Abstract:
Two trends in the technical development of wind turbines have an impact on the design and reliability of pitch drives and blade bearings: 1) the continuing growth in turbine size and 2) the increase in pitch activity. At the same time, OEMs are under pressure to realize existing cost-saving potential. A higher degree of integration and targeted modularisation of components are seen as promising options. The Pitch Bearing Unit (PBU) provides the right answers to this as far as hubs and blade bearings are concerned.
Contents:
- New challenges due to ever larger wind turbines
- Lack of rigidity as a result of hubs that are too large
- Pitch-Bearing-Units and constructive variants
- Conical shape creates advantages
- Proof-of-concept study quantifies potential savings
- Examples