NSK Keeps Micro Wind Farm Cost Effective
Sustainability is one of the hottest topics in the world right now. From Nigeria to Sweden to Korea, people, organisations and governments are looking for ways to operate more sustainably and to cause less damage to the environment. One of the most promising areas to be explored thus far is wind power, so what a tragedy it would be if an entire wind farm ended up being shut down due to the prohibitive costs of the bearings needed to turn the turbines…
As awful as that sounds, that was the exact situation facing one company NSK worked with. A micro wind turbine project was in danger of being shelved unless purchasing and manufacturing costs were drastically reduced. With bearings being a significant cost, the company behind the project approached NSK and asked if there was anything we could do to help keep the initiative alive.
Our team of highly qualified engineers immediately went to work and, after careful examination of the plan, identified several areas in the machine design which could be modified to allow for a more cost-effective bearing arrangement to be deployed. Specific improvements made as a result included replacing one single row angular contact ball bearing combined with a single row radial ball bearing on the main shaft, charged with regular grease - with two single row radial ball bearings, charged with long life grease.
Some key features of the new product included steel cages, higher load ratings, optimised internal design and bigger rolling elements. The bearings, which are available with shield and seal options, are interchangeable with standard Deep Groove Ball Bearings and can be downsized if necessary.
‘It would have been a catastrophe if they had held back such a worthy project here. We’re delighted to have played our part in helping things to proceed.’
Klaus Sausele, NSK Sector Manager for Wind.
The company behind the project duly made the switch and were delighted with the result. A subsequent Justification Report, which provided calculations on bearing and grease life, showed that the new set up improved bearing performance, reliability and lifespan (which was extended from 200,000 hours to 224,000 hours) as well as allowing for a much simpler and streamlined assembly process. The total savings were in excess of €337,000, enough to allow the project to proceed.
‘Bearings are integral to many of the world’s most amazing applications,’ says Klaus Sausele, NSK’s Sector Manager for Wind. ‘It would have been a catastrophe if they had held back such a worthy project here. We’re delighted to have played our part in helping things to proceed.’
View our comprehensive collection of products including bearings, linear and automotive components. Stay in motion whilst maintaining control with NSK today.