Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Filters 101

By Kathie Zipp | January 19, 2012

Filters in wind turbines clean either air or oil. Selecting an air filter is fairly straightforward so this discussion will concentrate on oil filters, which are more critical for the proper function of the turbine hydraulics and lubrication, and available in a wider variety. And while hydraulics in turbines perform several tasks, the large quantity of oil in a gearbox deserves most attention. For instance, a conventional turbine gearbox may contain 80 liters of synthetic lubricant so changing that quantity on a regular period could be a costly and possibly unnecessary exercise.

argo hytos wind filter

Wind turbine filter unit -Argo Hytos

Gear and bearing wear is usually determined by operating conditions and stresses exerted on components. As components wear, they generate small particle that contaminate oil. Worse yet, the impurities cause the main-flow filter to prematurely fail. Research shows that only a small percent of the main-flow filter’s dirt-holding capacity absorbs impurities. This is sometimes due to a deposit of oil-aging products that formed a seal over the main flow filter, causing its failure. So it makes more sense to monitor oil quality with proactive or predictive maintenance. Keeping gearbox oil clean with proper filtration extends the period between changes, from a matter of months to a matter of years.

Continuous oil-condition monitoring can let maintenance teams track oil “health” on a fleet of turbines. Countermeasures can then be taken to prevent subsequent harmful after potentially damaging events, such as a period of gusts or drivetrain misalignment.

A few devices for maintaining and monitoring oil include stationary off-line filters, stationary oil-conditionmonitoring units, portable particle counters, and mobile filter units.

Stationary off-line filters can be retrofit into existing fluid systems to obtain max fluid performance with permanent off-line cleaning. Stationary oil-condition monitoring (debris counters) prevents damage with early stage diagnosis. Oil monitoring sensors can include particle counters, water and temperature sensors, and dielectric-conductivity-viscosity sensors that look for cavitation and oxidation in oil.

Portable particle counters meet most requirements from on-line particle monitoring to bottle and portable online sampling. And mobile filters can be carted from oil reservoir to reservoir, although these may work best on ground mounted lube systems.


Filed Under: Turbines

 

About The Author

Kathie Zipp

Related Articles Read More >

GE expands New York wind turbine factory, creating 200 new jobs
Richardson Electronics unveils new line of pitch energy modules for wind turbines
GE supplying turbines for 200-MW South Dakota wind project
Leeward completes 3rd wind project in Colorado county

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight: Looking back at a year of Thrive with ZF Wind Power
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Browse the most current issue of Windpower Engineering & Development and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading wind power engineering magazine today.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe