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Energy & Renewables vocabulary · Wind Energy

Nacelle

Meaning in energy & renewables, with examples

/nəˈsel/nounAdvanced term

In energy & renewables, nacelle means: The large housing on top of a wind turbine tower that contains the main machinery, such as the gearbox, generator, shaft and control systems.

In Turkish: nasel, türbin gövdesi

How it is used

Used by technicians, engineers and manufacturers. The nacelle is lifted onto the tower by crane and turns to face the wind (yaw). Technicians work inside the nacelle during maintenance. Direct-drive turbines have no gearbox in the nacelle.

Example sentences

  1. The crane lifted the 100-tonne nacelle onto the tower in under an hour.

  2. A sensor in the nacelle detected high gearbox temperatures.

Common collocations

  • nacelle assembly
  • inside the nacelle
  • lift the nacelle
  • nacelle cover
  • wind turbineA tall machine with large blades that turn in the wind and drive a generator to produce electricity. Modern turbines often stand on towers more than 100 metres high.
  • rotor bladeOne of the long, curved arms, usually three, fixed to the hub of a wind turbine. Its shape lets the wind turn the rotor, which drives the generator.
  • cut-in speedThe lowest wind speed at which a wind turbine starts to produce usable electricity, typically about 3 metres per second for modern machines.

More terms: Wind Energy

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