Launch of the NGC High Speed Planetary Gearbox

NGC’s own high speed planetary gearbox has recently passed all required experimental verifications, and been successfully commissioned at the first attempt on its maiden test-run. This is an integrated transmission system, with a rated power of 3MW and maximum speed of 30,000RPM, and consists of a start motor, gearbox, clutch, lubrication cooling system and detection monitoring devices to ensure the joint advantages of high transmission efficiency and high power density. During the load test, results for vibrations, temperature rise, noise and other performance indicators were all in line with top international standards, demonstrating the equipment’s excellent performance and reliability.

NGC has been developing high speed gearboxes (at speeds over 10,000RPM) since the early 1980’s, including ratings up to 40,000RPM for China's first geostationary satellites and ground radar station. The company’s high speed gearboxes have also been used in the chemicals industry, in oxygen generation, and in various other fields. In recent years, with ongoing scientific development and progress within the industry, end-users now have significantly higher requirements in terms of power density and other performance indicators. After nearly two years of dedicated research and study, the NGC R&D team has overcome numerous technical hurdles related to rotor dynamics, flexible drives and lubrication. As a result, they have achieved outstanding capabilities in terms of design, simulation calculations, processing, manufacturing, quality control and test validation, and now boast an enviable R&D platform for high speed planetary gearbox products.

Adjustments to energy policies as part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan have meant that distributed power generation and clean energy have begun showing a huge potential in terms of overall market and development prospects. This is especially true in the fields of gas turbine power generation, steam turbine drag and expander power generation - high speed planetary gearboxes form part of the core equipment for such transmission systems, and are bound to become increasingly popular thanks to their compact structure and high transmission efficiency.

The successful development of high-speed planetary gearboxes is a milestone in NGC’s efforts to create the best high-end transmission products, and is testament to how the company constantly challenges itself to achieve major technological breakthroughs. NGC will continue to keep up with market developments and technical trends, actively explore the field of high speed gearboxes, and help our country break away from its long-term dependence on imported products. (by Li Ningbo)