Gyrometric Systems Ltd have won an award from Innovate UK for their part in the project-
US-UK Large Journal Bearing Validation and Measurement Project
The partners in the UK side of the project are, in addition to Gyrometric: Leonardo Testing Systems (a spin off from Sheffield University Engineering Department), and OREC (Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult).
Gyrometric’s portion of the UK award is just under £300,000 from a total UK budget for the project of £570,000.
Gyrometric Systems is the UK project lead.
In the US, the project is funded by NOWRDC (National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium). The partners are: Tufts University, Boston; Kingsbury Inc, Philadelphia (a large bearing manufacturer) and a leading US wind turbine manufacturer.
The object of the project is to work towards designing and validating new types of bearings for large wind turbines.
The type of bearing envisaged, modular journal bearings, could be refurbished in situ in the wind turbine, without dismantling the whole turbine, as is the case with current rolling contact designs.
Gyrometric Systems has in house, patented technology for monitoring such bearings, which is unique.
Thus the success of the project would generate a large marketing opportunity for the company.
