Wind turbine gearbox maintenance pdf

No less important for proper maintenance is to know more about wind turbine gearbox types and designs. Parkers combined gearbox lubrication filtration and cooling systems do just that. Brief history rise of wind powered electricity 1888. Wind turbines are conventionally designed for a lifetime expectancy of 20 to 25 years and. Introduction the reliability issues associated with transmi ssion or gearbox equipped wind turbines and.

Gearbox typical failure modes, detection and mitigation. Pdf the increasing usage of winddriven generators in the production of power energy from renewable sources requires design methods of these for the. As turbine sizes increased, the design gearboxes able of. A gearbox is typically used in a wind turbine to increase rotational speed from a lowspeed rotor to a higher speed electrical generator. Gearbox oil for instance will be replaced several times during the turbine lifetime.

Uncontrollable and highly variable wind forces adversely affect the performance and reliability of planetary gears inside wind turbine power transmissions. Wind turbine gearbox condition based maintenance equipment. Wind turbine gearbox oil filtration and condition monitoring nrel. In a traditional wind turbine drive train, the blades drive a slowspeed, hightorque main shaft directly connected to a speedincreasing gearbox with the highspeed output shaft coupled to an ac. Wind turbine gearboxes can fail in dramatically different ways. It is the turbine owners responsibility that only qualified persons operate the turbine. Fundamentals, selection, installation and maintenance of. To ensure efficient performance, regular condition monitoring of your wind turbine gearbox is vital. Wind turbine gearbox condition based maintenance equipment and challenges 27 th february 2014. This paper proposes a novel prognostic approach to predict the rul of bearings in a wind turbine gearbox.

Heavy maintenance shall in this innovation contest be understood to comprise replacement andor repair of large components in the rotor and nacelle assembly rna of an offshore wind turbine. Preventive maintenance involves the repair actions, replacement, and. The basic aim of the gearbox 6 12, as referred at the wind turbine structure section, is to transfer the power produced by the rotor to a usually asynchronous electrical power generator. Report on wind turbine subsystem reliability a survey of various databases. Charles brush builds first largesize wind electricityyg generation turbine 17 m diameter wind rose configuration, 12 kw generator 1890s. The project maintenance effect on present and future wind turbine gearboxes analyzes three types of gearboxes, and how different conditions affect their reliability, that is, the likelihood of reaching a certain life. Lubrication oil filtration systems for wind turbine gearboxes. Maintenance professionals have several tools at their disposal for anticipating and diagnosing gearbox lubrication problems. Although it may be easier to service separate wind turbine compo. Despite how ubiquitous gearboxes may be, its easy to overlook their repair needs. Ges 2 mw platform uses an enhanced gearbox, main shaft, and generator with appropriate improvements to enable the 116meter rotor in higher wind speeds, and the 127meter rotor in lower wind speeds. This standard is a tool whereby wind turbine and gearbox manufacturers can communicate and understand each others needs. Wind turbine gearbox reliability database, condition.

Onshore wind services brochure pdf digital optimization. Wind turbine and generator repair ips wind power service. Gearbox maintenance tips rapid repair solutions once the problem is identified, the cost of repair and downtime must be weighed when deciding whether to fix the problem onsite or have the gearbox completely replaced. Pdf wind turbine gearbox technologies researchgate. A structured approach to onshore and offshore wind turbine. Building on a strong power generation heritage spanning more than a century, our 1. The first idea is to equalize gear loads, reducing internal stresses and significantly extending. While a wind turbine will be built to operate for 20 years, the gearbox is likely to require a major overhaul every 5 years. We back everything wind generator repair, generator unit exchange, uptower or inshop service and repair with one standard for safety, quality, service, repair procedures and commercial terms. Why windturbine gearboxes fail to hit the 20year mark.

Petrocanadas harnex 320, designed for use in wind turbine gearboxes, is a fullysynthetic oil designed to withstand the conditions wind turbines may face, from extreme temperatures to. Department of energy, office of energy efficiency and. From wind turbine maintenance kits and wear and tear flow parts to gearboxes and blades, our team gets you what you need. A wind turbine gearbox plays a role in multiplying the wind turbine s speed by dozens and transmitting it to the power generator. Wind turbine application note m0021241 1 application note introduction with more and more wind farms installations, the challenge for operators is the maintenance of the machine.

North americas reliance on sustainable energy from wind turbines increases every year. Murphy product service and warranty ge wind energy june 17, 2009. A couple developments can lower maintenance on rolling elements and carry greater load in a planetary gearset. Alstom believes it has addressed the issue by ensuring that torque transmission is performed independently of rotor support. Pdf design and maintenance of wind turbines transmission. Case study open access effects of pressure angle and tip. Ges wind parts center of excellence provides a full range of offerings to support your preferred level of service. Parkers outstanding wind turbine experience and world leading technology in filtration solutions have convinced our customers of the system reliability. Condition monitoring system in wind turbine gearbox citeseerx. The blade speed at the tip is around 100 ms regardless of size.

