ENERGY SECTOR KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Renishaw’s support,” he continues. “AM will
play a large role in our company’s future and
we’re expecting to see 40% compound
growth year-on-year in the oil and gas
industry. We’re even looking at purchasing
additional RenAM 500Q machines for
different metal alloys.”
Of course, sometimes a high
speci cation machine is not enough on its
own to make the required gains, which is
why process innovation and, in particular,
software, has an important role to play in
advancing the production of parts for the
energy sector. Indeed, with this thinking in
mind, Okuma and ModuleWorks (www.
moduleworks.com) have collaborated on a
solution that enables an entire Pelton wheel
to be machined from a single metal billet
(https://is.gd/sijawo).
Pelton wheels are the driving force of the
hydro-power industry, extracting energy from
fast- owing water to generate electricity.
However, manufacturing a Pelton wheel is a
challenge. Due to the wheel’s complex
design, the impulse blades are usually
machined separately and then mounted to
the rim, which is time consuming and adds
to production costs.
To provide Pelton wheel machining on its
MU-V series of machining centres, Okuma
A 3D-printed part produced
by Knust-Godwin, made using
Renishaw AM technology
soon realised it would need technically
sophisticated toolpath generation and
simulation software. For this reason, the
company teamed up with ModuleWorks to
nd a way forward.
Surmounting the sheer physical
limitations means the wheel is machined in
Latest energy sector news in brief
Blackburn-based Assystem, the world’s third-largest nuclear engineering rm, has become
an of cial partner in the Northern Powerhouse Partner Programme. Assystem is at the
forefront of a number of opportunities in the nuclear industry that will boost the northern
economy, in particular the small modular reactor (SMR) programme, led by Rolls-Royce, in
which Assystem is a partner. If progressed, this new generation of reactors will bring
considerable economic bene ts to the north through job creation and skills development
required at a number of ex-nuclear sites where SMRs have been proposed.
Scottish government funding of £3.4 million has been awarded to help build the world’s
most powerful oating tidal turbine. Scottish engineering company Orbital Marine Power
(https://is.gd/oqugek) has been awarded the money as the rst recipient of the Scottish
Government’s £10 million Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund. The funding will be used to
deliver the next-generation O2 2 MW oating tidal energy turbine, capable of powering more
than 1,700 homes a year. Of particular note, the O2 project will demonstrate how this
emerging industrial sector has the ability to deliver new jobs, while pioneering solutions for a
zero-carbon future.
The Hamilton branch of metal-bending expert Barnshaws has delivered 11 rolled steel
cylinders to form two deaerator vessels destined for the Johan Sverdrup oil eld in the North
Sea. Work had to be carried out within three weeks, meeting transport arrangements and
ensuring the deaeration vessels could be installed on the offshore platform as quickly as
possible. Barnshaws rolled 35 tonnes of steel plate at 16 mm thickness to a diameter of
3.8 m, producing the 11 nished cylinders. Offshore platforms are hazardous working
environments where safety and space ef ciency are of the utmost importance, so the rolled
cylinders had to adhere to stringent quality requirements.
two stages. One half of the wheel is
machined before being turned 180° to
enable the tool to reach the other half.
The ModuleWorks triangle mesh
roughing modules are used to cut the
rough shape of the Pelton wheel.
For creating the bucket-shaped
blades, the ModuleWorks adaptive
roughing strategy uses consistent
toolpath engagement and a smooth
toolpath motion to generate a dynamic
pattern and a high performance roughing
process that reduces the overall costs
of producing non-prismatic shapes. For
optimal nishing, ModuleWorks
geodesic machining is said to deliver a
high quality nishing pattern and comes
with features for producing rounded
corners using a morph or constant stepover
pattern. This capability enables
Okuma, which offers its machines in the
UK via NCMT (https://is.gd/pucuxe), to
meet the high demands on the
workpiece and ensure optimal energy
transfer from the high pressure owing
water.
ModuleWorks 5-axis calculation
strategies also extend the reach of the
tool to provide enhanced tilting
strategies on complex workpiece
geometries and areas with deep
grooves.
38 November 2019 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets
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