The cost of scheduled maintenance for wind turbines has been relatively low. However, unscheduled maintenance is a completely different story. Until recently the turbine manufacturer’s warranty has covered unscheduled maintenance and repair costs. But that’s changing as a large number of turbines come off warranty and U.S. installations increase. These trends have triggered demand for turbines with longer-lasting components and warranty periods that extend to seven years—rather than the two to five years most currently offer.
Component Failures
Vibration contributes to hydraulic component failures in wind turbines. Other causes of failure include environmental factors, such as extreme heat and cold, and corrosion in offshore installations. Hydraulic fittings used in a turbine’s many high-pressure hydraulic applications have the ability to overcome these failure modes, though they are often overlooked in the design phase. Typical high-pressure connections are located in pitch, yaw, and braking systems. Fittings are also used in gearbox lubrication systems to transfer fluids for filtration.
