LogiLube and Flender Corporation have signed a collaboration agreement to test the SmartGear condition monitoring technology platform on a Winergy gearbox for a GE 1.5MW wind turbine. The proof of concept tests are taking place at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado where Winergy has installed a gearbox specifically instrumented with measurement equipment to evaluate advanced drivetrain technologies under a 12-month Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).
Under real operational conditions, the test will validate the SmartGear platform’s capability to provide in-line, real-time oil condition monitoring for wind turbine systems. The automated in-service oil sample collection process is coupled with LogiLube's SmartLab mobile application comprising a full suite of tracking and reporting tools. Both, Winergy and LogiLube expect that the central processing of dozens of parameters by the onboard mounted edge-processor will allow real-time analysis and reporting without interrupting run-time of the turbine. Particle count and size, water contamination, oil viscosity and the presence of aerated (foamed) oil are but a few of the critical parameters monitored in real-time by the system. Proprietary algorithms are edge processed and the results are transmitted wirelessly every 30 seconds to a secure client accessible web-based dashboard, providing actionable intelligence. Additionally, LogiLube will be using their SmartData platform and remote app servers to analyse the real-time data from the NREL test.
