tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post5926381249103579413..comments2022-11-14T10:36:20.805+00:00Comments on BilloTheWisp: Wind Turbines: The Ghost in the GearboxBilloTheWisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16221663524948086557noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-23732433033228150942014-01-09T19:29:53.126+00:002014-01-09T19:29:53.126+00:00Hi I see off shore wind turbines are fitted with d...Hi I see off shore wind turbines are fitted with diesel engines to keep the internals free from condensation, warm and cosy and generating for maintenance.<br />Just where are the co2 savings ???<br />Oh just off to diesel up the turbines.<br />General public are being ripped off big time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-12085257321124936242014-01-08T21:49:25.120+00:002014-01-08T21:49:25.120+00:00"But anyone who suggests that we can successf..."But anyone who suggests that we can successfully and economically place these things out in the North Sea and English Channel for long term energy generation, is in need of medication. "<br /><br />Medication?? I don't think so. Regular public whippings would be MUCH more effective.KuhnKatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-22940995898008670092014-01-08T14:24:38.321+00:002014-01-08T14:24:38.321+00:00Someone asked "how is maintenance going to be...Someone asked "how is maintenance going to be carried out safely in stormy weather".<br /><br />The answer is that it isn't, it took three days and two attempts to get me on to my first offshore turbine in June. I'll admit I'm not fond of boats at the best of times, but it's completely impractical to use a helicopter to transfer personnel to a moving turbine in rough weather, and ship to turbine transfer also has unacceptable risks(not least to the turbine)in rough seas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-32143465429250917142014-01-07T17:25:25.107+00:002014-01-07T17:25:25.107+00:00I'm not an engineer, far from it however this ...I'm not an engineer, far from it however this article and the following comments make it clear these IWT's are too large. Downsize the turbine or consider a vertical blade rather than the centuries old horizontal shaft propeller design.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-38763746700351298522014-01-07T16:50:04.768+00:002014-01-07T16:50:04.768+00:00But the accountants and pols have checked the figu...But the accountants and pols have checked the figures they cannot be wrong look at the revennue they siphon off whether the windmill produces power or not.<br /><br />And that sums up every problem the nation has penpushing morons who dont have one iota of common sense, morals or practical ability. <br />If accountants were cavemen without a society to parasite from they would sit in the dark with no fire and no food.<br /><br />The obvious thing to do when faced with a parasite problem is to rid yourself of such vermin.sovereignteanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-16167506790944996552014-01-07T15:28:58.745+00:002014-01-07T15:28:58.745+00:00Here's an interesting article:
http://www.wind...Here's an interesting article:<br />http://www.wind-watch.org/publication/nwwpub-size.pdf<br /><br />A wind turbine might deliver 1.5MW peak. What is the conversion efficiency? 90%? This means there is at least 150KW of waste energy to deal with. This is a mix of electrical and mechanical wattage. It's a huge engineering challenge and it's idiocy to take it lightly.Ken Coffmanhttp://www.stairwaypress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-34647590184479035742014-01-07T15:11:55.428+00:002014-01-07T15:11:55.428+00:00"Industry spin". Gears, Chuckle."Industry spin". Gears, Chuckle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-80287721665641925222014-01-07T14:01:05.829+00:002014-01-07T14:01:05.829+00:00How is maintenance going to occur safely in storm...How is maintenance going to occur safely in stormy weather?What is the maximum wind for working with regard to Beaufort Scale?What percentage of the year do the winds blow above the safe working limit?<br />Is there a maximum wave height above which it is too dangerous to move from vessel to wind turbine : if so what is it and what percentage of the year does this occur?<br /><br />As turbine blade is moving, is it possible to land by helicopter on platform?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-14938429342857823362014-01-07T02:53:07.555+00:002014-01-07T02:53:07.555+00:00Direct Drive only! What?? Too simple???Direct Drive only! What?? Too simple???gary boateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231158589674736753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-4962251745342587292014-01-06T22:49:19.555+00:002014-01-06T22:49:19.555+00:00Reply to Tallbloke... I guess the majority of the ...Reply to Tallbloke... I guess the majority of the issues with IWT gearboxes & bearings is simply related to having large complex machinery operating in a chaotic and constantly changing environment. I don't think the general public appreciates that operating any form of such machinery in similar conditions requires enormous amounts of maintenance along with fail-safe component exchange (before a failure can happen). While this is OK for (say) aircraft it renders an IWT totally impracticable except in niche applications. But try getting that message beyond the green spin... <br /><br />Reply to J Bonington Jagworth... I think you hit the nail on the head with why (say) ship gearboxes are more reliable... Lots more preventative maintenance. But of course, maintenance is very expensive. For an IWT to even pretend to be cost effective, maintenance must be minimimal. Sadly as we all know, a minimal maintenance schedule and a chaotically changing operating environment do not mix.