Discover the opportunities

to boost your wind turbine performance

The Power of Knowledge Engineering

SKF a driving force in wind energy

Remember when efficient wind energy was just a vision? SKFs dedicated wind turbine solution can help both turbine
manufacturers and wind farm owners to:
Today, its an established business. Competition is tough and
the demands greater than ever. Staying at the technological decrease warranty claims
forefront has become a key success factor. reduce time to market

At SKF, we are committed to driving the design and develop- customize solutions
ment of bearings, seals, condition monitoring systems, and manufacture globally
lubrication systems that enable more cost-effective wind
increase energy production
energy generation. Working together with original equipment
increase turbine performance and reliability
manufacturers and wind farm operators, SKF engineers
provide dedicated solutions that can optimize the reliability reduce operating and maintenance costs
and performance of new and existing wind turbine designs. reduce lubricant consumption

minimize environmental impact

reduce energy losses

Make the most out of your Automatic lubrication for reduced costs
maintenance resources and environmental impact
To simplify maintenance and
reduce environmental impact,
SKF WindLub delivers the exact
quantity of the appropriate
lubricant at the right positions
at the right time of all rotating
equipment. SKF WindLub helps
to increase turbine reliability
and availability. The system also
helps to extend the turbines
service life and reduce opera-
tional and lubricants costs. Additionally,
SKF WindCon is an easy-to-manage, proactive maintenance SKF WindLub minimizes environmental impact by
system that helps wind farm owners reduce operating and avoiding over-greasing. SKF WindLub easily integrates
per-kWh costs. Easily installed on all turbine sizes and types, with SKF WindCon to further simplify maintenance and
on land or at sea, the system continuously monitors single enhance reliability. The combination provides operators
units or entire farms to reliably predict when maintenance with a complete overview of the lubrication system.
activities will be necessary. Using vibration sensors mounted
on a turbines main shaft bearings, drivetrain, gearbox, and
generator, as well as access to the turbine control system,
the system collects, analyzes, and compiles a range of
operating data. In addition to the early detection of faults,
the collected date also enables root cause failure
analysis. When accessed with SKF WebCon, the
system enables operators to monitor turbine condi-
tions in real-time via any computer or hand-held WindCon

device with Internet access. SKF WindCon has

earned the official certification of Germanischer
Lloyd and approval from Allianz Versicherungs-AG.

Quiet running, higher

resistance to electric current Higher load capacity for
longer service life
Noise levels and electric current
damage are some of the technical SKF high capacity cylindrical
challenges of generators. SKF can roller bearings are designed
assist from design to operation with for higher load carrying
quiet running all-steel bearings that capacity than that provided
minimize the structural resonance by conventional design
excitation of the system. cylindrical roller bearings.
The risk of smearing under
To prevent electric current from
low load conditions is significantly reduced,
passing through the bearing, we recommend SKF hybrid
increasing the bearing service life. Using these
bearings. They have rings made of bearing steel and rolling
bearings does not require design modifications
elements of silicon nitride, an electric insulating ceramic.
since they are dimensionally exchangeable with
standard cylindrical roller bearings.
Innovative rotor bearing
designs
SKFs four key solutions for the
main shaft include: two and
three point support designs,
a large hollow shaft solution
for efficient weight optimiza-
tion, and a groundbreaking
bearing arrangement using a
large double row tapered roller
bearing that effectively removes the need for a
main shaft. Whether you require a single or double
bearing rotor support design, SKF engineers can
help identify and refine the most suitable solution.
Yaw bearing solutions
for longer service life
SKF slewing bearings for the yaw
are designed
to meet the
relentless
demands of
wind turbines. SKF yaw bearings are
greased and sealed and protected
against corrosion for increased service
life and reduced maintenance costs.
These bearings can be tailor-made for
your specific requirements.
Advanced corrosion protection
for longer service life
SKF slewing bearings for pitch-
controlled turbines are designed to
accommodate powerful oscillatory
movements and dynamic load
cycles. These bearings feature an
advanced two-layer coating that
provides long-lasting corrosion
protection. They also feature a
highly effective seal design to protect the bearing
against contaminants that otherwise can cause
premature bearing failure. In addition, we can work
with you to develop slewing bearing solutions that help
optimize blade positioning on pitch-controlled turbines.
Housings customized
to your specifications
SKF main bearing housings are tailor-made
in order to suit the specific request of each
customer. These housings have an efficient
labyrinth seal and are grease lubricated.
SKF can offer a range of main bearing
housings for several shaft sizes.
Easy and quick coupling
mounting and dismounting
SKF hydraulic couplings are designed
specifically to fit in the limited space
of the nacelle. These cost-effective
couplings are quick and easy to
mount and dismount, up to four
times faster when compared to
mechanical couplings, and provide
a higher degree of accuracy.
From early design stage to realisation Reliability and mechanical services
for total support

