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Wind turbine technology | Above: Figure 5. Back-to-back test rig at RWTH Aachen


190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50


0% 20% 40% Gearbox load Above: Figure 6. Energy losses (kWh) recorded for the three oils at various gearbox loads


At lower power, test result confidence levels increase and this is where differences in performance levels between the various oils are most visible. With the new formula we observed up to 1.1% increased efficiency relative to other synthetic base oils.


With the industrial test rig, we can really see the main differences between synthetic products.


Figure 7 shows clearly how gearbox efficiency as measured on the test rig drops at lower loads but is still higher with the new oil formulation.


These transition phases, from low to medium power vs nominal power of the asset, represent an interesting window for future efficiency improvements.


60% 80% 100%


Although wind turbine gearboxes have made significant progress in recent years, the lubricant used inside is still too often considered as a necessary evil rather than an asset. Wind turbine operators, have not evaluated the impact/savings, gear oil efficiency can bring. TotalEnergies’s new lubricant formula, significantly enhancing energy efficiency, can achieve a 0.5% increase in annual energy production from a wind turbine. Let’s assume that a wind turbine has an installed capacity of 3 MW and operates at a capacity factor of 60%, generating 15 768 000 kWh of electricity annually. If upgrading to a more energy-efficient gear oil leads to a 0.5% increase in annual energy production, the turbine would generate an additional 78 840 kWh of electricity annually. Assuming the annual operating expenditure


for an onshore wind turbine is 40 $/kW, the additional 78 840 kWh of electricity generated would reduce the per-kWh operation expenditure by 2.16%.


In this scenario, adopting the new wind turbine oil doesn’t entail additional costs. The lubricant is changed but the cost to the operator is the same as that for the current lubricant.


PAO 320


NEW 320 mPAO 320


Does 0.25-0.5% energy efficiency gain matter?


If we consider a 10 MW gearbox for a wind turbine with an annual load factor of 50%, a switch from mPAO gear oils to the new chemistry could save around 131 MWh yearly. By choosing more energy-efficient lubricants, wind turbine operators can quickly and easily produce extra electricity without significant difficulties, boosting their return on investment. With proper attention given to selection and compatibility, and support from lubricant suppliers, the transition to energy-efficient lubricants can be a simple and advantageous process.


The pursuit of energy efficiency in wind power not only aligns with global sustainability goals but also presents significant economic benefits.


Nishant Soni, Global Market Manager Energy, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants SA, France


At 20% load - 400 kW


74.0 73.7 73.4 73.1 72.8 72.5 72.2


73.50 73.25 72.75


86.1 85.8 85.5 85.2 84.9 84.6 84.3 84.0


20% PAO 320 mPAO 320 NEW oil PAO 320


At 40% load - 800 kW 85.75


85.25 84.75


90.0 89.6 89.2 88.8 88.4 88.0 87.6 87.2


40% mPAO 320 NEW oil PAO 320


At 60% load - 1200 kW 89.50


89.17 88.83


60% mPAO 320 Above: Figure 7. Gearbox efficiency at various loads, as measured using the test rig 40 | October 2023| www.modernpowersystems.com NEW oil


Gearbox efficiency %


Energy losses (kWh)


Gearbox efficiency %


Gearbox efficiency %


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