At this year’s WindEnergy Hamburg, German bearing specialist IMO will present a specially developed blade bearing retrofit kit. WindEnergy Hamburg is part of the world’s largest onshore and offshore wind event, Global Wind Summit, which will run September 25 to 28.

IMO’s new retrofit kit is based on its patented T-Solid product family and able to replace failing blade bearings in 2 to 3-MW class of turbines. According to IMO, wind farmer operators provided the impetus for this practical approach because they were looking for a substitute for their prematurely failing four-point contact ball bearings. Some operators experienced problems with these bearings, including severe bearing deformation during standard operation and fast deterioration.



Since neither the blade nor hub can be fundamentally reinforced in the field, IMO developed a bearing concept that can better tolerate existing deformations. In contrast to the four-point contact bearings, the IMO T-Solid blade bearing does not generate any additional radial load during load transfer due to its design concept. The retrofit kit is manufacturer independent and suitable for all wind turbines and blade bearings, as it is tailored to the individual requirements.