Green Tribology

Although they are the clearest examples of green industries, wind turbines and electric cars represent only a part of the rapid growth in, and variety of green industries. Using our instruments, tribologists around the world are helping to improve the efficiency and reliability needed to make these industries viable.

wind turbine

In renewable power, efficiency and reliability are key. Take wind power as an example and you find that the profit margins over the life of a turbine are narrow due to high setup costs, and the huge costs associated with maintenance, downtime, and repairs. Reliability is therefore key in ensuring wind power remains a viable power source for the future. Tribology plays a critical role in this as common failure mechanisms in wind turbines such as excess wear, micro and macro pitting, false brinelling and cracking can all be investigated using instruments from PCS.

Efficiency and reliability are just as important in other industries, such as the electric car market. Currently one of the hurdles facing the mass uptake of electric cars is their range and cost. One way to solve both these issues is improving efficiency, something currently being studied by tribologists around the world. Improving drivetrain efficiency would mean electric cars would need fewer batteries to go the same distance – thus cutting costs – or you could keep the same number of batteries but go further for the same cost.

PCS Instruments is giving tribologists the tools to develop new and improved fuels, lubricants, and additives, in turn helping to solve the multitude of problems green industries are facing, and ultimately fight climate change.

Green Tribology industry research areas include:

  • Marine specific lubricants that are safer for sea life
  • Biolubricants and fuels that are sustainable
  • Development of improved wind turbine gearbox oils
  • New grease designs for electric vehicles
  • Optimisation of lubricants for improved efficiency in systems

Green Tribology Industry includes the following:

Biolubricants

Biolubricants

Improving the performance of new, more environmentally friendly lubricants. Developing them to perform as well as, or better than traditional lubricants.

Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicles

With governments pushing for more electric vehicles, this field of research is growing faster than ever and the new challenges it brings are being met head on, with tribology holding many of the answers.

Renewables

Renewables

One area of tribological research for renewables is their feel. As an often cited reason for why someone doesn't want to switch products, finding ways to develop new renewable products with the same feel is critical.

Wind Turbines

Wind Turbines

Wind power remains one of the most rapidly growing renewable power sources, so the tribological problems found in the gearbox, bearings and generator are the focus of significant research.

Instruments for the Green Tribology Industry

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Green Tribology Industry Articles & Papers

Paper

Biomimetic Water-Based Lubricant Development: Nanoencapsulation with Liposomes

The replacement of traditional mineral oil lubricants with water-based bio-compatible fluids has long been a desirable, if unrealised, ambition in …

The replacement of traditional mineral oil lubricants with water-based bio-compatible fluids has long been a desirable, if unrealised, ambition in many applications. This is particularly relevant in marine-based energy generation systems, where oil-based lubricants create a high risk of environmental pollution. The use of bio-lubricants has been explored in several previous studies, however no significant technological advances have been achieved. Most of the work has focused on traditional lubrication mechanisms, with bio-molecules being employed to form an adsorbed surface film which reduces friction. However, due to their inherent biological, thermal and/or oxidative instability, bio-molecules are unsuited to long-term industrial applications. The alternative approach is to use stable, bio-friendly molecules, designed to exploit the lubrication mechanisms found in nature. These mechanisms have evolved to be far more diverse than those found in traditional “mineral oil” tribology and are, as yet, poorly understood.

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Paper

Greases for Electric Vehicle Motors: Thickener Effect and Energy Saving Potential

Electric vehicle motors in e-drivetrain are equipped with grease-lubricated bearings operating at both low and high speeds with frequent speed …

Electric vehicle motors in e-drivetrain are equipped with grease-lubricated bearings operating at both low and high speeds with frequent speed changes. The grease-bearing system must secure a long lifespan and low frictional torque to improve efficiency and sustainability. The present paper focuses on the influence of two types of thickener, lithium complex and polypropylene, on the grease lubrication performance under conditions typical for e-motors. The comparison of both thickeners is performed in terms of friction torque and energy consumption in eight long-duration experiments (337 hr). The results show that the polypropylene thickener provides 21.5% lower energy consumption compared to the lithium complex. Changes in grease rheology and degradation in the tests are analysed and correlated with the grease lubrication performance.

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