RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS

The future is written in the wind. . .

Wind Turbine Technology

Turns On Bearings And
Condition Monitoring
F
While the idea of or those pondering how to control the economics of energy and cultivate
“greener” power sources, one answer is clearly “written in the wind.” Mod-
harnessing wind ern wind turbine generators have become true power plants in many places
around the world. While Europe has led the way for years, U.S. participation
as a source of power in the wind power industry has grown considerably. It is now projected that 10%
may be an old one, of the world’s electricity will be generated by wind power within 20 years.
For wind farms, though, maintenance challenges are enormous.Experience
advancements in shows that up to 25% of the costs of energy produced by wind energy convert-
ers or wind turbines can be attributed directly to maintenance. In extreme, often
wind turbines reflect remote or inhospitable areas where wind farms typically have been sited (espe-
some of the most cially offshore), equipment must be robust and require as little maintenance or
service as possible. Those types of sustained reliability and uptime demands sim-
exciting technologies ply can’t be met with off-the-shelf fixes. They call for specialized bearing solu-
tions and tailored condition monitoring systems that enable effective and timely
on our renewable appraisals of equipment operations, even from afar.
energy horizon. Here’s
A revolution in bearings
how one supplier A significant milestone for the wind power industry was achieved when the world’s
largest wind turbine went onstream (installed onshore) in Germany in 2005. Gen-
keeps this massive erating 5MW, this series of giant turbines primarily will see service in offshore
equipment turning. wind farms in the future.
The 5MW machine is a three-blade unit with a rotor diameter of 413 ft. Dur-
ing normal operation, its speed range varies between 6.9 rpm to 12.1 rpm. The
By Larry Mumper, P.E windmill employs a combined planetary/spur wheel gearbox with all bearings
SKF USA Inc. lubricated directly by oil systems that include very effective filtration. The machine
compartment, or nacelle, base frame is connected to the tower by a four-point
contact slewing bearing and held in position by brake calipers. Geared electric
motors turn (yaw) the nacelle into the wind.
The machine’s huge rotor weighs more than 100 tons, which exerts tremen-
dous loads on the rotor shaft. This prompted SKF to design a record-size CARB®
toroidal roller bearing with an inside diameter of 4.9 ft. and weighing 5,950 lbs. for
the rotor assembly.
The 5MW wind turbine had been conceived from the start for installation in
the most demanding environments at sea. (Calculations have been made that
show wind power generators can double the delivery of electricity when situ-
ated offshore.) While protection from corrosion caused by almost permanently

UTILITIES MANAGER/FEBRUARY 2006 59

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The next generations of wind turbine

technology will owe much to the advances already
made in keeping the giant rotor blades turning.
salty wind was an obvious issue, other less apparent aspects
had to be factored into the specification of components.
The bearing systems were a prime example.In this case, par-
tial redundancy was blueprinted for good reasons. While
the rotor shaft on most wind turbines is supported by only
one bearing (the other being in the gearbox), the shaft in
5MW unit has two.
The CARB toroidal roller bearing is in the non-locating
position and a spherical roller bearing is in the locating posi-
tion. Thus, the gearbox bearings only have to carry torque
loads. This rotor bearing design offers high load capacity,
low weight and a capability to accommodate misalignment.
The fixing of the axial position of the bearings presented a
hefty challenge. Due to the large size of the wind turbine
design, use of a conventional locknut was impractical. A
unique safety split nut came to the rescue as part of a patented
locking system. This system does not require a keyway in the
shaft (making the overall design more robust and reducing
manufacturing costs) and it can be locked in any position
around the shaft. The newly engineered lock nuts have been
reported to be easy both to mount and to access for mainte-
nance and repair. No problems have been experienced with
fretting corrosion when dismounting.
Other component-related technologies that reduce main-
tenance and increase uptime in wind turbines include:
• Bearing Seals. New patented slewing bearing seals com-
bine special design features and additives, avoid grease leak-
age and ingress of water and exhibit excellent resistance to
degradation from ozone and the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
• Lubrication Systems. Innovations in wind turbine lubri-
cation for bearings include WINDLUB (Willy Vogel AG),
which monitors oil levels electrically for reliable delivery of
lubrication and cooling to friction points. Lubricant con-
sumption also is reduced. Such systems can serve all bearings
at a turbine’s rotor shaft, blade pitch, and nacelle azimuth
positions.
• Hydraulic Couplings. Designed to fit within a limited
space, specialized versions for wind turbines can be mounted
and dismounted up to four times faster than conventional
mechanical couplings. The couplings connect the gearbox to
a turbine’s mainshaft. Only one worker is needed for the job.
The matter of monitoring
With maintenance costs representing a burgeoning expense
for the wind power industry, pressures have increased on how
best to monitor machinery conditions for early warnings of