The gearboxes can be either new, used or refurbished and they all have different delivery times depending on the selected suppliers. A large turbine rotates slowly and a small turbine has a higher rotating speed even if the bladetip speed is the same. Although they differ in design and principle of operation, their function is always the same. Some multimegawatt wind turbines have dispensed with a gearbox. Gearbox preventive maintenance is a priority power engineering. A lot of maintenance time and budget are allocated to gearbox reliability and, again, the gearboxes utilized in the newer designed turbines appear to be much more reliable. Depending on its size, a wind turbine gearbox needs an oil quantity between 200 and 800 l. Wind turbine drive train the drive train of mainstream wind turbines shown in figure 1 consists of a rotor, gearbox and generator.

Wind turbines have some of the most demanding lubrication requirements and even routine maintenance tasks on these behemoths are time consuming and difficult. Ocm has been implemented in wind turbines to help identify gearbox faults and define oil change intervals. Our passion is to ensure troublefree wind farm operations, leading to a lower cost of energy for our customer. The world needs a reliable, affordable and clean supply of electric power with zero greenhouse gas emissions, which is why ge continues to drive investment in cuttingedge wind turbine technology. Improvements in reliability and availability have to take a. Corrective or scheduled maintenance are widely implemented in this industry.

Because the wind turbine blades and rotors are very large some modern wind turbines have blades half the length of a. Look into a hightech gearbox of zf wind power and watch the animation on your smartphone. Our gearbox inspection services help you detect failures as early as possible and ensure the efficiency of your wind turbines. The machine is also directdrive, eliminating the need for a gearbox in the wind turbine, which is often cited as the component with the most reliability and maintenance concerns for wind farm. National renewable energy laboratory national wind technology center. An important part of any maintenance program is to understand the root cause of failures and how to identify them. Synthetics are more prevalent in wind turbine gearboxes because they have signi. Before a set of internationally recognized wind turbine gearbox design. Mechanical operating and maintenance manual preface vestas wind systems as alsvej 21 8900 randers denmark.

Pdf renewable energy sources such as wind are available without limitations, but reliability is critical if pay back periods are to be met. As the gear trains in the wind turbine gearbox is prearranged with higher speed ratio and the gearboxes experience shock load due to atmospheric turbulence, gust wind speed, nonsynchronization of pitching, frequent grid drops and failure of braking, the gear failure occurs either in the. Wind turbine cooling technologies 617 3 current wind turbine cooling systems as has been mentioned above, in the operation of wind turbine, the gearbox, generator and control system will produce a large amount of heat 11. Fixing windturbine gearbox problems machine design. This gearbox design has also proven economical for turbines with power ratings between 500 kw and 2. Ragheb 1 and magdi ragheb 2 1department of aerospace engineering 2department of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering, university of illinois at urbanac hampaign, 216 talbot laboratory usa 1. The alternative was a new gas turbine that would cost twice. The gear box is a costly and heavy part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring directdrive generators that operate at lower rotational speeds and dont need gear boxes. As many of the installed wind turbines wts get older or approach their design life, there will be a drive to keep extending the lives of the main components especially the gearbox. A modern wind turbine may have a gear ratio of 100.

Normal storage during manufacture and for intervals of storage up to four months, internal components of a gearbox should be coated with a suitable oilbased rust preventative such as houghton. Turbine gearboxes are typically given a design life. However, longevity is the one challenge still unmet in the wind turbine gearbox industry. This guidance is, one of those supporting documents. In the case of total replacement, the gearbox is shipped to one of brad. Gearbox maintenance tips introduction gearboxes are essential devices found everywhere in industrial manufacturing facilities, providing even distribution of power and torque wherever needed to fuel manufacturing productivity and profits. Strategy for extending the useful lifetime of a wind turbine report from megavind july 2016. Turbine gearboxes are typically given a design life of 20 years, but few make it past the 10year mark. Monitoring and diagnosis of a wind turbine machine train. The increasing usage of wind driven generators in the production of power energy from renewable sources requires design methods of these for the more effective operation and easier maintenance of. There is a trend toward synthetic formulations pao ester, ester and pagbased.

Zf wind power is a globally established designer, manufacturer and supplier of reliable, custombuilt gearboxes for multimw wind turbines with a power capacity ranging from 1. Plan repair works during periods of low wind speeds or planned down time. The main function of gearboxes in wind turbine systems is rotation. Jan 18, 2018 wind turbine broken gearbox planetary gear 200rpm test listen for the thump duration. Gearbox preventive maintenance is a priority power.

