Gas and steam turbines are among the most vital – and most demanding – equipment in power generation. Turbine bearings are often subjected to high loads, high speeds and high temperatures, especially as capacity and efficiency demands increase. These turbines support a wide range of applications, including traditional utility power generation and newer installations such as data centers, where gas turbines are increasingly used to deliver high‑availability, dispatchable power. To ensure optimum dynamic characteristics in specific operating conditions, Waukesha Bearings applies a variety of specialized design features to bearing solutions.
As gas turbines are applied across both established and emerging power generation environments, operating profiles continue to evolve. Higher utilization rates, faster response requirements, and tighter availability expectations—often associated with data‑center‑driven power demand—increase the importance of bearing performance, thermal control, and dynamic stability.
Depending on size, gas and steam turbines typically use tilting pad journal and thrust bearings, sometimes in combined assemblies. ‘Directed Lubrication’ is usually employed to minimize power loss and oil flow and to reduce pad surface temperatures.
To handle the high speeds and high loads, gas turbine thrust bearings often require the use of copper chrome (CuCr) backing material and assured pivoting mechanisms.
For large-frame gas and steam turbines, our Maxalign bearing is an industry leader. Central to the design is a patented ball and socket pivot support which provides high stiffness with superior dynamic alignment. The Maxalign design is optimized for shaft sizes 300 mm (11.8″) and up.
For micro gas turbines, our Flexure Pivot tilt pad bearing can provide the stability of a tilt pad bearing in the compact design envelope of a sleeve bearing. In addition, the integral pad-pivot-retainer design minimizes manufacturing tolerance stack-up and eliminates pivot wear – further improving stability.
Minimize power loss and increase load capacity with ‘Directed Lubrication’, an industry standard for improved bearing performance.
In oil-lubricated gas turbines, polymer-lined tilt pad thrust and journal bearings can replace babbitt bearings to withstand high temperatures resulting from heat soak. This high-temperature capability provides additional safety in the event the back-up lubrication system fails or can even eliminate the need for a back-up system, saving on both weight and cost.
Aluminum tin (AlSn)-lined tilt pads provide higher load capacity than whitemetal pads due to higher temperature capability and greater fatigue resistance. This higher load capacity can be leveraged to upgrade equipment capacity or to improve efficiency.
Read how AlSn-lined thrust pads enabled a series of performance upgrades on a heavy-duty gas turbine in “A System Integration Approach for Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine Upgrades Using Improved Rotor Thrust Predictions and Application of Advanced Thrust Bearing Designs.”
(Authored by Bavassano F, Mantero M, Traverso R, Livermore-Hardy R, Blair B. Published in ASME Turbo Expo 2017: Power for Land, Sea, and Air, Volume 5B: Heat Transfer: V05BT15A012. doi:10.1115/GT2017-63647.)
Minimize leakage gaps and increase operational efficiencies in gas and steam turbines with Waukesha Bearings brush seals.
The compliancy of a brush seal allows sealing clearances to be significantly reduced, while our unique modular design can reduce repair costs.
Compared to oil-lubricated bearings, magnetic bearings can provide increased reliability and availability, greater efficiency, quieter operation, more consistent rotordynamic characteristics and decreased maintenance.
With built-in monitoring and diagnostic capabilities, Waukesha magnetic bearing systems also allow remote observability and adjustments and integration into customer IIOT platforms.
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