A systems engineering approach to find the solution of the lubricant compromise for the wind turbine gear box

Abstract

Recent advancements in the field of systems engineering has broadened the horizon of its applications in handling complex systems. In the author’s previous work it has been shown that the low reliability and maintainability of the wind turbine is caused by mismatch of the viscosity requirement by different components inside the gear box. The paper explores implementation of systems engineering for finding the solution to lubricant compromise problem in the gear box of the horizontal axis wind turbine. Systems engineering has extensively been used for meet the challenges of the present time. The relevant data needed for the present study has been collected by interviews conducted in wind turbine industry and reported literature. The results of data analysis are the relative weights of the design dependent parameters that if met can solve the lubricant compromise solution. The paper concluldedthat the two casing wind turbine gear box is an optimal solution to the lubricant compromise as it fulfils the viscosity compromise of the gear box with the controlled change in the functionality of the system. The study also highlighted that application of systems engineering approach can be used to effectively solve various industrial problems in energy sector