JP7359010B2 - Flushing method and flushing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flushing method and a flushing device.

Since a rolling bearing device that supports the main shaft of a wind power generator is large, it is not easy to replace it. In such large rolling bearing devices that cannot be easily replaced, by periodically flushing the inside of the bearing, foreign matter such as iron powder caused by wear can be removed from the inside of the bearing and the life of the rolling bearing device can be extended. (For example, see Patent Document 1 below).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-125434

Flushing of the rolling bearing device is performed using a flushing device.
The flushing device supplies and collects cleaning oil to the inside of the rolling bearing device, which is filled with lubricant such as grease, and also passes the collected cleaning oil through a filter for removing foreign matter and returns it to the rolling bearing device. and is configured to supply and circulate cleaning oil.
As a result, the cleaning oil dilutes the lubricant filled inside the rolling bearing device, and the cleaning oil collected from inside the rolling bearing device is passed through a filter and circulated to remove foreign substances inside the rolling bearing device. Remove.

Here, while circulating the cleaning oil, it is difficult to grasp the cleaning state inside the rolling bearing device. Further, the amount of foreign matter inside the rolling bearing device varies depending on the type of the rolling bearing device and the usage conditions. For these reasons, it has been difficult to determine in advance the cleaning oil circulation time necessary for the interior of the rolling bearing device to reach the required cleaning state.

In particular, with rolling bearing devices that support the main shaft of wind power generators, in order to perform flushing, it is necessary to carry the flushing device in and out of the nacelle on the column where the blades and rolling bearing devices are installed. The preparation process and post-processing after flushing require relatively time. Taking these into consideration, it is preferable to know in advance the appropriate circulation time for the cleaning oil.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can determine an appropriate circulation time for cleaning oil in advance.

(1) The present invention supplies and collects cleaning oil to the internal space of a rolling bearing device to which lubricant has been applied, and passes the collected cleaning oil through a filter for removing foreign matter to the internal space. A method for flushing a rolling bearing device using a flushing device that resupplies and circulates the cleaning oil, the lubricant measurement comprising measuring the foreign matter concentration of the lubricant in the internal space before starting circulation of the cleaning oil. and a calculation step of calculating a circulation time from the start to the end of the circulation of the cleaning oil, and in the calculation step, the change over time of the concentration of foreign substances in the cleaning oil when the flushing device is used. The circulation is performed based on a database in which a plurality of pieces of information indicating different foreign substance concentrations in the cleaning oil at the start of circulation are registered, and a lubricant measurement value obtained in the lubricant measurement step. ask for time.

According to the above configuration, there is a database in which a plurality of pieces of information indicating changes over time in the concentration of foreign substances in cleaning oil when using a flushing device is registered, and lubrication of the rolling bearing device before flushing measured in the lubricant measurement step. Since the circulation time is determined based on the lubricant measurement value, which is the concentration of foreign substances in the lubricant, an appropriate circulation time can be determined in advance before starting the circulation of the cleaning oil.

(2) When a flushing device is used, the concentration of foreign substances in the cleaning oil at the start of circulation can be considered to be approximately the same as the concentration of foreign substances in the lubricant of the rolling bearing device before the circulation of the cleaning oil starts.
Therefore, in the above flushing method, in the calculation step, from among the plurality of pieces of information, information in which the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil at the start of circulation approximates the lubricant measurement value is referred to, and from the start of circulation the cleaning oil The circulation time may be calculated as the time until the concentration of foreign matter becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.
In this case, appropriate information can be selected from a plurality of pieces of information depending on the concentration of foreign substances in the lubricant of the rolling bearing device, and the circulation time can be determined.

(3) The flushing method further includes a circulation step of circulating the cleaning oil based on the circulation time, and the circulation step includes a starting step of starting circulation of the cleaning oil, and a cleaning oil collected from the internal space. , a cleaning oil measurement step of measuring the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil in the front stage of the filter, and the circulation time has elapsed since the start of circulation of the cleaning oil, and the cleaning oil measurement value in the cleaning oil measurement step is the predetermined value. If it is determined that the cleaning oil is less than or equal to the value, the method may include a termination step of terminating the circulation of the cleaning oil.
In this case, it can be determined whether or not to end the circulation of the cleaning oil based on the concentration of foreign substances in the cleaning oil in addition to the circulation time.

