Working 262 feet above the ground, Gary Sage and Phil Seidenberger changed the oil on a wind turbine in just two-and-a-half hours - proving to utilities that the Sage Oil Vac fluid change system is up to the challenge of high-altitude service calls. The demonstration took place at a New Mexico wind energy center and helped answer a maintenance question that has emerged with the growing demand for wind-generated energy: How to change 65 gallons of gear oil cleanly and safely from 200-plus feet off the ground. Maintenance on wind turbines has been handled the traditional way - draining used oil into 5-gallon buckets and delivering new oil with 5-gallon buckets and funnels. The process is messy, cumbersome and slow at 262 feet off the ground taking 6-8 hours to perform one oil change.
|
The |
new Oil Vac unit features: |
|
• |
390 gallon used oil tank and 390 gallon new oil tank - enough to perform 4-6 oil changes before refilling |
|
• |
Immersion heater for new fluid tank |
|
• |
Fluid pump to deliver new oil up to the gearbox |
|
• |
300-foot hoses for the transport of new and used oil |
The successful first use of the system in New Mexico was followed with a second test run in Oklahoma, where Sage Oil Vac founder and CEO Gary Sage filled a new windmill gear box with fresh oil in just 12 minutes. For Sage Oil Vac, the opportunity to engineer a solution for wind turbines opens up a new area of business while adding to Oil Vac's reputation for offering environmentally sensitive, economic solutions to its customers. "We're excited to introduce the Sage Oil Vac system to a new market sector, and in the process to help utilities meet the growing demand for alternative, renewable energy sources," said Aaron Sage. For more information www.sageoilvac.com
