2011 WIND INDUSTRY in gERMany - Wind-Energy-Market

Production of gear teeth for a wind turbine gearboxEickhoff initiates projects together withits suppliers in order to develop a sharedunderstanding of quality. Working closelywith university institutions, the interactionsbetween the various components inthe drive train are explored to optimizetheir configuration and design. These findings,paired with our long-standing experiencein wind turbine construction, are thenapplied to the development of new projectsfor customers. Field trials are carried out onnewly developed gearbox prototypes underreal conditions at the customer‘s site.This process ensures that the best possiblegearbox solution is found for the drivetrain of a new turbine. Customers have adedicated contact person within the engineeringservice to deal with all technicaland organizational matters. Outside theusual business hours, customers can makeuse of a worldwide service hotline at anytime.The main focus is on ensuring the ongoingoperation of the wind turbines. Generally,the gearboxes can be directly repaired onthe tower. The experience that is gainedby the interdisciplinary group of expertsin turn encourages further developmentof new and series production gearboxes.The company’s service portfolio also comprisesall inspection and maintenanceoperations. In addition, customized servicepackages are made available upon request.The E-Goms system (Eickhoff GearboxOnline Monitoring System), certified in2004, is used for gearbox diagnostics.This system works on the basis of structure-bornenoise and torque measurementsand provides support to serviceengineers on site. In critical cases, therecorded data is transferred to specialistsat the Bochum diagnostics center fordetailed analysis.Gearbox rebuilds are carried out atthe parent company plant in Bochumand at the U.S. subsidiary in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. The rebuild teams alwaysinstall the latest improvements to theoriginal design right up to comprehensiveupgrades. If requested by customers,gearboxes of other brands are alsorepaired.In January 2009, production began of alarge series of gear components and gearboxparts for the EICOGEAR wind turbinegearbox series at the Eickhoff Wind PowerGmbH (EWP) facility.EICOGEAR wind turbine gearboxes are:long-living due to Eickhoffs high quality!robust due to the inherent safety margins!service-friendly due to Eickhoffs timelyresponse to the operational and maintenanceneeds of the plant!low-noise due to optimal gear teeth meshing!optimally lubricated due to specificoil-adapted designs!online due to E-GOMS communication!Wind industry in germany69