(4) Furthermore, in the above flushing method, the foreign matter concentration may be an iron powder concentration.

(5) The flushing device according to the present invention also includes a supply and recovery unit that supplies and recovers cleaning oil to the internal space of the rolling bearing device to which lubricant has been applied, and a supply and recovery unit that supplies the recovered cleaning oil to the interior space of the rolling bearing device. comprising a circulation unit including a filter for removing foreign matter, and a control unit that controls the supply and recovery unit and re-supplies the cleaning oil that has passed through the filter to the rolling bearing device to circulate the cleaning oil, The control unit includes a calculation unit that calculates the circulation time from the start to the end of the circulation of the cleaning oil, a circulation control unit that circulates the cleaning oil based on the circulation time, and a calculation unit that calculates the circulation time of the cleaning oil from the start to the end. a reception unit that receives a previously measured lubricant measurement value of the foreign matter concentration of the lubricant in the internal space; and a time course of the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil when the cleaning oil is circulated using the circulation unit. a database in which a plurality of pieces of information indicating changes, the plurality of pieces of information indicating different foreign substance concentrations in the cleaning oil at the time of starting circulation are registered; The circulation time is determined based on the lubricant measurements and the database.

According to the present invention, an appropriate circulation time for cleaning oil can be determined in advance.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wind power generator. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the flushing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of flushing work using a flushing device. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a temporal change database. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of first temporal change data as an example of temporal change data.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[About rolling bearing devices for wind power generators]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wind power generator.
The wind power generator 1 includes blades 2, struts 4, and a nacelle 6. The blade 2 is composed of a plurality of blades provided at the tip of a main shaft 8. The blade 2 rotates the main shaft 8 by receiving wind. The nacelle 6 supported by the strut 4 includes a main shaft 8, a rolling bearing device 10 that supports the main shaft 8, a speed increaser that increases the speed of the rotational force of the main shaft 8, and a generator that generates electricity using the increased rotational force. A power generation mechanism 12 including a power generation mechanism 12 is provided.

The rolling bearing device 10 includes a rolling bearing 14 that rotatably supports the main shaft 8 and a housing 16 that accommodates and holds the rolling bearing 14.
The rolling bearing 14 includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements. The rolling bearing 14 is housed and held within the internal space S of the housing 16.
The housing 16 is fixed to the casing of the nacelle 6 and supports the rolling bearing 14 within the nacelle 6.
The internal space S in which the rolling bearing 14 is accommodated is sealed with a seal or the like. The internal space S is filled with grease as a lubricant.
The internal space S also includes an annular space between the inner and outer rings of the rolling bearing 14.
Therefore, the grease filled in the internal space S lubricates the inner and outer rings of the rolling bearing 14 and the rolling elements.

[About the flushing device]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the flushing device according to the embodiment.
This flushing device 20 is a device used for flushing the rolling bearing device 10.
Flushing is an operation of cleaning the internal space S of the rolling bearing device 10 by supplying cleaning oil to the internal space S.

The flushing device 20 is used while being connected to the rolling bearing device 10. Therefore, when performing flushing work, the flushing device 20 is carried into the nacelle 6 (FIG. 1) and connected to the rolling bearing device 10. The flushing operation is carried out on the nacelle 6.
The flushing device 20 has the function of supplying and recovering cleaning oil to the internal space S of the rolling bearing device 10, removing iron powder from the recovered cleaning oil, resupplying the cleaning oil to the internal space S, and circulating the cleaning oil. has.

