Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1504498
www.machinerylubrication.com | Machinery Lubrication Anniversary Edition | 9 ML for online analysis due to its continuous flow and bottom suction from the oil reservoir, enabling effective evaluation of particles, water content, and oil degradation. Oil degradation can be assessed using resis- tivity sensors, which measure oil aging caused by oxidation, acidity, and water content. Degraded oil can lead to problems such as varnish forma- tion, increased viscosity, and difficulties during cold start-ups. Monitoring oil degradation helps determine the need for filtration, sweetening, or a complete oil change. Particle counting is another important aspect of online oil monitoring. Particles are generated during machine operation, and keeping the oil free from contaminants minimizes wear. Online particle counting provides early warnings of abnormal wear trends, enables maintenance scheduling based on data trends, and supports precise decision-making for overhauls and main - tenance intervals. e data in the study is collected using C.C.JENSEN's cloud solution, which receives information from the Condition Moni- toring Unit (CMU). e CMU incorporates multiple sensors, focusing on particle counts and resistivity for evaluating oil cleanliness and degradation. Alarms are sent to oper- ators when pre-set limits are exceeded or when oil and equipment trends deviate from normal operation. e article presents a case study involving ten wind turbine gearboxes installed in various locations. e gearboxes are equipped with offline/kidney loop oil filters. Particle counting analysis shows that the gear oils are generally clean, indicating minimal abnormal wear. e data trends reveal ISO codes for particle counts in the healthy gearboxes. e study also eval - uates oil degradation using resistivity data and identifies oil quality and aging trends. e uptime of wind turbines depends on an efficient gearbox with clean oil. An offline oil filter (kidney loop) is operating continuously and should be able to remove the majority of newly generated particles. e CJC® offline oil filter has a very stable and consistent filtration efficiency and is able to keep up with particle generation, maintaining the WTG oil clean, dry and varnish-free. is has been proven for decades in more than 135,000 wind turbines worldwide, utilizing CJC® offline oil filters on gearboxes. If you want to improve the power factor of your wind turbine, it is best done by keeping the oil clean using a combination of good air breathers, in-line oil filters and offline/ kidney loop depth filters while monitoring and trending the oil cleanliness and state of degradation/quality. Offline oil filters and online monitoring equipment do include initial costs but will result in large savings on the maintenance budget, plus an increase in the uptime and power factor for the wind turbine — offering a competitive advantage. Online monitoring also adds additional safety and makes data trends readily available for interpretation. ML Imagine slashing your compressor maintenance costs by more than 50%, and your oil consumppon by more than 80%! Retards oil degradapon Reduces wear, corrosion and fouling Extends oil, bearing and separator life Reduces Maintenance Longest life in the industry (up to 80,000 hrs.) Replendishable addipve system Varnish-free performance Superior Protecpon Purify, Protect & Save!