Wind Turbine Gearboxes

Summer School 2015
Wind Turbine Gearboxes
Restricted Siemens AG 2014 All rights reserved.
siemens.com/answers
Table of content
An appetizer
Drivetrain configurations
Gearbox configurations
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 2
2015-08-05
Atul Verma WP TE R&D
Table of content
An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 3
2015-08-05
An appetizer :
UpWind A 20MW turbine is feasible ?
Source : Upwind report March 2011
Page 4
2015-08-05
An appetizer :
UpWind A 20MW turbine is feasible ?
Source : Upwind report March 2011
Page 5
2015-08-05
Wind Turbine Markets segmentation
Page 6
2015-08-05
An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 7
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Conventional drivetrain layout (Siemens SWT-2.3-101)
Page 8
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Fig: Four point suspension
Fig: Direct coupling
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Used for power rating in

the range up to 2.5MW
Used for power rating in

the range of 3.0- 5.0MW
Fig: Three point suspension
The low speed input

shaft is bolted
directly to the hub
No main shaft.
Compact design
Used for power rating in the

range of 3.0MW or more
Source: http://www.windvision.com/en/page_frequently-asked-questions_278.aspx
Source: http://www.timken.com/en-us/solutions/windenergy/Pages/HybridWindTurbines.aspx
Fig: Direct Drive
Fig: Hybrid drive
http://machinedesign.com/energy/green-technology-inside-advanced-wind-turbine
Page 10
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Fig: Multiple generator drive
An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 11
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Gearbox Configurations
Helical gearboxes:
Power rating in the range of 50-600kW.
No of stages: 2 (i<25) or 3 (i>25), imax 6 per stage.
One piece housing (low centre distances->high stiffness).

Split housing- in the plane of the shafts.
HSS may be disassembled on site.
Source: ESS KissSoft- Wind Turbine gearbox es, concepts
Page 12
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One planetary + two helical stages:
Power rating in the range of 1.5- 2.0MW
Initially, spur gears were used in the planetary stage
Today, helical gears for low noise
Input on carrier/ Output on sun
Offset required
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One planetary + two helical stages (continued):
3rd stage (Helical)
100% of power flows through first planetary stage

Ring gear is part of casing, structure borne sound
Power output
Shrink disk to attach to main shaft
HSS (High speed shaft)
Usually three planets

Sun free to move, not directly connected to next
HS-IS (High speed intermediate shaft)
gear
Power input
LS-IS (Low speed intermediate shaft)

LSS (Low speed shaft)
PS (Planet shaft)
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1st stage (Planetary)
2nd stage (Helical)
Two planetary + one helical stage:
Module of first planetary stage approximately 1.5* module of second stage
Face width about 2*of second stage
First stage i=4.5, second stage i=5.5

Power range 2MW-5MW
i=1:100 (approximately)
Winergy 5MW: 63tons
Tnenn=4400kNm
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Source: Eickhoff, DMK03
Helical gear, also power-split
One/ Two planet stages +

One/ Two helical gear stages
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http://www.kisssoft.ch/english/downloads/KISSsys/Articles/docu_Wind_Turbine_Gearbox_Calculation.pdf
Planet stages with or without

Helical gear stages
(left: Wind Turbine/ Renk, right:
Multibrid/ Renk)
Planet coupled gearbox

(left: MAAG)
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Planet differential gearbox

(Bosch Rexroth)
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How planetary works?

Planet
Ring gear
Shrink Disc
Rotor Shaft
Sun
Pinion
Page 19
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Planet Carrier
Planetary- gear ratios
e.g.
Overall ratio: 91
Stage 1- planetary 5.7
Stage 2- Helical 3.8
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e.g.
Overall ratio: 120
Planetary calculation- simple planetary
Stationary
Driving
Driven
Revolutions
of S
Revolutions
of A
Revolutions of
P, around own
center
S/P
S/R
R/S
R/P
(R+S)/S
R/P
S/P
(R+S)/R
S/(R+S)
(S/(R+S))*(R/P)
R/(R+S)
(R/(R+S))*(S/P)
S and R
Revolutions
of R
Ring (R)
Planet (P)
Arm (A)
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Sun (S)
Note: Letters denote pitch

diameter or number of teeth
Gear nomenclature
Page 22
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Gear tooth profile
Involute gear
profile
Curve traced by the end of an imaginary
Cycloidal gear
profile
Curve generated by a chosen point on
taut string unwinding itself from that
the circle rolling around the outside
stationary circle called the base circle.
(epicycloid curve) and inside
(hypocycloid curve) of another circle.
Page 23
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Advantages of involute gears