The flushing device 20 includes a fuel pump 22, a suction pump 24, a first tank 26, and a second tank 28.
Cleaning oil is stored in the first tank 26 and the second tank 28.
A suction pipe 22 a provided in the oil supply pump 22 extends into the second tank 28 . The oil supply pump 22 sucks the cleaning oil stored in the second tank 28 through the suction pipe 22 a and supplies it to the rolling bearing device 10 .
The rolling bearing device 10 is provided with an oil filler port 10a that communicates with the internal space S. The oil supply pump 22 is connected to the oil supply port 10a, and supplies cleaning oil to the internal space S through the oil supply port 10a.

The suction pump 24 sucks cleaning oil from the internal space S of the rolling bearing device 10 and recovers the cleaning oil.
The rolling bearing device 10 is provided with a drain 10b for draining oil from the internal space S. The suction pump 24 is connected to the drain 10b and collects cleaning oil from the internal space S through the drain 10b.
The suction pump 24 is provided with a discharge pipe 24a that discharges the collected cleaning oil. The discharge pipe 24a extends to the first tank 26. The suction pump 24 supplies the collected cleaning oil to the first tank 26 through the discharge pipe 24a.

Further, the discharge pipe 24a is provided with a sensor 30 for measuring the concentration of iron powder in the cleaning oil.
The sensor 30 has a function of measuring the concentration of iron powder in the cleaning oil passing through the discharge pipe 24a.

The first tank 26 is provided with a connecting pipe 26a that moves the cleaning oil stored in the first tank 26 to the second tank 28. The connecting pipe 26a extends from the bottom of the first tank 26 to the second tank 28. The cleaning oil stored in the first tank 26 is guided by gravity to the connecting pipe 26a and supplied to the second tank 28.

A filter 32 is provided on the connection pipe 26a.
The filter 32 is a filter for removing iron powder, which is a foreign substance in the cleaning oil. The filter 32 has a function of, for example, capturing iron powder in the cleaning oil using magnetic force and removing it from the cleaning oil. The cleaning oil in the first tank 26 passes through the filter 32 when being supplied to the second tank 28 via the connecting pipe 26a. As a result, iron powder is removed from the cleaning oil supplied to the second tank 28. Therefore, the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil supplied to the second tank 28 is lower than the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil before passing through the filter 32.

As described above, the cleaning oil sucked from the first tank 26 by the oil supply pump 22 and supplied to the rolling bearing device 10 is recovered from the drain 10b, passes through the suction pump 24, the first tank 26, and the filter 32, and then enters the second tank 26. It is returned to the tank 28.
In this way, the flushing device 20 circulates the cleaning oil between the rolling bearing device 10, removes iron powder in the cleaning oil with the filter 32, and cleans the internal space S.
Further, the oil supply pump 22, the suction pump 24, the first tank 26, and the second tank 28 constitute a supply and recovery section 29 that supplies and recovers cleaning oil to and from the internal space S.
Further, the supply/recovery section 29 and the filter 32 constitute a circulation unit 31 including a configuration necessary for circulating cleaning oil between the rolling bearing device 10 and the cleaning oil.

The grease filled in the internal space S contains iron powder, which is a foreign substance caused by wear of various parts.
The cleaning oil used for flushing is oil for cleaning the internal space S, and includes a cleaning agent and the like. Also, cleaning oil has a lower viscosity than grease. The cleaning oil is supplied to the internal space S filled with grease, so that it is mixed with the grease and dilutes the grease. Cleaning oil mixed with grease is recovered from the interior space S. In this way, the grease filled in the internal space S is mixed with the cleaning oil and recovered from the internal space S together with the cleaning oil. At this time, the iron powder contained in the grease is also recovered from the internal space S together with the cleaning oil.

The cleaning oil containing grease by being mixed with grease is collected from the internal space S, passes through the filter 32, is supplied to the internal space S again, and circulates between the flushing device 20 and the rolling bearing device 10. do. The cleaning oil recovered from the internal space S contains not only grease but also iron powder contained in the grease. Therefore, by passing the cleaning oil through the filter 32, the iron powder contained in the grease is removed from the cleaning oil, and the concentration of iron powder in the cleaning oil gradually decreases. As a result, iron powder contained in the grease in the internal space S is removed, and the internal space S is cleaned.
Note that the cleaning oil that is circulated by the flushing device 20 includes not only a cleaning oil that does not contain grease but also a cleaning oil that contains grease by being mixed with grease.

