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Wind
Taking Wind Turbines to New Heights
a report by
Gary Plumridge
1
and Robert Pears
2
1. Esso Petroleum Co Ltd; 2. Mobil Industrial Lubricants
Mobil SHC Industrial Lubricants and approvals. Getting the right balanced lubricants into an application
Greases for Wind Power takes many years of high-investment research and development
Wind turbines are highly engineered and sophisticated and may operate funds, as well as input from key application experts. Working closely
at a wide range of temperatures and in extreme environments, such as with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) research
offshore. As a vital asset, it makes good business sense to protect a wind departments and end users has allowed ExxonMobil to develop and
turbine and prolong its life. Correct lubrication is a critical factor that has supply leading-edge lubricant technologies specifically focused on
been recognised by both component manufacturers and wind turbine these applications.
builders as a key success factor for trouble-free operations. ExxonMobil
continues to recognise the increased demands on this market with Take Mobilgear SHC XMP, for example, our top-of-the-line synthetic
ongoing investment for research and development to ensure the correct wind turbine gear oil used in more than 10,000 wind turbine gearboxes
balanced lubricants are available as the sector evolves. Backed by more worldwide. It is trusted by the major gearbox and bearing builders,
than 40 years of experience in developing synthetic lubricants and more proven in the field for nearly 10 years and supported by exceptional
than 15 years of expertise in lubrication of wind turbines, ExxonMobil application expertise. Analysis of more than 15,000 used-oil samples of
does not just make wind turbines run; they make them fly. How? By Mobilgear SHC XMP in service indicates superb long-term wear
helping get the most out of the equipment. protection and oxidation stability.
Mobil SHC Synthetic Lubricants and Greases – Supported by Leading Industry Expertise
Better for Your Machines, Better for Your Business Wind turbine operators and maintenance people benefit from more than
The wide range of scientifically engineered synthetic performance 10 years of joint development and monitoring of wind turbine lubricants
lubricants and greases from Mobil help to maximise productivity. This and greases by ExxonMobil and key original equipment builders.
translates to more output and more profit. Mobil SHC synthetic
lubricants and greases provide distinct customer value, such as As the number of units in multiple locations increases, traditional
increased equipment reliability, lower operating costs and extended lubrication practices will become more challenging for maintenance
machine life. The range includes: teams, with additional workload pressures. This could be due to remote
access in challenging environments and the increased number of
Mobilgear SHC XMP 320 synthetic gear oil for main gearbox; turbines in operation. Products such as Mobilgear SHC XMP 320, Mobil
Mobilgear SHC XMP series and Mobil SHC 600 series synthetic gear SHC 524 and our specific wind turbine grease Mobil SHC Grease 460
oils for pitch and yaw gears; WT have been brought to the wind turbine market to allow
Mobil SHC 524 synthetic oil for hydraulic systems; maintenance teams, operators and OEMs to continue their work with
Mobil SHC Grease 460 WT synthetic grease for main, pitch and yaw confidence in trouble-free lubrication solutions. Whether currently
bearings; and running on Mobil SHC synthetic products or changing to Mobil SHC
Mobilith SHC 100 synthetic grease for generators (see Figure 1). synthetic oils and greases, operators can be assured that the lubricants
and change procedures have been developed by some of the leading
Please consult the equipment builder manual regarding specific experts in the sector.
lubricant recommendations.
Monitor the Health of Your Lubricants
Mobil SHC Synthetic Lubricants and Greases – To monitor the condition of both lubricant and equipment,
Advantage of Lubricating Productivity ExxonMobil offers an oil analysis programme that is specifically
As the world’s largest manufacturer of basestocks, ExxonMobil has the tailored to monitoring critical performance indicators based on
resources to ensure the quality of the entire lubricant manufacturing leading equipment builder specifications and international
process and specifically engineer synthetic basestocks to optimise standards. The programme is backed up by engineering services
product performance. Further enhancement of these base oils with teams that can offer professional training to personnel on how best
carefully selected additives make the synthetic lubricants perform as to run an effective used-oil analysis programme and to interpret
close as technically possible to the ideal lubricant (see Figure 2). analytical results.
Backed by Extensive Builder Approvals and By partnering with Mobil Industrial Lubricants, one can take advantage
Proven Field Performance of cutting-edge lubricant technology, global expertise and a suite of
Thoroughly tested in field trials before commercialisation, Mobil industry products and services to help maximise the productivity of
lubricants and greases are extensively supported by builder wind turbines (see Figure 3).
© TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2009
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