LUBRICANTS
High-performance lubricants
OPTIMISING WIND TURBINE PERFORMANCE
With the UK energy industry continuously under the spotlight with regards to future supply and consumer prices, it is becoming ever more important to maximise power generation from all available sources while reducing costs.
WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY
Within the renewable sector, wind turbines are playing an increasingly important role in supplying power to the National Grid, which means reductions in generating capacity through downtime of a wind turbine (either scheduled or unscheduled) comes at a high cost to the operators and owners. One of the principal aims of the industry, therefore, must be to increase the overall availability of wind turbines through improved reliability.
LUBRICANTS
In this respect, lubricants play an important role in ensuring wind turbines generate electricity reliably. As wind turbine technology continues to develop in order to generate ever greater yields, the microscopic films of oil protecting vital components are put under huge stresses, often in extreme conditions. Any underperformance in these lubricants will cause components to wear more rapidly and may ultimately cause them to fail, resulting in higher maintenance costs and expensive downtime.
INDEPENDENT STUDY
While some operators have traditionally considered all lubricants to perform the same this is certainly not the case and Castrol Industrial’s flagship gear oil Castrol Optigear Synthetic X 320 has been designed to offer both long life and the ability to perform to the highest level under the most demanding conditions. In fact, it has been proven in an independent study to outperform the global market leader’s product and prolong gearbox life through increased oil film thickness at low speeds and improved performance in the reduction of micropitting.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Using the right lubricant is only part of the story however and many elements are required to work together to maximise the reliability of wind turbines. For instance, technical support from the supplier is important to ensure potential problems are identified and resolved as part of the ongoing monitoring of the wind farm.
WORKING TOGETHER
Working with a supplier such as Castrol Industrial can bring all these elements together, not as an off the shelf item but as a bespoke package to provide the wind industry with a service offer capable of delivering improved reliability and reduction in routine maintenance costs.
Castrol Lubricants
www.castrol.com
ANALYSIS
Routine analysis of oil samples from the gearbox and hydraulic circuits will allow condition based oil changes to be carried out, rather than working to a time based schedule. Furthermore, analysis of grease and filter samples will allow trending of wear in main bearings and gearboxes, while statistical analysis of these results allows realistic and relevant alarm levels to be set for individual types of turbines and gearbox configurations. This makes the results more meaningful and allows remedial actions to be planned proactively with a greater degree of confidence.
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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