Sentient Science presented a webinar this week on extending gearbox life with surface treatment solutions.
Operators in the wind industry have been investing in new solutions to extend the life of existing assets without needing to take the asset completely offline to service it. REWITEC developed a solution that could be added to the lubrication system that would coat metal surfaces and reduce friction.
REWITEC came to Sentient Science for a life assessment of their DuraGear W100 treatment to prove life extension. The surface treatment reduces friction and temperature, which alleviates the stress and wear on the gearbox, and specifically on the bearings.
REWITEC already had completed a number of tests and field trials to prove its solution, so it already had the correct inputs for the DigitalClone modeling process. The DigitalClone software created a digital model of a Winergy 4410.2 gearbox using the materials used, the lubrication and the surface treatment. Once the model was created it ran comparison tests on the Winergy 4410.2 as is (untreated) verses with the DuraGear W100 solution. Results showed that the solution improved life of the bearings under representative operating conditions by an overall factor of 3.3, and improved the overall fatigue life of the gears by a factor of 2.6.
Sentient Science, a trusted third party, evaluated the impact of the REWITEC solution and presented its findings. The software company works with operators and suppliers to evaluate the current life of assets and calculate the ROI of life extension solutions to reduce the cost of energy.
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