Wind Turbine Oil Leaks

[oil pan 4]

Yes capacity factor of 30% can make it easily take 8 to 10 years to pay off.
There is a disproportionately huge difference between wind turbines that run at 30% vs nearly 50% capacity factor.
Once you get down to 20% capacity factor they won't even pay for them selves, unless they're on state land, get a sweetheart lease deal, tons of tax breaks subsidies and essentially a free grid connection.

 

[4WD]

Worked with a few former wind turbine guys that transitioned into transmission operations. All stated the gearboxes will leak up to 25 gallons/day per unit. Not an uncommon occurrence.

Hopefully most of that internal to some catch area …

 

[OVERKILL]

Yes capacity factor of 30% can make it easily take 8 to 10 years to pay off.
There is a disproportionately huge difference between wind turbines that run at 30% vs nearly 50% capacity factor.
Once you get down to 20% capacity factor they won't even pay for them selves, unless they're on state land, get a sweetheart lease deal, tons of tax breaks subsidies and essentially a free grid connection.

Here is Ontario:

Now, interestingly, this is some historical performance from Nova Scotia (one of the windiest places in Canada, right on the Atlantic east coast):

Very harsh salt environment (just like the PEI project I referenced earlier).

 

[4WD]

The first one here went in mixed with cattle - what’s being built now is on farm land - I don’t think they are going to put up with much for oil leaks …

 

[oil pan 4]

Here is Ontario:
View attachment 178427

Now, interestingly, this is some historical performance from Nova Scotia (one of the windiest places in Canada, right on the Atlantic east coast):
View attachment 178428

Very harsh salt environment (just like the PEI project I referenced earlier).

Salt environment isn't going to do them any favors. Especially with them over the water versions.

 

[MSCH]

any of you know anyone who works on jet aircraft will know turbines leak oil.

 

[MVAR]

Hopefully most of that internal to some catch area …

I'm not sure how much stays inside the unit. They did say that the droplets create a "mist" that does cover the ground. I never understood how they were allowed to spill so much oil. At either the combustion or steam turbine facilities I used to work at, that would have been reportable. Then again, PV & Wind plants weren't required to support the reactive(VAR) needs of the BES when they were forced through in CA either . You never see shunt capacitors or shunt reactors or SVC's installed with those facilities until just recently & from experience, we weren't allowed to call on them for voltage support.

 

[4WD]

I'm not sure how much stays inside the unit. They did say that the droplets create a "mist" that does cover the ground. I never understood how they were allowed to spill so much oil. At either the combustion or steam turbine facilities I used to work at, that would have been reportable. Then again, PV & Wind plants weren't required to support the reactive(VAR) needs of the BES when they were forced through in CA either . You never see shunt capacitors or shunt reactors or SVC's installed with those facilities until just recently & from experience, we weren't allowed to call on them for voltage support.

That does not sound great for offshore wind - or do they use rapeseed oil ?

 

[nomas]

any of you know anyone who works on jet aircraft will know turbines leak oil.

There are no jet engines in a wind turbine ...

 

[andrew_j]

Here is Ontario:
View attachment 178427

Now, interestingly, this is some historical performance from Nova Scotia (one of the windiest places in Canada, right on the Atlantic east coast):
View attachment 178428

Very harsh salt environment (just like the PEI project I referenced earlier).

What does any of that have to do with brown stains asked about ?

 

[OVERKILL]

What does any of that have to do with brown stains asked about ?

The question was:

Does anyone know what normally fails on this kind of machinery?

The capacity factor graph (Ontario) was in response to @oil pan 4's comments on that subject. The other two, the PEI wind turbine failures, directly addresses the original query, as well as mentioning that the environment (in the case of PEI and Nova Scotia, both examples given, salt) can play a significant role in how fast these components fail.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

They seem to get more and more prone to catching fire as they age, we've had two go up so far this year.
View attachment 178263
View attachment 178264

Gee that thing really cut down on the carbon footprint of the previous power source, didn’t it?

 

[MVAR]

That does not sound great for offshore wind - or do they use rapeseed oil ?

I’ve been curious about offshore facilities as well

 

[MSCH]

There are no jet engines in a wind turbine ...

no there aren't... but the similarities are there. and the oil.

 

[SuperSalad]

no there aren't... but the similarities are there. and the oil.

But this isn't turbine oil, it's gear oil for the gearbox. A wind 'turbine' isn't lubed like a jet engine turbine is.

 

[4WD]

But this isn't turbine oil, it's gear oil for the gearbox. A wind 'turbine' isn't lubed like a jet engine turbine is.

Whole market in specialty lubes … Pretty tough service in reality… Not a great location for repairs

 

[SHOZ]

Don't they have to use biodegradable lubes in wind turbines?

 

[Vil_Riker]

the installers got the state and federal subsidies and will let these things die a slow death and then just go bankrupt leaving the disposal costs to the taxpayers. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a sizable mafia presence in these renewable deals, it's just too easy to rig the system with the government hysteria about wind power.

 

[SHOZ]

the installers got the state and federal subsidies and will let these things die a slow death and then just go bankrupt leaving the disposal costs to the taxpayers. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a sizable mafia presence in these renewable deals, it's just too easy to rig the system with the government hysteria about wind power.

In Illinois the local county zoning was in charge of the rules on siting and such. They took that away last year as some counties were not going along with e green program. But they use to require a bond to be put up for end of life disposal. This changed to required cash up front for my county. That incudes pulling the foundations out. That being said we are mostly a farming county and they discourage solar and windfarms.

 

[Exhaustgases]

That does not sound great for offshore wind - or do they use rapeseed oil ?

I don't think highly loaded gearing would fare well with rapeseed oil, it would be more like oil used in differentials and heavy truck transmissions.