Whether you want to make sure that a new design will

be right from the start, or you need to troubleshoot a
design problem, SKF Engineering Consultancy Services
can help you outperform the competition. Backed by
more than 100 years of rotating machinery expertise,
plus application experience ranging from the earliest wind
turbines to the latest designs, SKF consultants can help
you take designs from concept to reality. SKF Engineering
Consultancy Services capabilities include new machine
development, design verification and problem solving.
Count on SKF to identify ways to reduce life cycle costs
and increase availability. To support the specific require-
ments of your wind farm, SKF can provide a wide range
of tailored services performed by experienced SKF engi
neers, including bearings, seals, housings and couplings
installation, shaft alignment, condition monitoring, lubrica-
tion system upgrades and training. We can also support
you in the technical contract management of your wind
farms.

Dedicated support
for increased reliability
Proper lubricant for higher reliability
SKF offers a wide range of bearing greases that have been
tested and approved by wind turbine manufacturers and
operators worldwide. SKF greases are formulated to meet
specific requirements of various applications, such as main
shaft, generator and blades. These greases provide proper
lubrication, both when the turbine is operating or in
stand-still mode. SKF greases have excellent water and
corrosion resistance, superior performance at low starting
torque, thermal and mechanical stability and low noise
level characteristics.

A dedicated SKF team of experts with extensive knowledge

of data analysis can manage your condition monitoring
system and monitor your wind turbines from the SKF
Intelligence Centre Wind (ICW) a facility in Hamburg,
Germany. This facility is dedicated solely to wind turbine
remote condition monitoring and the management of
installed online condition monitoring systems. SKF experts
at the ICW analyse and evaluate data by means of remote
data transmission. In case critical values or other irregu-
larities are detected, the customer will receive a report by
email. SKF will also contact the customer directly to discuss
and agree on relevant action. If requested, SKF engineers
can fix the cause of the alarm on-site. The SKF expert
team is also available to support system users who are
managing the system themselves.
Bearing remanufacturing for sustainability
and cost reduction
SKF has decades of expertise in bearing remanufacturing.
All work is performed at dedicated state-of-the-art SKF
remanufacturing service centres by specialists to rigorous
SKF specifications. The work begins with cleaning, degreas-
ing and disassembling the bearings. All components are
then inspected. From this inspection, a detailed bearing
analysis report is issued. Bearings that are not damaged
beyond repair can be restored using appropriate procedures
that can include polishing, grinding and component replace-
ment. Bearing remanufacturing can result in savings of up to
50% of the cost of a new bearing, and an 80% savings in CO2
emissions compared to the manufacture of a new bearing. In
addition to bearings, SKF can also remanufacture housings.

Reduce maintenance costs

Through extensive study into extending bearing
service life, SKF has found that 60% of premature
bearing failures are attributed to poor fitting, inade-
quate lubrication and contamination. SKF offers a wide
range of maintenance and lubrication solutions to help
you reduce premature bearing failures and extend
turbine service life.
SKF offers a complete range of tools for the safe and
easy mounting and dismounting of bearings and
couplings as well as lubricating and aligning equipment
and bolt tensioners. The range of tools also includes
measuring instruments that analyze the critical
operating and environmental conditions, which can
have an impact on bearing and turbine performance.

Reduce the risk of contaminating bearings and the environment

SKF sealing solutions are designed to provide maximum protection against contaminants while retaining the lubricant.
Engineering expertise in materials and seal designs enables SKF to work with our customers to develop standard and
customized sealing solutions for main shaft bearings, gearboxes and generators to help increase turbine reliability.
 Seals Bearings Lubrication
and units systems

Mechatronics Services

The Power of Knowledge Engineering

Drawing on five areas of competence and application-specific
expertise amassed over more than 100 years, SKF brings innova-
tive solutions to OEMs and production facilities in every major
industry worldwide. These five competence areas include bearings
and units, seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics (combining
mechanics and electronics into intelligent systems), and a wide
range of services, from 3-D computer modelling to advanced
condition monitoring and reliability and asset management
services. A global presence provides SKF customers uniform
quality standards and worldwide product availability.

SKF and WindLub are registered trademarks of the SKF Group.

SKF Group 2009
Inside cover photo and turbine maintenance photo on page 6 are courtesy of REpower Systems AG.
The contents of this publication are the copyright of the publisher and may not be reproduced
(even extracts) unless prior written permission is granted. Every care has been taken to ensure
the accuracy of the information contained in this publication but no liability can be accepted for
any loss or damage whether direct, indirect or consequential arising out of the use of the
information contained herein.
Publication 6914 EN April 2009
Printed in Sweden on environmentally friendly paper.
Certain image(s) used under license from Shutterstock.com.