60 UTILITIES MANAGER/FEBRUARY 2006

 RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS
changes and problems. Tradi-
tional industry approaches
naturally have tended to prove
impractical, especially for
wind farms offshore.
The 5MW wind turbine has
a condition-monitoring system
that measures a range of tem-
perature, noise and vibration
parameters. This monitors
components such as the main
gearbox, gear teeth and genera-
tor bearings to provide early
diagnosis of potentially dam-
aging changes and allow for regular maintenance trips to rem-
edy faults that may be about to emerge. In this regard, much
ground has been covered in pioneering customized condition-
monitoring systems.
For example,the SKF “WindCon” system for wind turbines
already has beeninstalled at several hundred wind farms world-
wide. This system provides round-the-clock monitoring of key
turbine machinery, allowing inspections or repairs to be planned
during normal maintenance. The aim is to prevent extremely
costly unexpected breakdowns. A capability for remote moni-
toring via the Internet or GPRS makes the system ideally suited
for offshore turbine operations.Users report benefits accrued
from improved overall uptime of wind turbines; better control
over maintenance timing and efficiency; and reduced overall
maintenance costs. They also are able to gather statistical data
for trending analyses of components and systems.
By tracking the performance of many of the key compo-
nents in their turbines, wind park operators can coordinate
maintenance activities across the wind farm. Service calls can
be better planned and combined. Operators can take advan-
tage of a planned shutdown to service several turbines at the
same time, since their condition is known through the mon-
itoring. With fewer unplanned shutdowns, lower mainte-
nance costs, and more machine uptime delivering electric-
ity, overall operating costs can be reduced.
Monitoring performance not only helps to reduce lifecycle
costs, but also can contribute to extended service life of a wind
turbine. Implementing necessary repairs when problems are
still small, for example, is easier and much less expensive than
running a turbine to a major component failure. Conversely, it
can sometimes be more cost-effective to wait until a planned
shutdown to carry out repairs. Condition monitoring can sup-
ply operators with data needed to determine whether repairs
can be postponed without risking more damage or failure.
“Intelligence”
Using the SKF WindCon system, every turbine’s nacelle is fitted
with an “Intelligent Monitoring Unit” (iMU), which automat-
ically checks the vibration level of the rolling bearings and gears
in the drive train, and the condition of all monitoring devices
UTILITIES MANAGER/FEBRUARY 2006
and transducers. It enables root
cause analysis of a range of
defects, including mechanical
imbalance, alignment errors,
shaft deflection, mechanical
clearance, clutch failures and
rolling bearing condition. Gear-
wheel damage, resonance prob-
lems and electrical problems
also can be studied.
When a malfunction or defect
is found, an automatic alarm
alerts a central control room that
can be located anywhere conve-
nient to the wind turbine operator. The data available enables
personnel to make informed, knowledge-based, long-term deci-
sions concerning design, operation and maintenance.
The iMU units feature 16 different channels where mul-
tiple measurement points can be connected. A typical wind
turbine installation can be configured as follows: main bear-
ing (one channel); gearbox (four channels); generator (two
channels); tachometer (one channel). n addition, other mon-
itoring points may be added, including tower/structure vibra-
tion; blade vibration; oil temperature; oil pressure; oil qual-
ity; and generator temperature.
SKF WindCon integrates a built-in hardware auto-diag-
nostic system that continuously checks all sensors, cabling
and electronics for any faults, signal interruption, shortouts
or power failure. Any malfunction triggers an alarm and, in
the case of system power failure, the WindCon system will
automatically reboot when the power returns.
Whenever questions concerning the monitored wind tur-
bines arise, specialists (whether turbine manufacturer or other
experts) can access the system via a remote link. Adding to
the sharing of knowledge, a “WebCon” feature makes data
accessible from any Internet connection in the world with-
out special software. Operation and service personnel can
review and act on data securely, regardless of their proximity
to the site.
The future
Although it accounts for only 0.54% of all electricity used,
wind energy is the fastest-growing source of alternative power
in the world, with an average growth of about 34% over the
past five years. The next generations of wind turbine tech-
nology will owe much to the advances already made in keep-
ing the giant rotor blades turning. UM
Larry Mumper is senior applications specialist-wind energy
with SKF USA Inc., in Kulpsville, PA. Telephone: (215) 513-
4567; Internet: www.skfusa.com
For more information
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