Uptower repair of this component can significantly reduce the cost of removal for repair, and by replacing it with modern ring wheels and integrated planet wheel bearings, it can also extend the life of the gearbox, the company said.
As the GE 1.5MW fleet ages, the gearboxes are failing at a high rate in the planetary stage, according to Moventas. There are almost 20,000 GE 1.5MW turbines operating in North America, with most over five years old, said Mike Grunow, vice president of sales and marketing, Moventas Americas.
"We are working on a few other gearboxes that are tending to fail in these areas and will announce them as the repair procedures and tooling matures," added Grunow.
The Finnish company expanded recently in North America, and has been focusing on servicing facilities. It now has four servicing units in North America; Minnesota; Texas; Oregon and Ontario, Canada.
The company already offers uptower repairs for helical gearboxes, high speed pinion & bearings, intermediate and low speed assembly, and planetary sun pinions for a number of models.
"Service is a big part of our business and has been for a few years now. We've been investing in it over the last four or five years, setting up a presence in all of the main wind countries. And we will absolutely we will be continuing that heavily," Moventas Senior vice president for wind gears Arto Lahtela told “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç last year.
The announcement follows German gearbox manufacturer Winergy's revelation earlier this month that it had successfully trialed removal and replacement of a planet carrier bearing in the nacelle of a turbine.
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