Seals for the wind market

The company says the seal can deliver extended service life and contaminant protection for increased wind turbine reliability and reduced maintenance costs. Ultimately, the seal can help wind farm operators reduce the risks of contaminant-related bearing failures and the high unplanned downtime, repair and lost productivity costs that follow.

The HRC1 axial excluder seal is manufactured from a special H-ECOPUR, an SKF-developed polyurethane material with excellent abrasion resistance and tear strength. Available in solid and split executions, the seal features a steel band clamp with a fast-lock mechanism for easy up-tower installations.

SKF subjected the HRC1 to an extended field trial. Following installation on 40 separate 2,5 MW turbines, the seal operated continuously under real-world conditions. After three months, an initial inspection revealed some normal running-in wear of the seals. Six months later, only minimal additional wear could be detected.