Products tested on Vestas turbines

Mardyck, which lies outside the industrial area of Dunkirk, is swept by the winds of Northern France's plains. This
makes it an ideal place to produce wind power, explaining why Total chose it to build its wind farm in September 2003. The farm has two 2-megawatt turbines built by Vestas (the world leader in this market), two 2.5-megawatt Nordex turbines, and the "big sister", a gigantic General Electric wind turbine. This one alone weighs 250 tonnes; its blades and nacelle tower no less than 100 metres above ground, and it generates 3.2 megawatts.

Air power: a heavy lubricant consumer

Air power Wind turbines are complex mechanical installations which require three types of special iubricant: for the hydraulic circuits and brakes, greases for the slewing rings and bearings, and lubricants for the speed-increasing units. These units, which multiply the blades' rotation speed, are particularly heavy lubricant consumers: each casing takes 350 to 700 litres. Walter Curti, a product manager at Total Lubrifiants' Product and Service Development department, toid us that: "When the wind moves a wind turbine naturally, its blades rotate at about thirty revolutions per minute. With the speed- increasing unit, the generator can reach speeds of 1 ,500 rpm." Total has invested considerable R&D in this field. It has developed two synthetic oils; Carter SH 320, a polyalphaolefine chemical-based lubricant, and Carter SY WM 320, an oil based on a compound known as polyalkyleneglycol.

A full wind-power product range

Lubricants in the speed-increasing units have to fulfil several different roles. They need to avoid fatigue- related wear on the gears and corrosion on the gears, while also remaining fitter-friendly, non-foaming, water-resistant, and harmless to operators. Wind turbines last for some twenty years and require oil changes about every three years -which is another complex operation. At Mardyck, for instance, the casings are between 80 and 100 metres above ground, and are only accessible through the inside of the mast.

Walter Curti adds, "This farm is a test site for us. We developed the lubricant formulas on the basis of wind turbine manufacturer specifications, tested them in the laboratory and had them validated. Now we need to test them for two years in service, according to procedures drawn up in collaboration with the manufacturers, before we can expect their certifica- tion." Total Lubrifiants is currently working on other oils for these wind turbines that will enable it to offer a comprehensive wind-power range.  

A tailor-made service

Service and technical support are two key factors in our offer. Thus, more than merely selling oils, TOTAL "windmills team" provides real fluid management solutions such as oil-sample analysis and lubrication management software.

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A global availibility

Our international organisation, through our affiliates network, allows a central buyer to take advantage of global contract conditions. Moreover, thanks to our global presence, we can respond immediately to very specific orders anywhere in the world.

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