One lubricant, plenty of options

Munich, May 2007 – Hitherto, the producers of wind power stations have had to use greases from a variety of manufacturers in order to meet the specific requirements of the various bearings involved. This was necessitated by the different rpms, stresses, sizes and functions of main, generator, azimuth and pitch bearings, and resulted in a high financial outlay for the operators concerned in terms of inventories and grease disposal procedures, plus of course the ever-present risk of getting them confused. The globally operating lubricants specialist Klüber Lubrication has now succeeded in creating a special base oil mixture and a carefully constituted package of additives to cover all the differentiated requirements of the individual bearing lubrication points using a single product. Klüberplex BEM 41-141, a specialty lubricant for highly stressed rolling and plain bearings, has been designed for

- main bearings, which with their low rpms are subjected to high stresses and vibrations,
- generator bearings, which have to cope with high rpms and high temperatures,
- pitch and azimuth bearings, which besides high stresses are also subjected to oscillating movements and vibration.

“Klüberplex BEM 41-141 is in no way a compromise. This specialty grease meets and exceeds all the current requirements specified by the OEMs for bearings and wind power stations, and by the operators as well”, explains Peter Mages, Industry Group Manager at Klüber Lubrication München KG.

The wide duty temperature range, good delivery and dosing capabilities in central lubrication systems, and the equally good grease distribution and oil release ensure trouble-free operation of the wind power stations involved. High wear protection even under vibrations extends the bearings’ useful lifetime. Klüberplex BEM 41-141 also prevents costly standstill damage. Taken overall, the number of necessary standstills is reduced, for a perceptible increase in productivity levels. Moreover, repair and spare-part costs for the operator are downsized, as are the costs for disposing of used greases. The new lubricant possesses good elastomer-compatibility with seal materials in common use and mixes excellently with other greases, which makes lubricant change-overs a whole lot easier.