LTZC Slewing Bearings Enhance Performance in wind turbine bearing application

1. Challenges Facing the Wind Energy Industry

Wind energy, as one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources globally, has become a key approach for many countries to address climate change and increasing energy demand. Particularly in the offshore wind power sector, with the increase in turbine power output and the expansion of wind farms, wind power equipment faces higher demands for high-performance and reliable core components. As a critical rotating component, the slewing bearing is playing an increasingly important role in wind turbines.

The slewing bearing bears the main load of the wind turbine, needing to withstand not only extremely high radial loads but also continuous axial loads. Offshore wind turbines face harsh environmental conditions such as salt spray corrosion, high loads, and high vibrations; therefore, the durability, load-bearing capacity, and corrosion resistance of the slewing bearing are crucial to the overall performance of the turbine.

A leading European wind power company is facing repeated shutdowns and abnormal noises in the slewing bearings of its offshore wind farms. Due to the insufficient durability of the original bearing system, frequent maintenance has led to a significant increase in operating costs, while also affecting the normal operation of the equipment and energy output. To improve the overall performance of the equipment, reduce maintenance costs, and extend its service life, the company urgently needs to find a solution suitable for extreme marine environments.

2. Challenges: Problems Faced by the Customer

This customer faces several major challenges in their offshore wind power project:

Salt Spray Corrosion and Environmental Stress: The unique environmental conditions of offshore wind farms, including high humidity, salt spray, strong winds, seawater corrosion, and impact, pose significant challenges to the turbine slewing bearings. Traditional slewing bearings are ineffective against seawater corrosion, leading to frequent bearing failures and equipment downtime.

High Load Requirements: As wind turbine power and size increase, turbines need to withstand more stringent load conditions. Especially under conditions of high wind speeds and extremely strong winds, bearings must be able to handle ultra-high loads and maintain stable operation.

Wear During Long-Term Operation: Under continuous rotation and high loads, the friction and wear experienced by the slewing bearings and other components lead to shortened bearing life. Friction between the rolling elements and raceways, along with frequent replacements and maintenance, increases operating costs.

The Need to Improve Economic Efficiency: Due to frequent repairs and replacements, the customer faces extremely high maintenance costs, which also affects the turbine's continuous power generation capacity. Therefore, reducing maintenance frequency and extending equipment life has become the customer's primary objective.

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3. Solution: How LTZC's Products Meet the Needs

To address the specific needs of its customers, LTZC offers a completely new slewing bearing solution to meet the operational requirements of its offshore wind farms. Through a deep understanding of the customer's specific challenges, LTZC has tailored an innovative slewing bearing with the following features:

High Load Capacity Design: Utilizing a double-row ball structure and reinforced contact surfaces, the slewing bearing can withstand extremely high radial and axial loads. This design effectively distributes the load, improves load capacity, and ensures stable turbine operation in strong wind environments.

Corrosion-Resistant Materials and Coating Technology: Combining LTZC's advanced materials technology, specialized anti-salt spray corrosion coatings and stainless steel materials, such as PTEE composite coatings, zinc-chromium coatings, and hard chrome coatings, enhance the slewing bearing's corrosion resistance. Even in offshore environments, the bearing maintains long-term stability and durability.

Precision Machining and High Durability: LTZC employs advanced CNC precision machining technology with accuracy grades ranging from P0 to P5, ensuring that each component of the slewing bearing has highly accurate dimensions and shape. This not only ensures smooth rotational performance but also significantly reduces friction and wear, extending bearing life.

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Customized Design: Based on customer needs and the specific operating conditions of the wind turbine, LTZC offers a variety of customized slewing bearing solutions. From dimensions and load capacity to material selection, everything is tailored to the specific project to ensure a perfect match with customer requirements.

Installation and Maintenance Guidance: LTZC's slewing bearings feature a modular design, simplifying installation and maintenance. LTZC also provides bearing maintenance and installation technical guidance, allowing customers to complete installation and commissioning in a shorter time, reducing downtime and operational complexity.

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4. Implementation Process: Delivery and Installation

LTZC not only provides high-quality slewing bearing products but also offers comprehensive technical support and services. From initial design to installation and commissioning, every step is meticulously planned and executed.

Design and Engineering Support: At the beginning of the project, LTZC's engineering team works closely with the client to analyze the wind farm's operating environment, load requirements, and expected service life. Based on this data, LTZC provides precise bearing designs and optimizes the design using advanced calculation and simulation tools.

Manufacturing and Quality Control: LTZC's slewing bearings are manufactured under strict quality control. All products undergo high-precision machining and multiple rounds of testing to ensure that each component meets international standards. All bearing components undergo multiple tests before leaving the factory, including corrosion resistance, load-bearing capacity, and precision. LTZC products are certified by ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, CCS, BV, and ABS.

On-site Installation and Commissioning: LTZC dispatches a professional technical team to the site to assist clients in the installation and commissioning of the slewing ring bearings. The entire installation process was efficient and precise, ensuring the bearing could be quickly put into operation and perform at its best.

Maintenance and After-Sales Service: To ensure the stability of the slewing bearing during long-term operation, LTZC provides comprehensive after-sales service, including regular inspections, technical support, and remote monitoring. Customers can monitor the bearing's operating status in real time, promptly identify and address potential problems.

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5. Results and Outcomes: Benefits Received by the Customer

Since the deployment of LTZC slewing bearings, the customer's offshore wind power projects have achieved significant results in several areas:

Improved Turbine Efficiency: After using LTZC slewing bearings, the overall operating efficiency of the customer's wind turbines has increased by approximately 18%. Due to the high-precision design of the bearings, mechanical losses and energy consumption of the turbines have been significantly reduced.

Reduced Maintenance and Replacement Costs: The new slewing bearing system not only improves equipment stability but also reduces the frequency of customer maintenance by more than 40%, saving substantial operating costs.

Extended Equipment Lifespan: The bearings provided by LTZC undergo rigorous durability testing and can withstand prolonged high-load operation, significantly reducing the customer's wind turbine downtime and extending the overall lifespan of the equipment.

Enhanced Customer Confidence: The customer expressed high satisfaction with the products and technical support provided by LTZC and indicated that they will continue to choose LTZC slewing bearings for future wind power projects and recommend them to other industry partners.

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6. Conclusion: Summary and Future Outlook

By providing customers with customized, durable, and efficient slewing bearing solutions, LTZC has successfully helped them solve the problem of frequent bearing failures in offshore wind farms, improving the overall performance and economic efficiency of turbines. With the continued development of the wind power industry, LTZC will continue to drive technological innovation and product optimization to meet ever-changing market demands.

In the future, LTZC plans to further expand its influence in the global wind power market, providing more customers with efficient and reliable bearing solutions. At the same time, we look forward to collaborating with more industry leaders to jointly promote the realization and development of global renewable energy.

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