When the expected life cycle of a wind turbine is between 30 to 40 years, operators deserve to know their assets are going to last. However, this is only made possible by effective condition monitoring and digitalisation from SKF.
As a major supplier of bearings, lubrication, and associated monitoring systems to Australia’s wind sector, SKF plays a significant role in the effective lifespan of individual turbines.
But 30 years is a long time in energy production, and technology has come a long way since the mid-1990s. Similarly, the sector may look unrecognisable by 2050.
SKF’s Wind Business Global Manager for Condition Monitoring and Digitalisation, Fabrice Drommi, said the sector’s digitalisation will have major implications over that time.
“The capability to develop algorithms that can detect issues is vital to the modern wind sector,” he said.
“A wind turbine is very challenging in terms of dynamic and kinematic design.
“So, detecting anomalies with high efficiency through the proper technology and algorithms is the main game changer that SKF brings to the wind sector.”
To encourage the sector to accelerate its digitalisation, SKF will be exhibiting at Australia’s largest wind exhibition – Wind Energy 2024.
Here, the team will discuss pathways to digitalisation and the benefits of doing so for the burgeoning sector.
How to digitalise a wind turbine
SKF’s main digital defence against premature wind turbine malfunction is its diagnostic tool, Protean. This tool has been designed to integrate with SKF’s @ptitude Observer condition monitoring system.
Together, these tools improve the accuracy of wind turbine drivetrain monitoring, making ownership of the turbine safer and more cost-efficient.
“Condition monitoring is one process which can have the most direct impact on a wind farm’s bottom line,” Dommi said.
This fact makes Protean and associated technologies a vital piece of wind farm operation.
Protean’s development was inspired by the variable weather conditions on wind farms. Factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, turbulence, and wind shear can all impact the health of a turbine and the accuracy of its condition monitoring system.
These variables often lead to false alarms and premature maintenance which costs operators valuable time and money.
Protean was developed to counter this and reduce the incidence of false alarms by discerning temporary stress from actual defects. This is achieved through a process of learning the turbine’s normal behaviour and variance. Protean can then set dynamic thresholds before triggering an alarm.
In the three years since its release, Protean has been found to reduce the number of false alarms by approximately 90 percent, allowing technicians to concentrate on more difficult cases.
Digitisation and lubrication
Arguably one of the most important parts of a wind turbine is not the drivetrain, the gears, the bearings or the condition monitoring system – it’s the lubrication.
Of course, every one of these elements is vital, but without effective lubrication management, the entire turbine can grind to a halt.
SKF Australia National Wind Segment Manager, Cenk Ozbilgen, said there is one simple solution to remove the risk of poor lubrication.
“Roughly one-third of bearing failures relate to lubrication – sometimes due to contamination, and sometimes improper greasing,” he said.
“That’s why a majority of modern wind turbine systems now have automated lubrication systems.”
This automation ensures bearings are well lubricated year-round and operators can focus their attention elsewhere.
However, as mentioned, some existing wind turbines were constructed over 20 years ago when this technology was not available.
Fortunately, SKF has a simple solution in these instances, according to Ozbilgen.
“As the turbines age, these still need to be maintained and SKF is offering to retrofit these systems rather than replacing them completely,” he said.
“This encourages a circular economy approach which SKF is very passionate about.”
SKF aims to decarbonise its operations by 2030, and circular thinking will be pivotal to achieving this goal.
To learn more about SKF’s products or sustainability, visit skf.com or booth W115 at Wind Energy Australia 2024.