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LUBRICANTS


NEW TESTS LOOK AT HOW WIND TURBINE BEARING GREASE HELPS TO AVOID WEAR FAILURE


Ensuring wind turbines are effectively lubricated is challenging - not only because of the remoteness of the wind farms, but the ambient conditions in which they operate and the loads and vibrations to which components are exposed.


Selecting greases for wind turbine bearing lubrication requires a deep understanding of the blade bearing application, design and typical failure modes for the bearings and servicing frequency, to name a few.


The blade bearing application involves not only significant vibration, but also minimal rotation for the bearing members. A common failure of blade bearings is that of fretting wear or false brinelling but this wear can be addressed through careful grease choice.


RIPPLE & CORROSION TEST One of the world’s leading manufacturers of blade bearings for wind turbines, Rothe Erde, specifies that greases for use in their blade bearings must pass a specifically designed test called the Rothe Erde/IME Ripple & Corrosion Test. This test was developed specifically by the Institut Fuer Maschinenelemente und Maschinengestaltung at Aachen University in Germany to evaluate the performance of blade bearing greases and their tendency to prevent false brinelling due to oscillation and wear.


As part of the test, grease is packed into a four point contact roller bearing through which 1% NaCl solution is passed, and the bearing is then cycled through 1 million cycles of alternating 70 kN axial load. At the end of the testing cycles, the bearings are removed and the ripple depth on the bearing raceway measured. Further visual assessment of the degree of corrosion is conducted with a rating on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best and last corrosion and 5 the worst and highest level of corrosion. At Shell we were pleased to find that our Shell Gadus S5 V110KP 1.5 blade bearing grease gives a corrosion rating of 1 and ripple depth maximum of 2mm and mean ripple depth of <1mm respectively showing excellent protection against this wear mechanism.


ENHANCED WEAR PROTECTION The Shell Gadus range has been developed to deliver best value through enhanced wear protection, long grease life and system efficiency. Shell Gadus S5 V110KP 1.5 blade bearing grease has also been run through a number of other industry standard tests to demonstrate its advanced performance in the area of resistance to wear in oscillating and fretting wear type conditions.


Felix Guerzoni Lubricants Product Application Specialist Shell


FEATURE SPONSOR


104


www.windenergynetwork.co.uk


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