But the bottom line is that maintenance workers need to follow the manufacturers guidelines to remain in warranty. Mar 31, 2012 wind turbines generally operate at a maximum wind speed of about 20 ms 44 mileh. In order to ensure the secure and stable operation of wind turbine, effective cooling mea. Close to 25 partners, including turbine and gearbox original. So every time the blades make one revolution, the generator shaft spins 100 times. Even with the advances in gearbox design, the wind turbine gearbox continues to be a high maintenance unit. Wind turbines designed by vensys operate without high maintenance gearboxes that are prone to wear.

The results can help identify optimal maintenance methods as well as future. Parkers systemmatched filtration solutions have proven to be. Extending wind turbine gearbox life with lubricants stle. This improves the reliability of turbine drive train components, in particular the gearbox, which is better. A study of more than 200 units of alstoms 750 kw wind turbines has shown a gearbox failure rate below 5% cumulated over the first nine years of operation. The weakest link of a size wind turbine has been utility their gearbox. Replacement gearboxes moventas is the wind turbine. Wind energy math calculations competitivelypriced power. The integrated gearbox filtration and lubrication systems are available for wind turbines of capacity up to 7 megawatts. Learn more about ges parts and repair services for wind turbines today. The gearbox is one of the components in wind turbines most prone to cause complications. Wind turbines work the same way except that they have much larger gear ratios.

Strategy for extending the useful lifetime of a wind turbine. Unique to enercon, is their manual winding of the copper wire in the stator portion of. We take a look one companys forwardthinking solution. Alstoms competitive availability figures are in part due to its rotor support concept, because less time is required for gearbox maintenance and repair. Basic maintenance techniques for wind energy technicians. As a key failure point, gearbox reliability continues to dog the wind industry and as turbines become larger the push to improve performance becomes paramount. Wind turbine gearbox designs have been improving over the years resulting in the continuous revision of the iec61400 international standard, which outlines the minimum requirements for specification, design and verification of gearboxes in wind turbines. A twostage diagnosis framework for wind turbine gearbox. Gearbox typical failure modes, detection and mitigation methods.

Performance assessment of wind turbine gearboxes using inservice. Gearboxes for vestas wind turbines spares in motion. The challenge of operations and maintenance will potentially be even more as there will be. An sgs gearbox inspection for your wind turbines helps to minimize expensive repairs, unplanned down time and productivity loss. Common causes of gearbox failure are often related to under designed bearings, bearing misalignment and lubrication issues for both main bearing to gearbox bearings. Enhanced controls technology the 2 mw platform wind turbine products employ enhanced control features including. A structured approach to onshore and offshore wind turbine gearbox maintenance. The fraction of the year the turbine generator is operating at rated peak powerrated peak power capacity factor average output peak output.

We stock and offer a range of new and refurbished replacement gearboxes for a wide range of turbines, for many different turbine types. Sep 17, 2014 as many of the installed wind turbines wts get older or approach their design life, there will be a drive to keep extending the lives of the main components especially the gearbox. In order to ensure the secure and stable operation of wind turbine. Gearless wind turbine with permanent magnet from vensys. This product can be said to be our core product, and ishibashi manufacturing is highly valued as a manufacturer of madeinjapan wind turbine gearboxes with the no.

Manual monitoring involves all other maintenance and service records and reports documented through human assisted means. Depending on the type of the wind turbine generator three or four azimuth gearboxes are applied to turn the tower into the wind. Ips provides dedicated wind repair services, field services and distribution for fleet owners and operators across north america. The gearbox increases the rotation speed to then drive the generator, which creates electricity. The challenge of operations and maintenance will potentially be even more as there will be a need to keep the cost to a minimum. Appendix o operation and maintenance plan national wind watch. The wind turbine gearbox is especially susceptible. Despite the scale and rapid growth of the wind industry, it has until recently been challenged by the limited service options available for the maintenance and overhaul of turbine gearboxes. Effect of preventive maintenance intervals on reliability.

The intent of this standard is to describe the differences. Wind turbine gearbox reliability database, condition monitoring, and operation and maintenance research update shuangwen shawn sheng. Availability of parts is critical to keep your wind farms running smoothly. Despite these continuous improvements, several technical challenges remain that have yet. Lewis electric company of new york sells generators to retrofit onto existing wind. Pdf a proposed maintenance strategy for a wind turbine gearbox. Benefit from result validated and innovative wind turbine gearbox service solutions. Many insurance companies now are writing maintenance agreements requiring wind. Effect of preventive maintenance intervals on reliability and. Gearbox failures are an issue in the wind industry, but oems are using new approaches for testing, manufacturing, design, and operations to.