When an oil change is performed, some residual oil will always remain in the gearbox. In many cases, these residues cannot be tolerated and must be removed. The simplest method is to flush the gearbox. If possible, the old oil is drained while still warm, i.e. immediately after the gears have stopped. With a subsequent flushing procedure, further residues are removed. The oil reservoir and inside gearbox walls can also be cleaned with a lint-free cloth –
do not use cleaning wool – and a rubber blade.
A bigger problem is more profound contamination in the form of deposits caused by strongly aged oil. In such cases, cleaning oil has to be used, and all accessible parts of the gearbox cleaned manually. A suitable oil for cleaning gears is Klüber Summit Varnasolv, which quickly dissolves residues when added to mineral oil or PAO. After draining approx. 10% of the gear oil, the oil fill is topped up with Klüber Summit Varnasolv. After 24 to 48 hours of operation, the oil can be drained. Any remaining residues can be removed mechanically.
Klüber Summit Varnasolv HV varnish cleaner
Klüber Summit Varnasolv HV (High Viscosity) is a fluid cleaning concentrate designed to dissolve sticky residues, varnish, and carbon build-up during operation and keep them suspended in the oil.
Due to its sufficiently high viscosity matching the gear oil, Klüber Summit Varnasolv HV can be added to the oil to clean gears during operation. At the end of the cleaning process, the used oil is drained to flush out the unwanted residues and fresh, clean oil is applied. Klüber Summit Varnasolv HV is compatible with most mineral and PAO gear oils for wind turbines on the market.
