Analysis of the Possibilities of High Speed Shaft Bearing System Durability Increase

Abstract

During the operation of wind turbines with a gearbox of traditional configuration, a high failure rate of high-speed shaft bearings is observed. Such a high failures frequency is not reflected in standard bearing durability calculation methods, which can be attributed to atypical failure mechanism. To avoid observed problems in the 1.5 MW wind turbine, the modification of the existing bearing system is proposed. Multiple options, utilizing various bearing types were investigated. Different versions were examined for a potential durability increase, the extent of necessary design modifications, and possibility of solving existing problems in operation.