Engineering Competence
Wind energy solutions:
- Turbine ‘parking brake’
By blocking a bearing ring, operators can hold wind turbines in a static condition. This is made possible by a newly patented design from SKF called a blockable bearing. Combining a traditional bearing with an integrated actuator, a blockable bearing acts as a “parking brake” – useful when exceptionally strong or weak winds are expected and the operator does not want to run the turbine. - Wireless measurement
Magic Roller is a novel measuring system for large bearings. A bearing with a Magic Roller can measure the global bearing load (magnitude and direction), give vital information regarding load distribution and detect damage in the rolling contact surfaces.
In the wind energy industry, it is very useful to map bearing loads as a function of turbine design and prevailing wind conditions.
One or more rollers are modified to accommodate a roller insert instrumented with strain gauges and a transmitter mounted on the roller. A stationary coil next to the roller and a coil around the outer bearing ring create an inductive power supply. Signals from the instrumented roller are collected by a receiver outside the bearing and are processed by dedicated analysis software. - Tough and fast
A new cylindrical roller bearing design from SKF permits high speed and increases load carrying capacity by 15 percent, compared to current designs.
This is achieved by optimising the roller size, allowing enough room for a novel and patented cage design. High carrying capacity and high speed are required in wind turbine generator applications.
