Hydraulic Equipment for Wind Turbine Maintenance
Hydraulic equipment is used in several important roles for wind turbine maintenance, including fastening, tensioning, assembly and disassembly. Without hydraulics, it’s impossible to keep a fleet of wind turbines up and running, and to do so, the following hydraulic equipment is essential:
- Hydraulic pumps
- Hydraulic torque wrenches
- Hydraulic nut splitters
These tools give maintenance crews the capabilities they need to maintain wind turbines, but the tools themselves require maintenance as well. Here, we’ll review what each hydraulic tool does for wind turbine maintenance teams, as well as what operators can do to keep their hydraulic pumps, torque wrenches and nut splitters in good operating condition.
Hydraulic Pumps Provide the Power for Wind Turbine Maintenance
Hydraulic pumps provide needed fluid power to your other hydraulic tools and are responsible for ensuring your maintenance operations stay online. When selecting a hydraulic pump for wind turbine maintenance, make sure the pump can deliver needed levels of flow and torque to your hydraulic torque wrenches, nut splitter and hydraulic cylinders (if any are in use).
Other properties to look for in a hydraulic pump are mobility and weight, durable construction and reliability.
The key to efficient wind turbine maintenance is ensuring your hydraulic pumps remain in good operating condition. Recommended hydraulic pump maintenance includes:
- Cleaning the hydraulic pump regularly – Contamination is the leading cause of hydraulic system failures. Whether it’s dirt or water, contamination is responsible for more than 90 percent of failures that cause downtime.
The first step in preventing contamination is keeping your hydraulic pumps and accessories clean, including hydraulic hoses, valves, manifolds and other hydraulic tools. The hydraulic pump’s body, drive shaft and couplings should receive the most attention, but the pump’s reservoir also needs the occasional cleaning. Wipe down all inside surfaces using a mild solvent. - Track equipment usage and service intervals – Hydraulic pumps perform reliably when they are kept on the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. Typical service intervals are around 10,000 hours, and during this interval, the hydraulic pump should receive a full, in-depth inspection that will likely involve disassembly and reassembly. As such, service should be provided by an experienced hydraulic equipment technician to prevent contamination from being introduced into the system during inspection.
Your operator teams should record the usage of the hydraulic pump to ensure it is serviced on time. Some firms use paper to track this usage, while others rely on equipment tracking software to do so. Either method will work if your teams are committed to the process. - Know the signs of impending hydraulic pump failure – Hydraulic pumps normally indicate distress before they fail outright. If your operators are tuned into these signs, they can respond immediately and protect your hydraulic pumps before they experience extended downtime.
Signs to watch for include contamination in the hydraulic pump’s fluid (look for sediment or fluid that appears “milky”), unusual operating sounds (banging, grinding, gurgling and whining are most common), overheating hydraulic pump components (be sure to check all valves and the system’s heat exchanger), unusual odors and either a loss of power or inconsistent power delivery. If any of these troubling signs are present, it’s highly recommended that the hydraulic pump be shut down and given a full inspection before operating it again
Hydraulic Torque Wrenches: Critical for Fastening Applications During Wind Turbine Maintenance
Hydraulic torque wrenches convert fluid power from the hydraulic pump into extreme amounts of torque – perfect for fastening during wind turbine maintenance. When selecting a hydraulic torque wrench for wind turbine maintenance, consider whether your operators will be facing tight, low profile work conditions. A low-profile torque wrench is appropriate if tight spaces are expected. Pick a hydraulic torque wrench that is also built for high-cycle operation.
Hydraulic torque wrenches operate best when they’re provided consistent maintenance that includes the following:
- Clean the hydraulic torque wrench and its components regularly – If your operators are comfortable with opening the torque wrench body and performing deeper maintenance, it’s a good idea to frequently clean the wrench body, drive shaft, button assembly, housing guard, drive shoe, ratchet assembly and compression springs. Following a cleaning, lubricate the inside plates, drive shoe, square drive, ratchet lever and button assembly.
- Tighten all retaining hardware – The hardware that connected the hydraulic torque wrench’s body and swivel head together may loosen with frequent cycling. Verify that they are adequately tightened prior to servicing wind turbines.
- Check for any hydraulic leaks – Occasionally, pressurize the hydraulic torque wrench to verify that the tool isn’t leaking hydraulic fluid. If any fluid residue does appear on the torque wrench, it should be given a full inspection, and the hydraulic fluid should be checked for contamination.
Hydraulic Nut Splitters: Precision Power when Fasteners Won’t Budge
Hydraulic nut splitters are needed when a fastener won’t break with torque alone, which is a common issue that wind turbine maintenance personnel face in the field. The right hydraulic nut splitter for your applications will be sized for the fasteners your maintenance teams are most likely to face. Further, they should be solidly built to handle repeated force delivery.
To ensure your hydraulic nut splitters do their job reliably, they need the occasional round of maintenance as well. This maintenance is centered on the cutting wedge, which may dull with long-term use. When needed, the wedge should be changed out to maintain splitting force.
Effective Wind Turbine Maintenance Requires Reliable Hydraulic Equipment
Hydraulic pumps, torque wrenches and nut splitters are critical tools for your wind turbine maintenance teams, and equipment failures in the field are unacceptable. To ensure costly downtime doesn’t delay needed turbine service, consider partnering with an experienced hydraulic equipment technician to protect your valuable equipment assets.
With an expert hydraulic equipment partner, your hydraulic pumps and tools will be serviced on time, given detailed inspections and promptly repaired (or components replaced) as soon as troubling signs emerge. That way, your wind turbine maintenance teams will have full trust in their hydraulic tools.