The contact between two mating involute gear tooth moves along a fixed
plane of contact irrespective of the centre to centre distance of the gears.
Thus involute gears can handle centre shifts or you will get greater
assembly flexibility.
Contact surface is always perpendicular to the plane of contact, this helps
reducing torque variation and thus involute gear gives silent operation.
Manufacturing fairly accurate gears of this type are quite easier by hobbing
process.
Page 24
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An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 25
2015-08-05
Gearbox designs
Siemens- Winergy 2.3MW
Output
Conventional 1 stage
planetary + 2 Helical gear set
2nd Helical stage
1st Helical stage
Input
Planetary
Page 26
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Gearbox designs
Siemens- Winergy 3.6MW
planetary + 1 Helical gear set
Output
Helical stage
Input
1st Planetary
Page 27
2015-08-05
2nd Planetary
Gearbox designs
planetary + Helical gear
set
http://www.driveconcepts.com/new/download/DC_Vorlesung_AS_deu.pdf
Page 28
2015-08-05
Gearbox designs
Aerogear, Renk
Compound planetary gearbox, high ratio using few elements (reduces losses)
Driven on the ring gear
Helical stage for offset

Planetary bearings are on a fixed location, simplifying lubrication
Double row bearings are lubricated from centre outwards
Page 29
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Gearbox designs
GE- compound planetary, fixed ring gear
3 stage compound planetary design with helical gearings
Straddle mounted planet bearings
Flexible, splined ring gear
No reversed bending loads on planet teeth
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http://cfd.mae.cornell.edu/~caughey/WindPower_09/Presentations/Sirak.pdf
Gearbox designs
GE Transportation: 2 stage Differential planetary gearbox + 1 stage helical shaft

http://cfd.mae.cornell.edu/~caughey/WindPower_09/Presentations/Sirak.pdf
Page 31
2015-08-05
Gearbox designs
Transtech Power Transmission: Differential planetary gearbox
This solution allows the maximum number of planet

wheels and differentially divided power flow via two
paths through the gearbox.
This compact gearbox design significantly lowers
mechanical stress on the gear teeth and bearings as
well as making a torsionally flexible transmission.
http://transtech.no/en/products/wind-energy
Page 32
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Gearbox designs
GDC Urs Giger GmbH: Differential planetary
3 stage planetary + 1 helical stage
Suitable for high torques (but typically give low ratio), one additional step up stage is added.
Intended for high power ratings, hence for low input speed, the total ratio has to be quite high.
Bearings integrated in gears to maximise bearing size.
Patented design!
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Gearbox designs
Bosch Rexroth Group: Differential planetary
Differential gearbox for multi-megawatt class 2.5- 8.0 MW
High power density/ ratio 100-120/ input torque 3000- 8000 kNm/ weight 19-67 tons
2 planetary + 1 differential + 1 helical gear stage
Power split via 2 planetary input stages (power 1st stage- 65%)
Major benefits: compact outer diameters with total length just being increased slightly.
Page 34
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Gearbox designs
Bosch Rexroth Group: Differential planetary (continued)
Page 35
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http://www.kisssoft.ch/deutsch/downloads/wind-turbine-gearboxes-04.pdf
Gearbox designs
Bosch Rexroth Group: Differential planetary (continued)
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Gearbox designs
Multibrid M5000: Renk (Direct coupling configuration)
Directly mounted with hub, no main shaft
Rotor bearing is integrated in gearbox housing
Planet carrier is fix, simplifies lubrication

