Gas Expanded Lubricants: Smart Fluids for Improving Efficiency of Wind Turbines

0967915 Clarens本研究的目标是开发提供气体膨胀润滑剂（GEL）所需的基础知识库，以提高下一代风力涡轮机齿轮和轴承的效率。 凝胶是合成润滑剂和溶解的液态二氧化碳在中等压力下的二元混合物。这些润滑流体的性质可以通过控制混合物组成来动态地调节，并且因此可以帮助降低经受动态变化的负载的风力涡轮机的操作低效率。 可靠且自适应的润滑系统对于涡轮机的大型化或安装在难以接近或海上的场所是必不可少的。拟议的研究将建立化学理解的基础，这是必要的，以选择适当的组件和工艺操作条件所需的最佳性能和最小的环境影响。初步的模拟结果表明，凝胶可以减少超过20%的流体膜轴承的功率损失。 本研究将在相关条件下测量GEL的机械和热特性，并在改进的转子试验台上评估其行为。 本研究分为五个部分：1）研究润滑剂和二氧化碳的高压相行为; 2）测量凝胶在相关压力和温度条件下的流变性; 3）评估凝胶相对于纯润滑剂的热特性; 4）开发实验测试台以测量使用凝胶的轴承性能; 5）创建GEL交付的生命周期模型，以建立大规模可行性。这项研究具有潜在的变革性，因为它代表了一种全新的风力涡轮机润滑方法，在提高风能发电的能源效率方面有相当大的潜力。 拟议的研究有可能推进高压液体/气体混合物的摩擦学，其相行为和流动特性的基本理解。 具体而言，研究计划旨在揭示两个重要的润滑剂参数，粘度和密度，在预测旋转机械的刚度和剪切力的效果。 这些关系的理解将发展为一个家庭的生物基合成润滑剂化学。将使用专门修改的试验装置对结果进行实验验证，该试验装置模拟真实的风力涡轮机的典型非线性载荷。这一新的理解将被总结为一套设计指南和工具，可以很容易地被风能行业使用。这项工作的结果将有明确的含义风力涡轮机制造商和支持行业试图提高涡轮机的生活和降低风力发电的发电成本。更广泛的影响教育活动将有助于更大的努力，发展绿色能源教育计划在弗吉尼亚州。最近与风能等可持续技术相关的制造业和服务业的繁荣表明，必须实施培训计划，为希望在这些领域工作的人提供技能。PI与西南弗吉尼亚高等教育中心合作，为大学和社区学院的学生提供风力涡轮机基础和维护课程，以补充现有的课程。研究成果将通过弗吉尼亚大学（UVa）的旋转机械和控制（ROMAC）大学与工业合作计划及其40个工业合作伙伴（包括GE，劳斯莱斯能源，普莱克斯

0967915ClarensThe goal of this research is to develop the fundamental knowledge base needed to deliver gas-expanded lubricants (GELs) for improved efficiency in gears and bearings of next-generation wind turbines. GELs are binary mixtures of synthetic lubricants and dissolved liquid carbon dioxide maintained at moderate pressure. The properties of these lubricating fluids can be dynamically adjusted by controlling mixture composition, and consequently can help reduce operating inefficiencies for wind turbines that are subject to dynamically changing loads. Reliable and adaptive lubricant systems are necessary for turbines to be made larger or to be installed in inaccessible or offshore sites. The proposed research proposed will build the foundation of chemical understanding that is necessary to select proper components and process operating conditions needed for optimal performance and minimum environmental impact. Preliminary modeling results suggest that GELs could reduce power losses in a fluid film bearing by over 20%. Intellectual MeritThis study will measure the mechanical and thermal characteristics of GELs under relevant conditions and evaluate their behavior in a modified rotor test bed. The proposed study is broken down into five tasks: 1) Study the high pressure phase behavior of lubricants and carbon dioxide; 2) Measure the rheology of GELs under relevant pressure and temperature conditions; 3) Evaluate the thermal characteristics of GELs relative to straight lubricants; 4) Develop an experimental testbed to measure bearing performance using GELs; 5) Create a life cycle model of GEL delivery to establish large-scale feasibility. This research is potentially transformative because it represents a completely new approach to wind turbine lubrication that has considerable promise to make significant improvements in increasing the energy efficiency for electric power generation from wind energy. The proposed research has the potential to advance fundamental understanding of the tribology of high-pressure liquid/gas mixtures, their phase behavior, and flow properties. Specifically, the research plan seeks to reveal the effect of two important lubricant parameters, viscosity and density, in predicting stiffness and shear forces in rotating machinery. An understanding of these relationships will be developed for a family of bio-based synthetic lubricant chemistries. The results will be validated experimentally using a specially modified test rig that mimics the nonlinear loadings typical of real wind turbines. This new understanding will be summarized in a set of design guidelines and tools which can be easily used by the wind industry. The results of this work will have clear implications for wind turbine manufacturers and supporting industries trying to improve turbine life and reduce the generation cost of wind electricity.Broader ImpactsThe education activities will contribute to a larger effort to develop a green energy education programs in the state of Virginia. The recent boom in manufacturing and service sectors associated with sustainable technologies such as wind energy suggests that training programs must be implemented to provide skills for people hoping to work in these areas. The PIs have partnered with Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center to provide a course in wind turbine fundamentals and maintenance to augment existing curricula for both university and community college students.Research outcomes will be transferred to industry via the Rotating Machinery and Controls (ROMAC) university-industry cooperative program at the University of Virginia (UVa) and its forty industrial partners, including GE, Rolls Royce Energy, and Praxair.