LogiLube, LLC, a Laramie, Wyoming-based technology company, has entered into an agreement with electric utility Rocky Mountain Power for a field pilot of LogiLube’s SmartGear™ Gearbox Condition Monitoring technology.
The technology will be applied to three wind-turbine drivetrains at Rocky Mountain Power’s 99-MW High Plains Wind Project located on both sides of the Albany and Carbon county border near McFadden, Wyoming. The project, which contains 66 1.5-MW turbines, began operations in September 2009.
LogiLube’s SmartGear™ technology provides real-time lube oil condition monitoring (OCM), predictive analytics of lubricant remaining-useful-life (RUL), automated collection of in-service lube oil, and lubricant filter status. Real-time condition-based monitoring, combined with fleet-wide data analytics and real-time reporting, helps wind park operators avoid costly downtime and unnecessary maintenance. Maintenance plans previously based on a calendar schedule can now be tailored on an “as-needed” basis.
“The resulting innovative solutions could greatly enhance the reliability of wind-energy equipment, further reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCoE),” said LogiLube CEO Bill Gillette.
LogiLube began operations in 2013 at the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) entrepreneur incubator. LogiLube is sponsoring several UW senior design projects directly related to advancing the state of wind energy equipment reliability. LogiLube will assist students with their senior design projects by providing them access to challenging real-world engineering and business applications such as applying “smart solutions” to the High Plains Wind Project.
“Not only are we providing students with an opportunity to work on real-world problems, we are trying them out for size to see if they are a good fit for our company as potential employees,” Gillette said. “We will continue to work with universities, both locally and around the world, to develop the skills needed to compete in an ever-changing landscape of Big Data predictive analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) based sensors and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business models.”
In April 2017, Rocky Mountain Power unveiled Energy Vision 2020, a $3.5 billion project that will add new wind generation, upgrade existing wind farms, and construct new transmission. This plan will help diversify Wyoming’s economy, create jobs, and add to the tax base. These investments mark a major expansion of the amount of clean, renewable energy serving Rocky Mountain Power customers and will meet customer needs and improve customer value.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has said that Rocky Mountain Power’s Energy Vision 2020 is an ambitious plan that will diversify Wyoming’s economy, expand markets, present workforce training opportunities, add jobs, and will strengthen the tax base in local communities.
Source: LogiLube
For more information, go to www.logilube.com
