Major domestic bearing manufacturers are stepping up the development and sales of products for large wind power generation equipment.
On December 16, NSK (NSK) announced that it has developed a "high-reliability spherical roller bearing for main shaft" for wind power generation equipment that reduces raceway wear and significantly improves durability. In addition, Daido Metal Industries announced on December 13 that it has completed the construction of a large wind turbine sliding bearing test building at Daido Metal Saga (Takeo City, Saga Prefecture).
Main shaft of wind power generator and similar products
(Source: NSK)
NSK has reduced raceway wear, the main form of damage in spherical roller bearings for wind power plant main shafts, to less than one-tenth of that of standard products. The company says this will contribute to stable operation by reducing the frequency of maintenance of wind power plants and reducing downtime due to component replacement.
Technology used in the product
(Source: NSK)
Up to now, we have been selling products that use advanced technology in two areas to prevent wear on the track: long-life materials and high-hardness coatings. This time, we have newly developed a "new type cage" that achieves higher load and capacity, and established a sales system that applies all three coping technologies.
Test building completed at Daido Metal Saga
(Source: Daido Metal)
It has been decided that this system will be adopted by wind power generation companies in North America. In the future, the company will propose a condition monitoring system to customers along with this product and expand its business in the wind power generation equipment repair market. The company has set a target of increasing after-sales business sales by 25 billion yen compared to fiscal 2021.
In addition, Daido Metal Kogyo has completed construction of a laboratory building at its consolidated subsidiary Daido Metal Saga with the aim of improving the design reliability of sliding bearings for large wind turbines. The company will install the world's first bench test machine for sliding bearings operated by an independent bearing manufacturer, and will jointly develop sliding bearings for wind turbines in cooperation with Saga University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Testing is scheduled to begin around May 2025.
By using the data obtained from bench tests on sliding bearings, the accuracy of bearing performance analysis has been improved. By applying it to large wind turbines of 10 MW or more, we will improve the design reliability of sliding bearings for large wind turbines and strengthen our technical recommendations to wind turbine manufacturers. In addition, the company has signed a contract to supply main bearings for an offshore wind power generation unit developed by a major European wind turbine manufacturer, which is currently being evaluated in the manufacturer's wind turbine tests.
In January 2022, the company was selected to ``develop sliding bearings for wind turbine main bearings'' under the Green Innovation (GI) Fund grant project of NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization). The development cost is about 1.2 billion yen, of which about 800 million yen will come from grants.
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