Medium speed generator
First stage diameter about 2m
Four planets
n1=15RPM, n2=150RPM, i=1:10
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Gearbox designs
Multibrid M5000: Renk (continues)
Four planets
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Gearbox designs
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Gearbox designs
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Gearbox designs
Aerodyn: single planetary
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Gearbox designs
WinWinD: 1-stage planetary
Low speed approach to high reliability
Rotor bearing
Page 42
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Gearbox designs
Torque limiting gearboxes
Earlier wind turbines- one or two fixed rotor speeds
Leads to high torques or low efficiency
Now large turbines are operated with variable rotor speed to generate energy also at low or high wind
speeds
Rotor of a wind turbine takes maximum power from wind flow only at a certain ratio of blade tip speed /
wind speed
Demands with respect to grid compatibility has increased, therefore, load peaks should be eliminated
Load peaks are driving the gearbox mass
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Gearbox designs
Henderson gearbox
Torque on ring gear of last planetary stage is controlled by a hydraulic unit,
however, power is lost
Page 44
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Gearbox designs
Henderson gearbox (continued)
Uses a planetary set where the torque on the ring gear is controlled by means of a hydraulic pump with
adjustable torque.
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Gearbox designs
Voith WinDrive
Generator speed constant but input speed is fluctuating (with low (e.g. Morning winds) and high
frequency (gusts)).
Rotor drives single planetary stage (or double planetary stage), combined with single helical stage for
axis offset.
Output speed of single helical stage is then controlled by a veriable speed gearbox (CVT gearbox).
Page 46
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Gearbox designs
Voith WinDrive (continued)
Hydrodynamic torque converter reduces load peaks and torsional vibrations (flexible coupling)
Increases grid compatibility and reduces load on machine elements
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Gearbox designs
Voith WinDrive (continued)
Only small amount of power flows through hydrodynamic path, therefore, overall efficiency is maximized.
Maximum of 10% of the power is taken from the main shaft.
Output speed is constant.

Main gear: i=2030
Hydrodynamic gear with variable ratio.
Speed control through hydrodynamic converter.
Vibration analysis has been performed using

multi body analysis (3D model) including grid simulation.
Overall mass can be reduced since load
peaks are reduced.
Requires control electronics.
Page 48
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An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 49
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Design Requirements
What are the design drivers for a new gearbox design
Loads based on the wind class and environmental conditions (hot climate, artic
climate, highly alternating temperatures etc.)
Generator design (direct influence on the gearbox ratio)
High speed
Medium speed
Direct drive (which is actually gearless)
Rotor diameter (blade length) drives the requirement for the input speed at
operating conditions.
Nacelle size -> transportation requirements -> transport weight and
dimensions.
Access space requirements
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Design Requirements
Placement of auxiliary components / systems:
Lubrication system (shared with generator, main bearing)
Cooling system (shared with generator, main bearing)
Brake system (parking brake)
Access for hydraulic control to hub (blade pitch)
Noise restrictions
Assembly requirements
Load distribution of drivetrain vs hub load and frame reaction loads -> long /
short main shaft
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2015-08-05
Design Requirements
Suspension
3-point suspension -> compliant -> special requirements to output shaft
coupling
4-point suspension -> stiff -> non torque loads transferred by main shaft
bearings
Ease of maintenance / repair (specifically Off-shore)
Cost (weight, volume, technology)
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Design Flexibility
The flexible parameters in the design are:
Number of gear stages: 1, 2, 3, 4 (based on required gearbox ratio)
Type of stages:
Helical / Spur gear,
Parallel / Planetary,
Single planetary / compound planetary / differential planetary
In variety of combinations
Ratio distribution: Preferable to have higher ratio at input stage due to high
torque @ low speeds / low cycles
Bearing types: Stiff supports (TRB, CRB) vs Compliant supports (SRB, BB,
CARB)
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Challenges
The challenge is to design to Lowest possible Cost, Size and Weight, without
compromising Reliability and Maintenance/Repair costs.
Challenge because:
Reducing size / weight in general increases technology costs, i.e. More
expensive materials and/or manufacturing costs.
Development effort (Design and Verification) increases and hence general
development costs increase.
Designing to the limit potentially reduces reliability as safety factors become
more marginal.
For more complex systems the accessibility reduces and hence
Maintenance/Repair costs increase.
Page 54
2015-08-05
Gearbox design
Preliminary gear sizing
Design inputs
* Ratio
* Face width
* Diametersetc
* Loads
* Power & speed
* Envelop
* Design requirements
in Purchase
specification (like SF,
lifetime requirements
based on experience
etc.)
Gear geometry
optimization (macro)
Bearing selection
* Size
* Life/ Stress
* Stiffness
* clearance
Shaft design
* Diameter
* Stiffness
Housing design
Iteration
* Preliminary sizing
* Detailed design
Detailed FEA
Review & approval
OEM
Preliminary design
documentation
Gear geometry
optimization (micro)
Gearbox manufacturer
* Gear stresses
* Load distribution
* Housing deflection
* Carrier deflection
* Shaft deflection
* Bearing deflection
Testing @ test
bench
Gear rating
* Predictor for gear life
* Strain gauging
* Load distribution/
profile
* HALT
Iteration
Review & approval
Final documentation
(design+ testing)
Testing @ field
Component
certification
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* Strain gauging
* Load distribution/
profile
Load evaluation for gearboxes

