Ricardo MultiLife Bearing System Goes for a Spin

Ricardo MultiLife wind turbine bearing system, having the potential to improve wind turbine reliability and extend turbine bearing life by more than 500 percent, has been successfully installed and commissioned on a 600 kW turbine at the Barnesmore wind farm operated by ScottishPower Renewables in County Donegal, Ireland.

The system rotates the race of standard bearings over time, which ensures that the fatigue damage or wear never reaches a critical localised condition during the turbine life. Put simply, the entire 360 degree circumference of the race is more gradually expended, not just 40 degrees of it. As a result, unplanned removal and repair of the gearbox – which can be a particularly costly maintenance operation for offshore turbines – can be avoided.

As part of the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change funded OWDIn (Offshore Wind Drivetrain Innovation) project, a MultiLife(TM) system has now been installed for live validation trials at the Barnesmore wind farm, a location that is known to experience aggressive wind conditions. On this project, Ricardo is collaborating with ScottishPower Renewables and the Universities of Sheffield and Strathclyde.

“Reliability is key for wind turbines, particularly offshore and bearing failures are a significant cause of wind turbine loss of production, unplanned maintenance, and consequently unnecessarily high cost of energy for wind farm operators, investors and ultimately the consumer,” commented Ricardo global head of clean energy and power generation Paul Jordan. “The Ricardo MultiLife(TM) wind turbine bearing system addresses this issue by offering the prospect of extending bearing life of the turbine even in the presence of conditions that might otherwise lead to premature failure. The installation of MultiLife(TM) for the first time on a live, grid connected turbine is a significant step towards increasing reliability and the ultimate goal of bringing down the cost of wind energy.”