Make Maintenance Manageable with FUCHS
With so many challenges facing maintenance crews responsible for keeping wind turbines spinning, efficiency is crucial. Crews not only ensure that wind turbines operate reliably, but they also ensure maintenance is done with minimal downtime for maximum power generation and return on investment. Crews must often wait for favorable weather conditions to travel to remote areas or by boat to offshore turbines. When teams are on site, the turbine itself presents its own issues. At over 300 feet tall, getting materials up the wind turbine can be challenging and the proper safety precautions must be taken.
Maintenance often involves relubrication to safeguard wind turbine systems against wear and corrosion. At FUCHS, we like to follow the three rules of lubrication maintenance; make it reliable, make it easy, and make it clean.
Make it Reliable
Routine maintenance is unavoidable, but unexpected maintenance can be. Due to the complicated nature of servicing wind turbines, it is important that lubricants perform reliably between maintenance cycles. Ideally, high-performance lubricants are specified during the first fill for maximum efficiency, but often specialty solutions are needed after lower-cost alternatives perform poorly. At FUCHS, we offer proven solutions backed by extensive testing data that indicates our lubricants wear, corrosion, and life performance. This helps give maintenance crews peace of mind that our lubricants will operate reliably without the need for unexpected maintenance.
Make it Easy
The easiest application method is often dependent on the amount of lubricant required and the area being lubricated. Closed systems and hard-to-access areas often rely on auto-lubricators. Auto-lubricators can dispense precise amounts of lubricant at the right time. This method ensures the component is properly lubricated, requires less frequent servicing, and frees up technicians to do other maintenance jobs. In areas that require precise lubrication, applying a lubricant by hand may be the best option. The large packaging options selected for first fill do not often meet the needs of maintenance crews. Small packaging options that can be easily hauled up the turbine are key. It is preferable that maintenance teams purchase smaller packaging rather than trying to repackage lubricant from a larger container as this can introduce contaminants to the lubricant and expose it to unnecessary oxidation. Aerosol sprays are often recommended in areas where a thin, uniform coating is necessary. The key is to work with a lubrication provider like FUCHS that offers a variety of packaging options to suit your needs.
Make it Clean
Over time, components can gather dirt, dust, and other debris that can impact electrical reliability, accelerate wear, and cause other performance issues. Grease and oil build up will also have to be cleaned periodically, especially before a new lubricant can be applied. FUCHS offers specialty cleaners for a variety of electrical and mechanical components including, slip rings, generators, covering and housing surfaces, rotor blades, grid plates, and more. Our cleaners are compatible with a range of materials and can be used to flush around the components to completely dissolve any oil, grease, and other contaminants without leaving any harmful residues. Extra safety precautions must be taken when cleaning sensitive electrical components. Our electro-cleaners have high dielectric strength, and some can even be used under voltage so that the system can be cleaned without even having to be turned off. It is important to select cleaners that are effective and efficient to speed up the cleaning process and reduce downtime.
MOVING YOUR WORLD by powering towards a better future
Our expertise solves all lubrication-based challenges faced by wind turbine and drive component manufacturers as well as wind farm operators. With the broadest product offering available to the industry, FUCHS provides just the right lubricant for all areas of the wind turbine.
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