Voith Debuts BHS AeroMaXX for Turbo Parallel-Shaft Gears

Voith will debut the new BHS AeroMaXX technology for turbo parallel-shaft gear units at Power-Gen Europe 2016 (booth 3HD128). The inner housing and optimized sleeve bearings reduce power loss and oil consumption by 30 percent or more. The solution has a passive-mechanical character and does not require any additional accessories. Operators profit from identical design standards, unchanged overall operating behavior and maximum reliability. Voith emphasizes this with a warranty period of 36 months – in both new systems and retrofits. The technology is manufacturer-independent and immediately available.

Due to the high pitch line velocities of up to 200 m/s, oil swirling and oil squeezing in the gear mesh account for a substantial part of the power loss of high-speed turbo gear units. The BHS AeroMaXX technology reduces these losses by separating lubrication and cooling. An inner housing in the direct vicinity of the gear set absorbs heat and dissipates it into the bottom area on the external surface on the inner housing via cooling oil. This means that a substantially smaller volume of oil is required for the actual lubrication of the teeth contact surfaces and the swirling oil/air mixture is minimized.

In addition to the inner housing, the technology also includes new ‘BHS EcoMax’ sleeve bearings on the pinion shaft. The hydrodynamic bearings are optimized specifically for the application and guarantee high energy efficiency with significant oil savings.

By combining the inner housing and the specifically designed bearings, BHS AeroMaXX increases the gear unit efficiency by up to 0.5 percentage points. At the same time, the oil consumption is reduced by at least 30 percent. Since only passive mechanical elements are used, the improvements can be achieved without any additional accessories or components such as pumps or seals. The overall operating behavior, design standards and dimensions of the gear unit also are not affected by this technology. Related costs for a system operator are amortized by the energy savings alone within one to two years.

Retrofittable During the Standard Overhaul of the Driveline
BHS AeroMaXX is designed for high pitch line velocities in connection with medium to high powers that, for example, occur in the driveline of power plants with compressors and generators. In such applications the technology can be retrofitted in already installed gear units during standard maintenance of the driveline, without additional downtime.

Voith also emphasizes the simplicity and reliability of BHS AeroMaXX with regards to maintenance and service. An inspection window in the inner housing allows operators to continue checking the condition of the tooth set without opening the top portion of the transmission. Furthermore, operators benefit from a 36-month warranty – not just when installing the technology in Voith gear units but also in models from other manufacturers.

Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith GmbH, is a specialist for intelligent drive solutions. Customers from highly diverse industries such as oil and gas, energy, mining and mechanical engineering, ship technology, rail and commercial vehicles rely on advanced technologies from Voith Turbo.