<br /><br />Reply to Sherlock... I feel your pain. Any engineer with experience of real world applications would scoff at the fairy-land claims made for IWTs. (I suppose the more experience the more the pain ;-)) The trouble is getting the technologically illiterate politicos to understand the issues. Mostly they fall hook line and sinker for the green-wash.<br /><br />Reply to Anonymous...Thank you for your brave comment. Your comment is both shocking and enlightening. None of us can turn our backs on this. The only way forward for both energy generation and the development of wind power is to admit the deficiencies and address them before spending billions implementing a (currently) failing technology. Unfortunately the head long pursuit of wind generation is driven by a mixture of greed, wishful thinking and technological ignorance. The only way forward is for honest and capable engineers to follow your example and stand up and tell it as it is. Good luck to you. BilloTheWisphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16221663524948086557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-18329208647190105762014-01-06T22:16:28.295+00:002014-01-06T22:16:28.295+00:00Someone should check whether mineral or synthetic ...Someone should check whether mineral or synthetic oils are being used in the gearboxes. If they are using mineral oils to save costs then it will come back to bite them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-56096205845465569472014-01-06T17:49:34.366+00:002014-01-06T17:49:34.366+00:00Your table suggests that bearings are just as much...Your table suggests that bearings are just as much of a problem, with (I surmise) a similar cause - the machines are just too big.<br /><br />Already, they have to be kept turning when there is no wind, in the same way that large ships have to keep their propshafts turning (because of their weight and tendency to 'sag'). Keep a really large ball or roller bearing static and it won't stay properly round, or last, for long.<br /><br />All part of the same problem, IMO.J Bonington Jagworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16276478597326413459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-22718754660246980932014-01-06T16:16:25.962+00:002014-01-06T16:16:25.962+00:00I work on large turbines daily and can confirm it&...I work on large turbines daily and can confirm it's at least as bad as this article suggests. After working (maintenance) on onshore only for six years, and seeing the multitude of different failures, I got to see my first serious gearbox failure on an offshore turbine in June. I was shocked at the level of corrosion within the gearbox mechanism on a 22 month old machine, but that wasn't the cause of the failure which resulted in the need for a complete new gearbox. The terminal problem was simply caused by resonance. It was only after investigating further I discovered nearly 20% of one manufacturers offshore turbines have suffered from serious failure requiring major gearbox reconstruction within their first 30 months of operation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-10674387297854705162014-01-06T13:46:56.030+00:002014-01-06T13:46:56.030+00:00As a retired mechanicla engineer, I've been ba...As a retired mechanicla engineer, I've been banging on along these lines for years - particularly in relation to offshore turbines.<br />There is not a cat-in-hell's chance of these things lasting the projected 25 years..sherlock1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-64723384290338104022014-01-06T13:38:03.721+00:002014-01-06T13:38:03.721+00:00Interesting. The table suggests that the bearings ...Interesting. The table suggests that the bearings are at least as troublesome as the gearboxes. Any idea why that is? I know the size of the things is problematic, and is the reason that they have to be kept turning (as with propellor shafts on large ships), but AFAIK, ships don't have to have new bearings every five minutes, although they probably have more regular preventive maintenance. <br /><br />Perhaps that's the answer - IWT's are just too big to be 'fit and forget', but their maintenance (especially offshore!) is horrendously expensive and difficult.<br /><br />Oops.J Bonington Jagworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16276478597326413459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149751460360426536.post-17852963804490488882014-01-06T13:34:43.005+00:002014-01-06T13:34:43.005+00:00Excellent post, thanks for this. I've been awa...Excellent post, thanks for this. I've been aware of the gearbox issues, and your research adds meat to the bare bones.<br /><br />The first proper computer program I wrote was for gearbox design (On a BBC Micro!), at technical college. It had subroutines which worked out required mass (strength), longevity etc.<br /><br />Given the operating conditions of wind turbines; sudden high torques, bearing end loads etc, it's not a surprise to me the experts haven't been able to solve the issues. Laymen (and policy makers) tend to believe the hype that technology can solve any problem. Production engineers know otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com