Automated lube lengthens life of bearings and seals
July 9, 2009 by Paul Dvorak
Filed under Lubricants, Maintenance
SKF WindLub easily works with with SKF WindCon to further simplify maintenance and enhance reliability. The combination is said to provide operators with a complete overview of the lubrication system.
Maintenance crews acknowledge that frequent lubrications with small quantities extend the working life of bearings and seals. But long hours of hub crawling is physically and mentally demanding work. A better idea is a centralized and automatic lubrication system for wind turbines. One instance, the WindLub from SKF USA, Kulpsville, Pa., provides a cost-saving design for lubrication tasks in the wind turbine, including the main shaft bearings. As a plus, the equipment reduces lubricant consumption and refilling the grease pump is simple and quick. SKF says the centralized lubrication system reduces turbine operating costs, increases operational reliability, and extends service intervals.
Windpower Engineering Editor Paul Dvorak is an experienced mechanical engineer. Paul has seven years of hands on mechanical engineering experience and 23 years of technical writing. Paul is constantly in correspondence with wind turbine manufacturers and wind power researchers. Thanks to this correspondence, he is able to write about wind engineering topics before any other editor in the wind space.
View all posts by Paul