The flushing device 20 also includes a control device 34 that controls the oil supply pump 22 and the suction pump 24.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the control device 34. As shown in FIG.
A fuel pump 22, a suction pump 24, and a sensor 30 are connected to the control device 34. The control device 34 has a function of controlling the fuel pump 22 and the suction pump 24 by giving control commands to the fuel pump 22 and the suction pump 24 . Further, the output from the sensor 30 is given to the control device 34 .

The control device 34 is, for example, a computer, and includes a processing section 40 consisting of a CPU or the like, a storage section 42 consisting of a memory, a hard disk, etc., and an input/output section 44. The input/output unit 44 includes input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel, and output devices such as a display and a printer.
The storage unit 42 stores computer programs and the like for the processing unit 40 to execute. The processing section 40 implements each of the functions that the processing section 40 has, which will be described later, by reading the computer program recorded in the storage section 42.
The storage unit 42 also stores a temporal change database 50, which will be described later.

The processing unit 40 functionally includes a calculation unit 40a, a circulation control unit 40b, and a reception unit 40c. The functions of each of these functional units will be explained later.

[About flushing work]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of flushing work using the flushing device 20.
In the flushing work, first, the concentration of iron powder in the grease filled in the internal space S of the rolling bearing device 10 before flushing is measured (step S1).
The iron powder concentration of the grease is measured by, for example, taking out the grease from the drain 10b of the rolling bearing device 10 and using a measuring device or the like for measuring the iron powder concentration.

Next, the circulation time from the start to the end of the circulation of the cleaning oil is determined (step S2).
The worker who performs the flushing work sends the control device 34 of the flushing device 20 the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 to be worked on and the measured value of the iron powder concentration of the grease measured in step S1 (grease measured value: lubrication drug measurement value).
The reception unit 40c included in the processing unit 40 of the control device 34 outputs an input display for accepting the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 and the grease measurement value to a display or the like included in the input/output unit 44.
The operator operates the keyboard and mouse included in the input/output unit 44 and inputs the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 and the grease measurement value according to the input display. When the operator inputs the model number and grease measurement value of the rolling bearing device 10, the reception unit 40c receives the input model number and grease measurement value.

When the model number and the grease measurement value are accepted by the reception unit 40c, the calculation unit 40a of the control device 34 calculates the circulation time based on the aging database 50 stored in the storage unit 42 and the grease measurement value.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the temporal change database 50.
The temporal change database 50 registers temporal change data regarding the temporal change in the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil when the cleaning oil is circulated using the flushing device 20.
A plurality of pieces of temporal change data are registered in association with each of a plurality of model numbers of the rolling bearing device 10. For example, if the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 is "AAA", the first aging data 50a is registered, and if the model number is "BBB", the second aging data 50b is registered. , the third aging data 50c is registered for the model number "CCC".

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of the first temporal change data 50a as an example of temporal change data.
The first temporal change data 50a includes a plurality of pieces of temporal change information 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d. Note that the temporal change information 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d may be collectively referred to as the temporal change information 51.
The temporal change information 51 is information indicating a temporal change in the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil when the cleaning oil is circulated using the flushing device 20.
In other words, the temporal change information 51 includes the value of the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil corresponding to the elapsed time from the start of circulation when the cleaning oil with a predetermined iron powder concentration is circulated. It shows the relationship between the powder concentration value and the elapsed time from the start of circulation.
In FIG. 6, the temporal change information 51 is shown as a graph. The horizontal axis of the graph in FIG. 6 indicates the elapsed time (min) after starting the circulation of the cleaning oil, and the vertical axis indicates the iron powder concentration (ppm).

The temporal change information 51 is obtained by circulating cleaning oil containing iron powder at a predetermined concentration using at least the circulation unit 31 of the flushing device 20 and the rolling bearing device 10, and measuring the iron powder concentration in the cleaning oil at predetermined intervals. This is obtained by conducting a preliminary test in advance. In this preliminary test, settings such as the filter 32, the discharge amount of the oil supply pump 22, and the suction pump 24 are set as normal settings for flushing work.

Each time change information 51 has a different iron powder concentration (starting concentration) of the cleaning oil at the start of circulation. The starting concentration of the aging information 51a is 4300 ppm, the starting concentration of the aging information 51b is 5000 ppm, the starting concentration of the aging information 51c is 5500 ppm, and the starting concentration of the aging information 51d is 6000 ppm. Note that the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil at the start of circulation (starting concentration) includes the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil immediately after the circulation starts, as well as the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil just before the circulation starts in the preliminary test.

For example, in the temporal change information 51a where the starting concentration is 4300 ppm, the iron powder concentration decreases from 4300 ppm over time.
In the temporal change information 51a, the decrease in the iron powder concentration is gradual during the elapsed time of about 0 minutes to about 10 minutes, and thereafter the decrease in the iron powder concentration becomes rapid. When the iron powder concentration falls below 2000 ppm, the decrease in the iron powder concentration becomes gradual, and the gradual decrease continues thereafter.
The iron powder concentration in the other temporal change information 51 also tends to decrease over time, similar to the temporal change information 51a.

With reference to the above-mentioned temporal change database 50, the calculation unit 40a of the control device 34 calculates the circulation time.
The calculation unit 40a refers to the temporal change data corresponding to the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 received by the receiving unit 40c from the temporal change database 50 (FIG. 5).
If the model number received by the reception unit 40c is, for example, “AAA”, the calculation unit 40a refers to the first temporal change data 50a.

Furthermore, the calculation unit 40a refers to the temporal change information 51, which is a starting concentration that is relatively close to the grease measurement value accepted by the receiving unit 40c, among the plurality of temporal change information 51 included in the temporal change data.
If the grease measurement value received by the reception unit 40c is, for example, “4300 ppm,” the calculation unit 40a selects the time-lapse data whose starting concentration is 4300 ppm from among the plurality of time-change information 51 included in the first time-lapse data 50a. Refer to the change information 51a (FIG. 6).
Further, if the grease measurement value received by the reception unit 40c is, for example, “4600 ppm”, the calculation unit 40a calculates that the starting concentration is 5000 ppm among the plurality of pieces of aging change information 51 included in the first aging data 50a. A certain temporal change information 51b (FIG. 6) is referred to.
In this way, the calculation unit 40a refers to the temporal change information 51, which is the starting concentration that is equal to or greater than the measured grease value and is closest to the measured grease value. Thereby, the temporal change information 51 having a margin with respect to the measured value is referred to.

When the flushing device 20 is used, the iron powder concentration (starting concentration) of the cleaning oil at the start of circulation can be considered to be approximately the same as the iron powder concentration of the grease of the rolling bearing device 10 before the cleaning oil starts circulating. .
Therefore, as described above, by referring to the temporal change information 51 whose starting concentration approximates the measured grease value, the calculation unit 40a calculates a plurality of temporal changes according to the iron powder concentration of the lubricant of the rolling bearing device 10. Appropriate temporal change information 51 can be selected from among the information 51 to determine the circulation time.

In this embodiment, a threshold value (predetermined value) is set for the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil as a condition under which it can be determined that cleaning has been completed. The calculation unit 40a refers to the temporal change information 51 and determines the elapsed time during which the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil becomes equal to or less than the threshold value as the circulation time.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the threshold value is set to an iron powder concentration of 2000 ppm at which the decrease in iron powder concentration is gradual.
Here, it is assumed that the elapsed time for the iron powder concentration to reach 2000 ppm is 30 minutes. In this case, the calculation unit 40a refers to the temporal change information 51a and sets the circulation time to 30 minutes, which is the elapsed time at which the iron powder concentration reaches 2000 ppm.
Note that the threshold value may be set to a different value if the model number of the rolling bearing device 10 is different. Further, it may be set to a different value depending on each piece of temporal change information 51. Furthermore, the threshold value may be set to a different value depending on the operator who operates the wind power generator 1.

