Fill-For-Life: Wind’s new Standard?

As demand for wind energy intensifies, turbine reliability and efficiency are paramount. In this context, lubrication plays a vital - yet often underestimated - role. Over the years, lubrication technology has been an important problem-solver for the industry. From preventing micro-pitting, to enhancing cold-temperature fluidity and resisting white etching cracks, lubrication formulators have continually met the evolving demands of wind power. And now, as extending oil drain intervals becomes increasingly integral to productivity and cost management, we're on the cusp of another breakthrough: “lifetime lubrication”.

Exxon Mobil’s Michael L. Blumenfeld has been one of the team working on an advanced new formulation and “top-treat” package, engineered (and DNV-certified) to offer protection and performance for the lifetime of the turbine. He advocates for a new approach, where wind turbine gear oils are viewed as valuable, enduring assets – to be maintained alongside the equipment itself.

As wind energy demand intensifies, turbine reliability is increasingly critical. Gearbox performance is a major driver both of operational costs and overall efficiency. This is where lubrication plays a pivotal, but often undervalued, role, and a recent breakthrough is poised to revolutionize oil service life and maintenance plans.

History of Problem-Solving

Every moving component in a wind turbine relies on lubricants to reduce friction, dissipate heat and prevent wear. Since the industry’s inception, advanced lubricants have been pivotal in solving key mechanical challenges. Initially, standard industrial gear oils were the norm. However, the transition to megawatt-class turbines in the 1990s necessitated specialised lubricants to prevent the micro-pitting that was threatening gear life. Later, in the 2000s, installations in cold climates prompted the need for high-viscosity index basestocks with improved low temperature fluidity. This spurred the creation of metallocene catalysed PAO (mPAO), now the industry standard. A decade on, the emergence of white etching cracking (WEC) drove intensive R&D to identify and prevent lubricant-related causes, culminating in formulations engineered to not contribute to the phenomenon.

Wind turbines really are the ultimate challenge in lubricant formulation - operating in remote and extreme conditions, with a myriad of moving parts demanding precise lubrication. For the lubrication industry, this has meant adjusting to staggering torque demands (measured in millions of Newton Meters in a turbine vs hundreds for a passenger car engine) and the need for advanced durability. Throughout this process, close collaboration between lubrication chemists and engineers and OEM design teams has been crucial, as we collectively strived to extend equipment lifespan and simplify maintenance processes. Despite the obvious differences between the industries, lubrication companies like mine have been able to draw from our expertise in sectors like automotive to craft solutions tailored to the challenges of wind energy.

The Quest for Longer ODIs

Today, much like the automotive industry, extending oil drain intervals (ODIs) is a key ambition for wind operators, OEMs, and lubrication manufacturers. With stiff competition from other energy sources, efficiency is critical to extracting every electron from a wind turbine - at the lowest possible cost and in an environmentally responsible manner. Extended ODIs can help reduce service frequency, safety risks and costs while generating less used oil. Significant advances have been made in this area: leading manufacturers have progressed from wind turbine gear oils with a three-to-five-year lifespan two decades ago to products with a ten-year warranty a decade later. This leap forward represents a huge cost and time saving, allowing operators’ maintenance teams to prioritise higher-value tasks that keep turbines running efficiently and profitably. As we look ahead, the pressing question is: how long can a wind turbine gear oil truly last?

Pioneering ‘Lifetime Lubrication’

In line with the requirements of leading turbine OEMs and owner operators, we now view wind turbine gear oil in a completely different way. Traditionally, it was seen as a disposable component, replaced periodically. We’re advocating an approach that treats lubricants as valuable assets – to be maintained alongside the equipment itself. This shift involves introducing specialized additives, known as "top-treats," to rejuvenate the gear oil over time. By supplementing durable base stocks with these performance-enhancing "vitamins," we can significantly extend the lubricant's lifespan. And so, instead of transporting cumbersome oil drums for expensive and time-consuming replacements, technicians can use small bottles of a top-treat such as Mobil Xtra WT. It’s an innovation that has been a decade in development, with detailed analysis of thousands of oils that have been replaced in the field, and one that I truly believe is poised to revolutionize turbine maintenance.

DNV-certified to achieve more with less

Returning to my earlier question, I am thrilled that, today, we have a solution that can match the lifespan of your turbine. Following over six years of research, accelerated life testing, and optimization, we’ve been able to develop a product and top-treats package that offers performance and protection for the equipment’s lifetime. To validate this, we’ve been through a rigorous DNV audit, with Mobil SHC™ Gear 320 WindPower receiving certifications for lifetime lubrication (DE-DNV-SE-0074-10516) and WEC resistance (DE-DNV-SE-0074-11037). This innovation not only helps reduce operational and maintenance costs, but also has the potential to cut oil usage and waste. By offering lifetime ODI capability, the product can deliver an estimated 80% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared to a product with an ODI of five years .

Innovation

When we finally hit the ceiling of what’s possible for a wind turbine power-wise, only its internal components will be able to help extract more power and value. With this in mind, the industry's focus on reducing costs and waste while ensuring profitability very much aligns with advanced lubrication solutions with the potential to enhance maintenance efficiency. Collaboration between OEMs and component suppliers remains essential to ensure compatibility and synergy among the materials used in turbines, preventing unexpected failures. Organisations such as APQP4Wind are also playing a vital role in quality standardisation and process simplification, ensuring consistent standards across the industry.

Unlocking Future Potential

The future of wind energy hinges on the drive to innovate beyond traditional boundaries. Within this, lubrication technology deserves a strong emphasis, given its historical problem-solving role. I would urge OEMs and operators to demand more from their lubrication suppliers, challenging them to provide cutting-edge technology and support in solving emerging operational challenges. By following the example set by the automotive sector, the wind industry has the opportunity to revolutionize maintenance efficiency by embracing the fundamental role of advanced oils and greases, and prioritising collaboration. By inspiring and adopting lubrication breakthroughs, we can collectively push the boundaries of turbine efficiency, lower costs and solidify the future of wind energy as a reliable and cost-effective source of renewable energy for future generations.