Monitoring the filling level of lubricant in a bearing
AssigneeSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
InventorTroels Kildemoes Moeller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of monitoring the amount of lubricant inside a bearing of a wind turbine is provided. The bearing includes a lubricant for reducing wear and fatigue of the bearing, a seal for minimizing the amount of lubricant which is leaking out of the bearing, a ventilation device with at least one pressure compensation hole for enabling a pressure compensation between the sealed bearing and the ambient, and a lubricant drain hole for enabling lubricant to exit the bearing in a controlled manner. The method includes the steps of blowing a compressed medium through the pressure compensation hole into the bearing; measuring the pressure inside the bearing; and determining the amount of lubricant inside the bearing based on the measured pressure.
Claims13
A method of monitoring the amount of lubricant inside a bearing of a wind turbine,
- wherein the bearing comprises:
- a lubricant for reducing wear and fatigue of the bearing,
- a seal for minimizing the amount of lubricant which is leaking out of the bearing,
- a ventilation device with at least one pressure compensation hole for enabling a pressure compensation between the sealed bearing and the ambient, and
- a lubricant drain hole for enabling lubricant to exit the bearing in a controlled manner, and
- wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- blowing into the bearing a predetermined amount of a compressed medium through the pressure compensation hole,
- measuring the pressure inside the bearing, and
- determining the amount of lubricant inside the bearing based on the measured pressure.
A bearing of a wind turbine, wherein the bearing comprises
- a lubricant for reducing wear and fatigue of the bearing,
- a seal for minimizing the amount of lubricant which is leaking out of the bearing, and
- a ventilation device with at least one pressure compensation hole for enabling a pressure compensation between the sealed bearing and the ambient,
- wherein the ventilation device further comprises a compressor unit, which is connected with the pressure compensation hole such that a predetermined amount of a compressed medium can be selectively blown through the pressure compensation hole into the bearing,
- wherein the ventilation device further comprises a pressure transducer for measuring the pressure inside the bearing,
- wherein the measured pressure is used to determine an amount of lubricant in the bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.