Energy costs are high, and the quest or renewable energy has never been more important. Parker & Sons, Arizona’s premier supplier of quality HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service, has long supported the efforts to improve renewable energy sources. Parker & Sons also proudly supports energy efficient appliances. Wind power has long been used as a source of renewable energy. Parker & Sons speaks on a recent discovery from Argonne National Laboratory, which has the potential to vastly improve wind power.
Wind turbine drivetrains are subject to high levels of stress and strain. This causes component parts such as actuators, bearings, and gears to fail over time. The necessity for replacements and repairs greatly raises the operating costs of wind turbines. A frequent cause for failure is micropitting resulting from the repeated rolling and sliding of the gears and bearings within a turbine.
Argonne National Laboratory’s Tribology and Thermal-Mechanics Section all with the Surface and Lubrication Interaction, Discovery and Engineering Initiative (SLIDE), discovered that the application of a “diamond-like” lubricating coating to wind turbine components may lessen or eliminate wear and tear from micropitting.
Under testing conditions, application of the coating appears to be effective.
“We don’t yet understand the exact mechanism,” said Ali Erdemir, a Distinguished Fellow at Argonne. “The general belief is that component wear life extension requires a much harder coating, as more hardness reduces wear. But in this case, the coating has less hardness than the base steel, so conventional thought doesn’t apply.”
If the application of the coating, currently named N3FC, can indeed extend the life of the component parts within a wind turbine, it could potential result in millions of dollars of savings in maintenance costs.
“Anything that can make renewable energy more affordable is very exciting. Wind turbines already produce renewable, clean energy, but they don’t always do so cost effectively. It sounds like this could really change things. I am excited to see what happens next,” said Josh Kelly of Parker & Sons.