Greater Dependability for Wind energy Systems Thanks to Automatic Centralized Lubrication
Ever greater demands are being made on corrosion resistance and functionality in extreme temperatures as well due to the opening up of offshore applications and the establishment of new sites in subpolar and tropical regions. All the components have to withstand arctic or tropical climates for the required duration of their service life.
That means more and more importance is being attached to centralized lubrication for wind energy systems. Every large wind energy system manufacturer – and, interestingly, the participating insurance companies as well – now view an automatic lubrication system as an indispensable part of the installation that also protects its value. Their locations are often anything but easy to reach. Every time they have to be serviced, let alone repaired, a disproportionately high amount of expenses, time and transportation needs are usually involved.
The decisive arguments for the use of centralized lubrication systems are:
- Protection of investments thanks to much higher system availability, greater dependability and less wear
- Cost cuts due to longer service intervals, lower operating and maintenance costs
- Protection of the environment thanks to optimized lubricant consumption
- All the lube systems can be watched over by connecting them to the on-board system-monitoring facilities.
The lubricant reservoirs used in centralized lubrication systems on wind energy installations can be dimensioned to provide reserves for up to 2 years. They are filled from a 30 or 50-liter drum with the help of an electric pump.
More than 1,000 WINDLUB centralized lubrication systems from VOGEL are already in operation around the world. Different areas within a wind energy system like the blade bearings, blade tilt, main bearing, azimuth bearing together with all their meshing gears, generator bearings, transmissions, etc. require appropriate lubricants and corresponding lube systems. For instance, circulating oil systems for the transmissions. Gears are supplied with even amounts of grease distributed by lube pinions. After its task has been performed the residual consumed grease sticking to the ring gears is automatically disposed of by lubricant collectors. The pod stays clean.
Experience shows that a centralized lubrication system already pays for itself in 1½ to 3 years. Most wind energy systems are already being outfitted with centralized lubrication as a standard feature. Retrofitting can also be done with no problem. |
