Massive surge in the utilization of neodymium magnets by today’s
developed era has resulted in an enormous increase in the demand of this
spectacular product. The global demand for wind turbines is on a continuous
rise owing to its ability of providing a great deal cleaner, cheaper and a much
more efficient source of electric energy. Wind turbines basically work by
converting wind energy in to electric energy which is then utilized both
industrially as well as domestically on a large scale. Despite its simplistic
basic structure, Wind turbines are extremely complex machines which when
operate at full throttle have managed to meet the endless low-cost energy
demands of today’s population. This
article would focus on how neodymium
magnets play their part in improving the efficiency, reliability and the
overall results of wind turbines in their efforts to greenify electricity
production worldwide.
Neodymium when combined with Iron, Boron and other elements results
in the production of the world’s strongest magnets. Modern day wind turbines
rely largely on the principles of electromagnetism. Such that the strength of
neodymium magnet within a wind mill is directly proportional to the amount of
energy produced within a set time period. In previous years, traditional
commercial level wind turbines were being used wherein an induction generator
was used in order to convert mechanical energy to electrical. In the absence of
permanent magnets, such turbines operated at a low rotor speed of 10-20RPM and
were much more prone to mechanical faults and consequently higher maintenance
costs. As wind turbines evolved, introduction of neodymium
permanent magnet blocks within the electromechanical system enabled the
production of more reliable wind turbines. With a decrease in maintenance
costs, the turbines non producing time decreased considerably as well. Another
advantage of the cutting edge neodymium incorporated modern wind mills is that
they give much greater efficiencies even at low wind speeds. Both arc
and block shaped permanent neo magnets are most commonly used in wind turbines.
Statistics show that wind energy is the most cost-effective source
of carbon reduction as well as simultaneously provides large quantities of
energy at whole sale competitive prices. With this awareness came a direct jump
in the amount of rare earth elements demanded especially neodymium. The annual
Hong Kong conference calculated that under stable pricing, the global demand of
neodymium element has risen from 4500 tons in 2012 up to 8000 tons in 2014. Therefore,
despite being available in abundant quantities, neodymium magnets are now a
precious yet rapidly depleting product due to its wide scale application in
various aspects of life.
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