Vågkraftverk - integration av tribologiska konstruktionsprinciper

Tribology, the science of friction and wear, enables operation of machine components such as bearings, found in any wave energy converter (WEC). In the early years of the development phase of wind turbines, tribology was paid very limited attention.

As a result, the failure of components such as bearings in wind turbine nacelles remains one of the top causes of failures even today. In the proposed project, we aim to prevent this strategic error from being repeated for WECs.

The main goal of this project is to enhance the development and implementation of WEC technology by integrating tribological principles into the WEC design work.

The project will include activities related to the systematic collection, organisation and presentation of existing knowledge as well as fundamental research to address critical knowledge gaps with a particular focus on bearing design, selection and operation in WEC systems. This knowledge will be summarized in the guidelines for industry.