As described above, the calculation unit 40a can determine the circulation time based on the temporal change database 50 and the iron powder concentration (grease measurement value) of the grease in the rolling bearing device 10 before flushing. Therefore, an appropriate circulation time can be determined in advance before starting circulation of the cleaning oil.

Referring to FIG. 4, after the circulation time is determined in step S2, the flushing device 20 is then attached to the rolling bearing device 10 (step S3). More specifically, the flushing device 20 is first carried into the nacelle 6 and then connected to the rolling bearing device 10.

After attaching the flushing device 20 to the rolling bearing device 10, the operator operates the flushing device 20 to start circulating the cleaning oil (step S4). When the operator inputs a command to start circulating the cleaning oil, the circulation control unit 40b included in the processing unit 40 of the control device 34 controls the oil supply pump 22 and the suction pump 24 to start circulating the cleaning oil.

At this time, the setting of the iron powder removal capacity of the filter 32 and the setting of the discharge amount of the pumps 22 and 24 are set as normal settings in the flushing work. Note that normal settings for flushing work mean that when flushing a rolling bearing device 10 whose operating time has reached a point where it can be generally determined that flushing is required, the settings are set in advance so that the circulation time falls within a preset numerical range. Refers to the settings that have been set.
In addition, when the circulation time calculated|required in step S2 is larger than the preset numerical range, you may change the setting of the filter 32 and the pumps 22 and 24. For example, by setting the iron powder removal capacity of the filter 32 higher than the normal setting or setting the discharge amount of the pumps 22 and 24 larger than the normal setting, the circulation time obtained in step S2 can be changed. can be substantially shortened. In this way, when the settings of the filter 32 and pumps 22, 24 are changed from the normal settings, the circulation time determined in step S2 is corrected by input to the control device 34 by the operator.

The circulation control unit 40b has a function of circulating cleaning oil based on the circulation time.
After starting the circulation of the cleaning oil, the circulation control unit 40b determines whether the circulation time has elapsed (step S5). If it is determined that the circulation time has not elapsed after starting the circulation of the cleaning oil, the circulation control unit 40b repeats step S5. If it is determined that the circulation time has elapsed, the circulation control unit 40b proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the circulation control unit 40b determines the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil from the output of the sensor 30, and determines whether the determined iron powder concentration value of the cleaning oil (cleaning oil measurement value) is less than or equal to the above-mentioned threshold value. A determination is made (step S6).
If it is determined that the cleaning oil measurement value is not below the threshold value, the circulation control unit 40b repeats step S6. If it is determined that the measured value of the cleaning oil is less than or equal to the threshold value, the circulation control unit 40b proceeds to step S7 and ends the circulation of the cleaning oil (step S7).

In this manner, when the circulation time has elapsed since the start of circulation of the cleaning oil (step S5) and the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil is determined to be below the threshold value (step S6), the circulation control unit 40b controls the cleaning oil. The circulation ends (step S7).
Thereby, in addition to the circulation time, it can be determined whether or not to end the circulation of the cleaning oil based on the cleaning oil measurement value that is the iron powder concentration of the circulating cleaning oil.

When the circulation of the cleaning oil is completed, the operator removes the flushing device 20 from the rolling bearing device 10, removes the flushing device 20 from the nacelle 6 (step S8), and finishes the flushing work. Thereafter, the rolling bearing device 10 is filled with new grease.

〔others〕
It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive.
For example, although the flushing device 20 of the above embodiment is configured to remove iron powder as foreign matter contained in the grease in the internal space S of the rolling bearing device 10, other metal powder other than iron powder may be removed. It may be configured to remove foreign substances other than metal powder, or may be configured to remove foreign substances other than metal powder. In this case, the filter 32 and the sensor 30 for measuring the concentration of foreign matter are used that can perform a filter function or a sensor function depending on the physical properties of the foreign matter. The grease measurement value in step S1 indicates the concentration of foreign substances to be removed in the grease, and the cleaning oil measurement value in step S6 indicates the concentration of foreign substances to be removed in the cleaning oil.