The gearboxes are mainly loaded by
torque load.
The SG gearbox is also loaded by
bending loads, but this is only
relevant for gearbox torque arm and
planet carrier and planet carrier
bearings.
Meaning the load evaluation for

gearboxes is done by checking the
following load channels:
Mx Tilt
My Torque
Mz Yaw
The LG gearbox is loaded by

torque, the bending loads have a
impact on the deflection and thereby
through bedplate deflections and
rubber elements, the bending loads
influences the gearbox, and also
needs to be checked.
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Gear manufacturing- overview
Page 57
Raw material
Carburizing/
Quenching
Shot peening
Forging
Chamfer
Tooth grinding
Normalize and
temper
Rough turning
MPI (Magnetic
particle
inspection)
Tooth shaping
Hobbing
Grind burnsNital etch
2015-08-05
Final
inspection
Gearbox manufcturing
Carburized components to ensure a wearfree surface
Integrated bearings in planet gear
http://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1357462/gallery-assemble-gearbox
Page 58
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Gearbox assembly
The planet stage transmits the power

produced by the blades
Page 59
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Each component is measured before

assembly to make sure it meets design
requirements
Gearbox assembly
Gearboxes are then tested with a full load

to check for vibration and noise behavior
Page 60
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Sensors, heaters and other electrical

components are attached
Gearbox assembly
A complete 3MW gearbox
Page 61
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To transport the gearbox is wrapped in film

to protect against rust and dirt
An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 62
2015-08-05
Important design standards

IEC 61400-4: Gearbox design requirements
IEC 61400-22: Conformity testing & certification
ISO 6336- 1/2/3/5/6: Gear load capacity calculation
ISO 281-2007: Bearing dynamic load rating & life calculation
ISO 76: Bearing static load rating
ISO/TS 16281: Bearing modified reference rating life calculation
ISO 4406: Cleanliness level coding
ISO/ TR 13989: Gear scuffing calculation
ISO/ TR 15144-1: Calculation of micropitting load capacity
DNV 41.2: Calculation of Gear Rating for Marine Transmissions for
Subsurface initiated fatigue (TIFF)
DIN 743: Shaft calculation
Page 63
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Important gear design parameters
Application factor (KA ): adjust nominal load to compensate for incremental gear loads from external
sources.
Internal dynamic factor (Kv): affects gear rating, adjust effect of gear tooth accuracy grade related to
speed & load.
Calculated accordance with method B of ISO 6336-1:2006
Kv= 1.05 min (unless proven by measurement)
Face load factor (Kh): accounts the effect of non-uniform distribution of load over gear face width.
Calculated accordance with method B of ISO 6336-1:2006
Kh = 1.15 min
Mesh load factor (K): accounts for deviation in load sharing between planets
No of
planets
K
1.10
1.25
1.35
1.44
1.47
Lower values could be used after detailed simulation & measurement
Page 64
2015-08-05
Important gear design parameters
Gear Material: as per ISO 6336-5
Gear accuracy: grade 6 (external gears)/ grade 7 (internal gears) as per ISO1328-1
Gear safety factors:
Pitting resistance SH>= 1.25 (fatigue)/ >1.0 (extreme)
Bending strength SF>= 1.56 (fatigue)/ >1.4 (extreme)
Scuffing SB>= 1.30 for max operating load & rated speed (based on ISO/TR13989)
The safety factors demands may sometimes be higher based on WTG manufacturer field
experience.
Page 65
2015-08-05
Important bearing design parameters
Basic rating life based on ISO281:2007
Page 66
2015-08-05
Gear damages overview

