SKF recently launched a condition-based lubrication system that enables remote and automatic lubrication of a wind turbine's hard-to-access bearing system, eliminating the need for an onsite service engineer to perform manual lubrication.
The new interface provides a connection between condition monitoring systems (CMS) and lubrication systems, helping to monitor lubrication pumps and components, including pump status and grease levels.
The system allows a lubrication pump to initiate additional lubrication cycles to an existing time-based cycle. A condition monitoring specialist can set the proper alarm settings to trigger additional lubrication cycles. If failures such as empty or blocked pumps or torn feed lines are detected, operators are notified immediately.
Early detection of lubrication failures working in combination with automatic lubrication can help avoid unnecessary and inconvenient maintenance operations while saving on downtime and loss of production. It can also lengthen the wind turbine's lifetime and reduce the risk of cascading failures.
"As an inclusion to an already planned investment in lubrication systems and CMS, SKF condition-based lubrication is a very cost-effective add-on," says Harry Timmerman, product manager for SKF WindCon. "As such, it brings the two systems together to create new and unique features, allowing the lubrication regime to react to the SKF WindCon CMS' measurements."
For more information, visit www.skf.com.