To meet the growing demand for wind energy in North America, Shell Lubricants is making available a new portfolio of products that meet the toughest applications, specifically in hydraulic systems, blades, gearboxes, yaw and pitch drives. Shell Lubricants provides products and services for the entire wind value chain, from component manufacture and turbine assembly, through transportation, construction and installation, to service.
Shell Lubricants recognizes the impact of reduced reliability and the demands of operating wind farms in remote locations (both on- and off-shore) and in challenging climatic conditions. As a result, high-quality lubricants and greases suitable for providing long service life and equipment protection are required. In order to keep a wind turbine running reliably and to extend component life, Shell Lubricants supplies a wide range of innovative lubricants backed by global expertise and delivered by on-the-ground technicians.
“Our laboratories in Asia, Europe and North America provide the Shell Lubricants team the ability to develop cutting-edge technology for wind energy customers,” said Felix Guerzoni, product application specialist, Shell Lubricants. “Our strong belief in ‘world-class technology working for you’ helps us to develop our most technically advanced products and services for our customers. Our lubricants are rigorously tested in our labs, with equipment manufacturers and in real turbines during the development process so that our products meet the demands of our customers’ operations throughout North America.
Shell Lubricants works closely with leading wind turbine manufacturers, component suppliers and industry associations to understand emerging lubrication needs and rapidly changing industry and manufacturer specifications. Shell Lubricants complements its world-class products with a comprehensive oil analysis program, Shell LubeAnalyst, which can be used to help operators monitor the condition of their lubricant and equipment and avoid unscheduled downtime.
Some of the leading products Shell Lubricants offers to meet the demands of wind turbines include the following:
- Shell Tellus Arctic 32 is used as the hydraulic fluid for extreme-climate wind turbines, and recommended or listed by leading suppliers such as Svendborg Brakes, and by wind turbine OEMs including GE Wind, Voith Wind, Vestas, Dongfang Wind Turbines, Sinovel, RePower, Nordex and DHI. The product has demonstrated its performance in the harsh winters of Mongolia, Scandinavia and the Americas at temperatures as low as -40ºC.
- The massive blades of a wind turbine are adjusted using grease-lubricated blade bearings, which if insufficiently lubricated can fail through fretting and false-brineling. Shell Rhodina BBZ is designed to provide protection to bearings against fretting corrosion, moisture contamination and false brineling at temperatures as low as -55ºC. Shell Rhodina BBZ lubricates the blade bearings of many wind turbines globally with leading blade bearing suppliers such as Rollix, Rothe Erde, IMO, Rotek, Liebherr and wind turbine OEMs including Vestas, Acciona, Gamesa, Dongfang Wind Turbines, Sinovel and Siemens.
- Gearbox reliability is critical for wind turbine reliability, and Shell Omala HD 320 synthetic gear oil provides excellent protection against common failure modes, including micropitting and bearing wear. Offering excellent low-temperature fluidity and long oil life, Shell Omala HD 320 provides benefits for difficult to maintain wind turbine gearboxes.
In addition, Shell Lubricants also offers Shell Tivela S 150 & 320 synthetic gear oil for yaw and pitch drives; Shell Albida EMS 2 electric motor bearing synthetic grease; Shell Stamina HDS main bearing grease; and Shell Malleus GL & OGH premium quality open gear grease.
Original equipment manufacturer approvals and specifications
Shell Lubricants works closely with turbine manufacturers and their component suppliers to deliver optimum performance from the lubricants it supplies. Shell Lubricants are either approved by or meet the specifications of many equipment manufacturers, including:
- Bonfiglioli
- Bosch Rexroth
- Brevini
- Dongfang
- Acciona
- Sinovel
- Gamesa
- GE Energy
- Hansen
- IMO
- Jahnel & Kestermann
- Liebherr
- Lincoln
- Rollix
- Rothe Erde
- Siemens Wind Power
- SKF
- Svendborg
- Vestas Wind Systems
- Winergy
About Shell Lubricants
The term “Shell Lubricants” collectively refers to the companies of Royal Dutch Shell plc that are engaged in the lubricants business. Shell Lubricants companies lead the lubricants industry, supplying 13 percent of global lubricants volume. The companies manufacture and blend products for use in applications ranging from consumer motor oil and food processing oils to heavy industrial lubricants and commercial transport oils. The Shell Lubricants portfolio of top-quality brands includes Pennzoil, Quaker State, FormulaShell, Shell TELLUS, Shell CASSIDA, Shell RIMULA, Shell ROTELLA T, Shell SPIRAX, a portfolio of leading car care brands and Jiffy Lube lubrication services.