Micropitting:
Fine break-outs on the tooth flanks.
Pressure and sliding leads to collapse of the
lubricant film and therefore micro cracks on the
surface.
Reason: collapse of lubricant film
Tooth breakage: possibly due to High bending stress
Pitting:
Plane surface brake-out.
Fatigue of the material because of exceeded allowable pressure.
Reason: high surface pressure/ material
Page 67
2015-08-05
Gear damages overview

Scuffing:
Groves in sliding direction and increase
of roughness of different width and depth
near the tip and the root (high sliding
velocity); material transformation from
the slow running to the fast running part
Reason:
Spalling:
Extensive surface brake-out
starting from a pitting in the tooth
root area up to the tip.
due to high specific load & sliding.
inappropriate lubricant (EP-additives

missing or lack of oil)
Fatigue at low operating viscosity

and high oil temperatures.
Reason: defective material or debris
in the gearbox
Page 68
2015-08-05
An appetizer
Gearbox designs
Design basis
Design standards
Testing
Page 69
2015-08-05
Gearbox testing perspective

Cost testing costs are expensive but critical
Larger gearboxes = larger test stands

HALT:
HALT - Every new production or significant
change.
Sub-system testing: Climate chamber testing/
over-stress the product and quickly induce

failures.
Apply stresses in a controlled, stepped fashion,
while continuously monitoring the product for
Lube system flow rate/ strain gauge testing.
failures, the testing results in the exposure of
Component testing: Bearings/ Carrier/ input
the weakest points in the design.
housing (different Wohler curves) .
Field testing - ~ typically 6 months 2years field
At the completion of HALT, the functional and

destruct limits of the product are known, and a
laundry list of design and process limitations
are defined.
test.
The goal of HALT is to quickly break the product

and learn from the failure modes the product
exhibits.
Page 70
2015-08-05
Gearbox testing
Back to back testing
Bosch Rexroth differential

gearbox 3.1MW
Overload test: 2x nominal

load for 20 mins
5MW test stand
Page 71
2015-08-05
Gearbox testing
Back to back testing (Slave &

test gearboxes)
Test rigs 8- 20MW range
Page 72
2015-08-05
Thank you for your attention.
Page 73
2015-08-05

Wind Turbine Gearboxes - 2015

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What are the different drivetrain configurations discussed in the document?

What are the different drivetrain configurations discussed in the document?

What are the different gearbox configurations discussed in the document?

What are the different gearbox configurations discussed in the document?

Summer School 2015

Restricted Siemens AG 2014 All rights reserved.

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Source : Upwind report March 2011

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Source : Upwind report March 2011

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Wind Turbine Markets segmentation

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Conventional drivetrain layout (Siemens SWT-2.3-101)

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Fig: Four point suspension

Fig: Direct coupling

Used for power rating in

Used for power rating in

The low speed input

Used for power rating in the

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Fig: Direct Drive

Fig: Hybrid drive

Fig: Multiple generator drive

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

One piece housing (low centre distances->high stiffness).

Source: ESS KissSoft- Wind Turbine gearbox es, concepts

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Source: ESS KissSoft- Wind Turbine gearbox es, concepts

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

100% of power flows through first planetary stage

Shrink disk to attach to main shaft

HSS (High speed shaft)

Usually three planets

LS-IS (Low speed intermediate shaft)

Source: ESS KissSoft- Wind Turbine gearbox es, concepts

1st stage (Planetary)

2nd stage (Helical)

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

First stage i=4.5, second stage i=5.5

Source: ESS KissSoft- Wind Turbine gearbox es, concepts

Source: Eickhoff, DMK03

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Helical gear, also power-split

One/ Two planet stages +

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Planet stages with or without

Planet coupled gearbox

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Planet differential gearbox

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

How planetary works?

Atul Verma WP TE R&D

Planetary- gear ratios