Six years ago, ZF Wind Power took the challenge to set the benchmark in the industry pioneering wind gearboxes to power the new giants of the sea. The project started with an early cooperation between the customer and ZF with one main focus: reliability. Dr. Dirk Strasser, Manager Wind Gearbox Design at ZF Wind Power, Witten, shares his reflections with PES, on the project from an engineering perspective and points out the resultant benefit for the customer..
Development projects for the wind industry usually are characterised by short development times and gearboxes developed to specification. The 8 MW development started with a different focus. A reliable drivetrain at competitive costs was the objective, with reliability being recognised as one of the most important contributors to the turbine’s competitiveness.
Before starting detail design, ZF cooperated closely with the customer in order to cover all gearbox requirements in the interface specifications. This means, on the one hand, a sound mechanical design on the rotor side, delivering a mechanical torque of minimum 8,000 kNm whilst keeping parasitic loads small, and on the other hand, meeting mechanical and electrical requirements on the generator side prescribed by the integrated drivetrain layout.
