, now available for download from the Terra Magnetica Web site via:

http://www.terramagnetica.com/papers/hatch-us-rare-earths-discussion.pdf.

Enjoy!

Over the past few days, Australia’s ABC Radio National broadcast not one, but two items on rare earth metals, to both of which I heartily recommend listening.

The first item was broadcast on the Breakfast program on Friday, and lasts a little over 6 minutes.  It’s an introductory piece on the subject, but spends significant time discussing the environmental issues surrounding rare earth production in Australia. You can listen to the piece on the program’s Rare Earths Metals segment Web page or by clicking below:

ABC Radio National Breakfast: Rare Earth Metals

The second piece, first broadcast on the Background Briefing program this past Sunday morning, lasts for over 45 minutes and is an comprehensive, in-depth study of the rare earth metals, their markets and associated supply chain, environmental and political issues.There is also a pretty decent-sized portion on rare earth permanent magnets and their applications, for which, in the interests of full disclosure, I was interviewed :-)

As producer and narrator Stan Correy says:

China currently produces about 95% of the world’s rare earths, which are metals which are essential to modern living and used all around us every day. In business it’s a volatile mix, with complex political alchemy for every government, including Australia.

The program features several interviews of a variety of individuals from a number of different sectors, in addition to yours truly.

You can listen to the piece on the Background Briefing Rare Earths and China program Web page or by clicking below:

ABC Radio National Background Briefing: Rare Earths and China

Stan did a great job in explaining what can be a difficult subject to convey.  He also included a link back to Terra Magnetica – so thanks, Stan, for that!

Jack asks the questions: “why are the components being made in China? Can we do anything to cause them to be made in the USA?“.  He goes on to discuss the opacity of Chinese rare earth mining companies in terms of true cost structures, and how virtual all rare earth permanent magnets used in large scale wind turbines, probably originated in China.

Jack goes on to say:

These are the current consequences of the non-production of any but trivial amounts of the rare earths outside of China, combined with the economic thinking of America’s business and government elites; the former want to maximize profit at any cost, the latter want revenue from the taxes on those profits.

The rest of Jack’s article talks about the issues of investing in hard rock mining, and rare earth mining in particular, in order to exploit the significant natural resources available to us in the USA and Canada. he says that:

Chinese and Japanese companies are now looking at these North American resources for the benefits of the economies of their home countries. They can only do this so long as North America does not any longer have a domestic supply chain to refine, produce metals and alloys, produce components, and assemble those components into end use products.

The article is a good primer on the present problems facing this industry, and how they could impact rare earth permanent magnet supply in the future. You can read Jack’s article here.

]]> http://www.terramagnetica.com/2009/11/12/the-problems-of-sourcing-wind-turbines-and-rare-earth-metals-from-china/feed/ 0 http://www.terramagnetica.com/2009/11/08/dmtc-hosts-2nd-annual-strategic-materials-conference/ http://www.terramagnetica.com/2009/11/08/dmtc-hosts-2nd-annual-strategic-materials-conference/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:23:41 +0000 Gareth Hatch http://www.terramagnetica.com/?p=747 The Defense Metals Technology Center [DMTC], based in North Canton, Ohio, is hosting its 2nd Annual Strategic Materials Conference [SMC] during Feb 1-2, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio.

According to the DMTC Web site:

The Defense Metals Technology Center (DMTC) was formed in January, 2007 in order to establish an industrial base capable of affordably producing such strategic metals. The organization addresses the identified needs of the U.S. Military in the development and manufacture of vital defense materials.

The DMTC indicates that the first SMC, held in April of last year, involved more than 110 participants from the USA and abroad.  The DMTC Web site goes on to say:

Building on the success of the inaugural Strategic Materials Conference in April 2009, the Defense Metals Technology Center will convene SMC 2010. This event will focus principally on rare earth metals, building on the well-received panel discussion on high performance magnets and a Rare Earth Metals Strategic Sourcing Forum to be sponsored by the DMTC in November 2009.

Unlike the first event in this series, which was invitation-only, the DMTC has apparently opened attendance at this meeting to anyone that registers.  More details on the event can be found at the SMC Web site.

Joining the USMMA in this capacity are:

• Jack Lifton, of Jack Lifton LLC and The Jack Lifton Report, who is a well known commentator and consultant with over 47 years of experience in the field of rare earth, platinum group and other minor metals, with a wealth of knowledge on the mining, refining, production and end uses of these metals;
• Stan Trout, of Spontaneous Materials, who is a highly-respected permanent magnet materials consultant, and one of the best teachers on the subject of permanent magnets around today. Stan has over 30 years experience in a variety of roles within the permanent magnets industry;
• Tony Morcos, of ACM Magnetics, who has significant experience in the end use and design of applications that use permanent magnets and electromagnets, and brings a valuable, alternative perspective to the issues facing rare earth usage and design optimization.

Previous postings here at Terra Magnetica, have touched on the work of all three of these guys, and their combined talents and experience bring significant new “bench strength” to the USMMA. The additions are a pretty smart move as this organization and others, such as the Rare Earth Information and Technology Association [REITA], face the challenges and hurdles associated with getting a viable rare earth supply chain up and running in North America.

Rather than re-hashing what has been already been shared elsewhere online about the meeting – here are some links to great articles on the meeting from Lisa Reisman (co-chair of the meeting) and Stuart Burns from Metal Miner:

• Supply Risk Management and Rare Earth Metals a Big Disconnect
• Electric Cars Could Pose a Challenge to Rare Earth Supply in “Nightmare Scenario”
• Displacing China as a Rare Earth Producer is No Small Feat
• Rare Earths, Critical and Strategic Metals and the US Legislative Agenda
• Rare Earth Metals Conference: Electric Vehicle Demand
• To Stockpile or Not to Stockpile that is the Rare Earth Question

In addition, Tracy Weslowsky of Wescow, a Founding Editor of RareMetalBlog, posted a thought-provoking piece at the RareMetalBlog based on the perspective she presented during a panel discussion at the meeting:

• Bubble Debate on Investment Opportunities in Critical and Strategic Metals

Finally, co-chair Jack Lifton last week published a well-timed, new article called The Rare Earth Crisis of 2009 which was circulating during the meeting, and is well worth a read.

I heartily recommend that you read each and every one of these links, to get an idea of what is going on in this important area. Well done to Lisa Reisman, Jack Lifton, the folks at Infocast, and to all of the speakers andpanelists, for a job well done.

Candidly, I came away with the distinct impression that although we now know where we can get the raw materials necessary for the growth of the technology metals sector – the question that needs to be answered is this: who is going to refine these materials and turn them into useful metals & alloys?  In the absence of such capabilities in North America, we will once again be heavily reliant on the good graces of our colleagues in China…