Which lubricant promotes greater efficiency in a wind turbines? INEGI helps answer the question

Wind turbines are equipped with mechanical gear transmissions that transmit enormous amounts of energy. Therefore, any gain in efficiency results in significant practical gains. Aware of this, Ventient Energy, in partnership with the SERMEC Group, challenged INEGI to identify the best lubricant to achieve maximum efficiency in a mechanical gear transmission with a nominal power of 2.5 MW.

To answer this question, several different, theoretically equivalent lubricants were tested. But under certain conditions, there were differences in the global efficiency of the system of around 1%, which is significant given the high powers involved. Likewise, the choice of lubricant also impacts the useful life of the equipment, as it prevents equipment damage, unplanned interventions, and high repair costs.

Carlos Fernandes, responsible for the project at INEGI, explains that the team "has been developing methodologies for testing the reliability and efficiency of mechanical parts, as well as the test benches themselves. This experience has allowed us to define the test methodology and requirements of experimental test, as well as the updates to be made to the test bench, in order to respond to this challenge”.

After collecting the data, the INEGI team carried out the scientific interpretation and numerical modeling of the dissipated power of the tested gear transmission. "We operate models of power dissipated in mechanical transmissions, known to be reliable, that we have developed ourselves. These models make it possible to reliably predict the behavior of the mechanical transmission in operating conditions that are not necessarily tested. In the wind energy sector, where conditions changes frequently, this becomes an important tool”, says Carlos Fernandes.

This project brought INEGI together with the SERMEC Group, dedicated to the production and maintenance of wind turbine components, and with Ventient Energy, a wind energy production company.