Replacing the generator bearings of wind turbines

Do wind turbine bearings need to be replaced?

This paper presents a review of existing theory and practice relating to main bearings for wind turbines. The main bearing performs the critical role of supporting the turbine rotor, with replacements typically requiring its complete removal.

What is a main bearing for a wind turbine?

the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. This paper presents a review of existing theory and practice relating to main bearings for wind turbines. The main bearing performs the critical role of supporting the turbine rotor, with replacements typically requiring its complete removal.

Do wind turbine generators have bearing current?

Liu et al. examined a comparative study of bearing current on three different types of wind turbine generators: doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and semi-direct-drive PMSG by using the simulation tool.

What is a bearing failure in a wind turbine?

Bearing failures in wind turbines are a major cause of downtime in energy production for unplanned maintenance, repairs and replacements. This failure type is a primary cost and results in higher operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for the energy operator and in higher utility bills for the customer.

What is the main bearing theory of a wind turbine?

(Hart et al., 2020) documented available wind turbine main bearing theory, design and practices which are completely different from other existing bearing set ups in the wind turbine. Load generated by rotor on bearings and tribological aspects of these bearings are presented along with bearing modelling and fault diagnosis techniques. ...

Can full bearing modelling be used in wind turbine gearbox bearings?

Full bearing modelling has been done to analyse fatigue failure in wind turbine gearbox bearings (Grujicic et al., 2016; Jiang et al., 2015; Lai and Stadler, 2016) and in one case for a WTMB under steady-state loads (Liang et al., 2013), and also to understand contact loads within pitch or yaw bearings (Chen and Wen, 2012).