Online oil analysis techniques bring great value to users in reliability programs and cost minimization, however, when combined with offline oil analysis, a synergistic relationship is formed and wind turbine operators and owners are able to get more value out of the combined solutions than they would be able to get out of either one separately.
One example that showcases the value in this relationship is the ability to minimize borescope cost and usage through preliminary detection by online oil wear debris sensors. Given the fact that that extensive use of a borescope on wind turbine gearboxes is extremely extensive and does not have consistent quality and results between teams, minimizing their usage through the addition of Poseidon’s Trident DM4500 Wear Debris sensors is extremely helpful for a business.
In this specific example, Poseidon’s sensors were able to identify 7 turbines that sufficient abnormal wear generation patterns to need a borescope to further confirm faults. This means that the operators only had to borescope these 7 turbines rather than all 30 on the site, which resulted in significant cost and time savings. Furthermore, since the borescope team had less turbines to inspect, they were able to spend more time on each gearbox and improve borescope quality to provide better results. These results can be seen in the table on the left.
The borescopes were able to confirm 5 faults, previously undetected by vibration, based on wear debris patterns which enabled the operator to file extra warranty claims that would have been missed by vibration analysis and standard borescoping programs alone.
As you can see in the example above, there is great value in utilizing a combination of offline and online oil analysis techniques. Poseidon’s sensors seamlessly work into existing operations and will help with optimizing operations immediately upon installation. When combined, online oil analysis and offline oil analysis provide the most thorough indication of oil quality as possible enabling you to make the best and most cost effective decisions regarding your asset’s health.
To learn more about the reducing borescope costs through online wear debris monitoring, download our case study on the subject here!