Condition monitoring of cooling tower fan gearboxes

To reduce visual and environmental impact, modern power stations are built with induced draft cooling towers replacing the large natural draft cooling towers previously used. The ability of the cooling towers to provide adequate cooling for the main circulating water of the power station is affected by the availability of the cooling tower fans. A key component of the cooling tower fan is the gearbox. Maintenance of gear-boxes is difficult and expensive, given the location and therefore condition monitoring techniques have been applied to detect common failure mechanisms. Future condition monitoring may be possible using low-cost on-line techniques.