The influence of journal bearings on the gearbox dynamics of a 5 MW wind turbine drivetrain

Abstract

In recent years, journal bearings have been replacing roller bearings in wind turbine gearboxes, as they are believed to provide higher reliability compared with roller bearings. However, replacing roller bearings with journal bearings can drastically change the gearbox dynamics. Journal bearings have complex dynamics at different operating speeds, and, as a wind turbine operates at various speeds, it is vital to analyze the gearbox dynamics for the entire speed range. This contribution presents the dynamic response of a wind turbine gearbox when the roller bearings of the high-speed shaft are replaced with journal bearings. This is done by performing a comparative case study using a detailed multibody simulation (MBS) model of a 5 MW reference wind turbine drivetrain. A dynamic model of the journal bearings, developed in Simulink, is dynamically coupled with the 5 MW drivetrain MBS model using co-simulation. The simulation results for the gearbox vibration as well as gear forces are compared with the simulation results of the drivetrain model with roller bearings. The findings from this work will help in clarifying the advantages (or disadvantages) of using journal bearings instead of roller bearings in wind turbine gearboxes.