SPM receives extended contracts for condition monitoring services in wind power

Swedish windpark owner Slättens Vind now extends its contracts for SPM’s condition monitoring service SPM Servicenet with an additional 1 to 3 years for four of its operating companies holding a total of ten Vestas and Kenersys wind turbines.

Slättens Vind currently monitors bearing condition in sixteen of its wind turbines using the multifunctional online system Intellinova Compact and the SPM HD measuring technique, especially suited for low RPM applications. Within the framework of the condition monitoring service, a number of bearing damages have so far been detected, enabling significant cost savings. One example is the bearing damage on an intermediate shaft in a gearbox that was recently identified in a turbine of type Vestas V90 in the Stenbrona wind farm. Condition measurements showed a rising trend and spectrum analysis indicated inner ring damage. The wind turbine was stopped pending inspection and using an inspection camera, cracks in the inner ring were revealed. Compared to scaling – which usually develops over a longer period of time – forewarning times for cracks in a bearing are relatively short, but thanks to online measurements monitored via SPM Servicenet, the damage was detected in time and a potential breakdown with costly secondary damages was thus avoided.

"Since the association initiated the installation of condition monitoring, it feels good now that we can see the benefits and have been able to avoid equipment breakdown", says Henrik Sjöberg at Slättens Wind.

Slättens Vind is an economic association that owns and operates wind farms. The production of environmentally friendly and renewable energy at the wind farms provides returns for its approximately 760 members and part-owners. The association today owns or co-owns twenty-six wind turbines, most of them located in southern Sweden.

Tomas Årman, Manager of Swedish Sales, comments on the extended agreements: "We are delighted to have the continued confidence of the members of Slättens Wind and its various operating companies to continue to monitor the mechanical condition of their wind turbines. We take this as evidence that we offer our customers a complete solution for increased reliability."