In the process of exploring how to more effectively reduce the cost of wind power and improve efficiency, plain bearings have gradually become a key innovation point. They not only bring new possibilities to the wind power industry, but also herald new trends for future development.
Market status and advantages of plain bearings
Plain bearings are mainly divided into two categories: fluid lubricated bearings and self-lubricated bearings. Although both belong to the same category, there are significant differences in working principle, structural design and application fields. Data show that by 2020, the global plain bearing market size has reached 14.1 billion US dollars, and in China, the figure has reached 13.7 billion yuan. It is worth noting that the growth rate of both exceeded the average level of the entire bearing industry.
Plain bearings have a larger contact area than rolling bearings, which makes them have stronger carrying capacity and better impact resistance, and run more smoothly. Because there are no rolling elements, the radial size of plain bearings is small, making them particularly suitable for applications requiring compact design.
Cost-benefit analysis: "sliding instead of rolling"
In wind power, reducing costs and improving efficiency are always core objectives. As a new cost saving strategy, "sliding instead of rolling" is gradually gaining attention. At present, most wind power systems use rolling bearings, but with the increase of wind turbine capacity, rolling bearings are faced with problems such as excessive radial size and structural complexity, which pose challenges to cost control and reliability.
According to preliminary estimates, if sliding bearings are used instead of rolling bearings, the acquisition cost can be reduced by about 30%, and the maintenance cost can be reduced by 60%. In addition, the cost of other related equipment can be further reduced through lightweight design. This means that the overall acquisition cost of wind turbines can be reduced by about 6.5%, and the OEM bid price can be reduced by about 5.2%. At the same time, the use of plain bearings can reduce the life cycle cost of wind power projects (considering the discounted value) by about 4.5%, thereby improving the overall return of the project.
Market outlook
Assuming that the new installed capacity reaches 100GW in the future, and the plain bearing penetration rate reaches 50%, the annual increment space of the domestic wind power plain bearing market is expected to reach about 14.5 billion yuan. For the existing market, China has about 80GW of older wind turbines (1.5MW and below), which are mostly located in areas rich in wind energy resources. By upgrading these old units, such as replacing the original 1.5MW fans with 4MW high-power fans, it is expected to create a potential replacement market of more than 30 billion yuan.
In summary, plain bearings not only help significantly reduce the purchase and maintenance costs of wind power projects, but also bring considerable economic benefits. With the progress of technology and the continuous expansion of the market, the application prospect of plain bearings in the field of wind power is very broad, which has opened up a new road for the future development of the wind power industry.
