Wind Turbines: An Expensive Asset that can Require a Lot of Maintenance

Bearing or gear oil failure can lead to catastrophic failure and older technologies only detected damage after it occurred. The new WearSens from cmc Instruments GmbH (Germany) does just that.

Gearbox damage is the end result of a series of events. The beginning is hairline crack formation and this can be initiated by a number of different factors, too much load, turbine imbalance, transmitted vibration and simply the passage of roller bearings over time.

Once the hairline crack develops, oil then enters this crack, heat and vibration within the crack cause it to degrade into acids and hydrogen, inter alia. The hydrogen then causes embrittlement of the surface around the crack leading to shearing of particles, pitting of the roller bearing and subsequent damage. Corroded bearings, sheared particles and oil quality deterioration contribute to the damage.

WearSens detects these changes long before the damage occurs. It is a unique condition monitor, online and continuous. WearSens can be used to optimise load versus damage, accurately show additive consumption and predict the need for timely preventative maintenance instead of rigid inspection intervals. Savings result from reduced downtime, accurate oil changes and reduction in abrasive wear.

Applications for the WearSens include wind turbines, high voltage transformers, large gearboxes and lubricant analysis in automotive and marine test benches .