Romax Technology is working with E.ON Climate & Renewables to develop a joint programme to predict the life and maintenance needs of wind turbine driveline components.
Romax and E.ON have developed an Equivalent Operating Hours (EOH) programme to identify the remaining useful life of the most critical drivetrain components of wind turbines. Using predictive methods based on advanced algorithms, it then provides real-time forecast updates for the components' remaining life. The calculations incorporate parameters such as service history, local operating conditions and the effects of transient events. The programme started in 2010 as an innovation development project on one of E.ON's offshore wind farms. Its predictive maintenance models have been tested and after showing promising results, the EOH programme has been extended to a further two onshore and two offshore projects. It is now scheduled for completion in 2017.