In addition, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the case where the circulation of the cleaning oil is started and the measurement value of the cleaning oil is obtained by the sensor 30 after the circulation time has passed has been exemplified, but the circulation control The unit 40b may be configured to constantly acquire and monitor cleaning oil measurements.
Alternatively, the cleaning oil measurement value, which is the iron powder concentration of the cleaning oil passing through the discharge pipe 24a, may be measured by an operator using a measuring device without using the sensor 30. In this case, the operator inputs the measured value of the cleaning oil to the input/output section 44 of the control device 34 . Thereby, the control device 34 can receive and acquire the cleaning oil measurement value.

Further, in the embodiment described above, a part or all of the processing performed by the control device 34 may be performed by an operator instead of the control device 34.
Further, in the embodiment described above, step S3 (attachment of the flushing device 20) in FIG. 4 may be performed before step S1, or may be performed between step S1 and step S2.
The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and it is intended that equivalent meanings to the claims and all changes within the scope are included.

10 Rolling bearing device 20 Flushing device 29 Supply and recovery section 31 Circulation unit 32 Filter 34 Control device 40a Calculation section 40b Circulation control section 40c Reception section 50 Time change database 51, 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d Time change information (information)
S Internal space

Claims (5)

Cleaning oil is supplied to and recovered from the internal space of the rolling bearing device to which lubricant has been applied, and the recovered cleaning oil is passed through a filter for removing foreign matter and resupplied to the internal space, and the cleaning oil A method for flushing a rolling bearing device using a flushing device that circulates
a lubricant measuring step of measuring the foreign matter concentration of the lubricant in the internal space before starting circulation of the cleaning oil;
a calculating step of calculating a circulation time from the start to the end of the circulation of the cleaning oil,
In the calculation step, a plurality of pieces of information indicating changes over time in the foreign substance concentration of the cleaning oil when the flushing device is used, the plurality of pieces of information having different foreign substance concentrations in the cleaning oil at the time of starting circulation are registered. A flushing method for determining the circulation time based on a lubricant measurement value obtained by the lubricant measurement step. In the calculation step, from among the plurality of pieces of information, information in which the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil at the start of circulation approximates the lubricant measurement value is referred to, and the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil is determined to be equal to or lower than a predetermined value from the start of circulation. 2. The flushing method according to claim 1, wherein the circulation time is determined as the circulation time. further comprising a circulation step of circulating the cleaning oil based on the circulation time,
The circulation step includes:
an initiation step of initiating circulation of the cleaning oil;
a cleaning oil measuring step of measuring the foreign matter concentration of the cleaning oil collected from the internal space and in the front stage of the filter;
and a termination step of terminating the circulation of the cleaning oil when the circulation time has elapsed since the circulation of the cleaning oil was started and it is determined that the cleaning oil measurement value in the cleaning oil measurement step is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The flushing method according to claim 2. The flushing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the foreign matter concentration is an iron powder concentration. a circulation unit that includes a supply and recovery section that supplies and recovers cleaning oil to the internal space of the rolling bearing device that is supplied with lubricant, and a filter for removing foreign matter that is supplied with the recovered cleaning oil;
a control unit that controls the supply and recovery unit, re-supplies the cleaning oil that has passed through the filter to the rolling bearing device, and circulates the cleaning oil,
The control unit includes:
a calculation unit that calculates the circulation time from the start to the end of the circulation of the cleaning oil;
a circulation control unit that circulates the cleaning oil based on the circulation time;
a reception unit that receives a lubricant measurement value of a foreign matter concentration of the lubricant in the internal space, which is measured before the start of circulation of the cleaning oil;
A plurality of pieces of information indicating changes over time in the foreign substance concentration of the cleaning oil when the cleaning oil is circulated using the circulation unit, the plurality of pieces of information having different foreign substance concentrations in the cleaning oil at the time of starting circulation. has a registered database, and
The calculation unit is a flushing device that calculates the circulation time based on the lubricant measurement value received by the reception unit and the database.

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