Engine & Turbine Technology
Specialist services In addition, a greater breadth of experience, supported by expert design engineers, allows modifi cations to the original components to be introduced that will improve durability. By delivering these as part of a planned schedule, productivity can be maximised and component failures avoided. Sulzer off ers a specialist on-site wind turbine repair service that can react to unplanned maintenance issues, with a particular emphasis on generator repairs. With high turbine availability as a priority, the company has dedicated resources that can be deployed to both onshore and off shore generating facilities. In many cases this can reduce downtime and maintenance costs substantially compared to the alternatives of either a workshop repair or complete replacement.
A case in point Take, for example, an off shore turbine generator that had failed due to a rotor earth fault. With the accumulated costs of a crane barge, a new generator and the associated labour costs, the most likely outcome would have been the
Specialist maintenance providers can help to improve the reliability and lifespan of wind turbines
decommissioning of the turbine. However, a team of specialist Sulzer engineers visited the turbine, confi rmed the original fault fi nding analysis and disassembled the generator for further inspection. Several new parts were installed, including slip rings and brush gear assemblies before reassembly and testing. Once the turbine was reconnected to the grid, it was generating the required output and normal operation was resumed. In all, the on-site work had taken the engineers just 20 hours but had saved the wind turbine from being
Turbine Efficiency - PEI May Publication V2.pdf 1 20/04/2018 14:24
decommissioned and also improved its reliability for the future. T e root cause of the fault was identifi ed as carbon contamination, which had led to electrical tracking between phase and earth through insulated components. T is failure mechanism could have been avoided using regular, professional maintenance, which requires in-depth generator knowledge. Ultimately, this example illustrates
how expert advice can drastically change the outcome of a situation and very often can save time and money in the long term. As wind energy continues to grow as a source of power, the importance and requirement for a reliable repair partner that can provide monitored maintenance solutions, with an understanding of how wind turbines operate, will become more prevalent. T is will especially be the case, as larger turbines evolve and their location moves further off shore. ●
Jason Horton is regional operations director (South) at Sulzer.
www.sulzer.com
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