Wind Turbine Lubrication

Lubricating Wind Turbine Gearboxes
Wind Turbine Lubrication is crucial if you operate any machinery with moving metal engine parts. You will know that oil is a vital component to stop any engine from seizing up. A wind turbine has many moving parts and requires lubrication too. Because wind turbines can be located in out of the way places, like on the tops of hills and off-shore, their maintenance can be costly.

Certain blends of base oil and additives cover the different lubrication requirements of individual bearings in wind turbines. The optimum is for one synthetic lubricant to be used on all the gears and moving parts and to last a long time. This may be to resist the wind, the sea salt, the low temperature, the high temperature… whatever.

Manufacturers

Shell oil has been a lubricator of car engines for many years.  Shell engineers have developed a variety of lubricants that can withstand extremely low temperatures and protect against “micro-pitting” and bearing worn. In addition, Shell offers an oil-analysis program that can help operators monitor the condition of their lubricant and equipment to avoid unscheduled downtime which can be costly and stop grid connection.

Castrol is also another famous racing and domestic car oil. Castrol says that their synthetic lube blended for the wind industry. They can offer significantly greater resistance to micro-pitting than mineral-based lubricants, provide gearbox protection under high loads and preserve turbine components longer. It also creates a 5 to 10% thicker oil film to improve gearbox protection and cut worn, while smoothing surfaces resulting in minimal worn or damage. That must be good?

 

Lagerwey LW18 80 gear box inside 2b e1459146077770 Wind Turbine Lubrication

 

So in conclusion, Wind Turbine Lubrication is an issue when you purchase your second-hand wind turbine from MWPS. You need to consider what lubricant you will use on the gears. We can provide you with advice on this.

Oh and just in case you don’t know what micro-pitting is- here is an explanation:

Many gears can be affected by a phenomenon known as micro-pitting. This condition is seen when microscopic cracks form on gears. Through time and stress result in microscopic pits. These pits grow larger and eventually break away. This can even be a primary failure mode for gears.

Lagerwey LW18 80 gear box inside b 1 e1459146194913 Wind Turbine Lubrication

 

Micro-pitting generally occurs under elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL). When the oil film thickness under EHL becomes too thin at the gear pitch-line, surface asperities will begin to come into contact. When these asperities contact each other on opposing surfaces and under high load, they cause elastic or plastic deformation, which leads to micro-pitting.