Geislinger says its Compowind is the first coupling of its kind to enhance the reliability of wind turbines. Installed between the rotor and gearbox, the Geislinger Compowind protects the drivetrain by a significant reduction of non-torque loads.
Deficient drivetrain reliability is still one of the main hurdles to competitive energy cost in particular with multi-megawatt wind turbines. Static and dynamic drivetrain distortions transmit bending moments from the rotor to the gearbox and its bearings. These non-torque loads cause excessive, uneven, and unpredictable loads to the drivetrain components and affect the reliability and uptime of wind turbines significantly. IQPC’s drivetrain report states that gearbox failures are responsible for 39% of all downtime and according to Romax Technology in 80% of all cases a bearing failure is the root cause.
The drivetrain, fitted with a Geislinger Compowind coupling, shows subdued loads.
Hence the coupling has been developed, based on more than 20 years’ experience developing maintenance free and weight-saving couplings and shaft lines for demanding marine applications. The advanced carbon fiber reinforced composite membrane coupling meets the demands of wind applications: The weight-saving design does not add unnecessary mass to the nacelle compared to standard coupling technologies and guarantees low and almost linear restoring forces.
Furthermore the Geislinger Compowind offers electrical insulation as well as resistance to heat, frost, salt water and oil. Used on one of the most renowned offshore turbines, the maintenance-free coupling gives wind turbine producers a competitive lead in the race for weight and service life optimization.
To meet the demands of different applications, every Geislinger product is tailor-made and thus well suited to the application it is designed for. Minimal cost of ownership, outstanding service life, the highest quality standards and reliability are some important features of Geislinger products.
Geislinger
www.geislinger.com
Filed Under: Couplings, News
The illustrations show two dedicated rotor shaft bearings. Most geared wind turbines have only one, next to the rotor hub. They do have a second bearing, as they must, but it is also a gearbox bearing. This obviously allows for a shorter nacelle, and it may reduce other costs. That is why it is the standard arrangement, even though it imposes much greater non-torque loads on the gearbox. If the Geislinger coupling were used in this standard arrangement, it would also have to withstand much greater non-torque loads than those shown.
This is not a criticism of the coupling. It looks good, if there are two dedicated rotor shaft bearings. I am objecting to the misleading impression that the bearing arrangement shown is common or standard. I have never seen it in any industrial wind turbine. If it does exist, it is very unusual.