Abstract

Increasing requirements for environmental protection make it necessary to introduce new materials and designs. Hydroelectric power plants operating in direct contact with water reservoirs and rivers are potentially endangering water cleanliness, hence they should also be modernized in the way minimizing the environmental hazards. A lot of progress in this field has been achieved in last decades, but still there is much work to be done, since in some cases the modifications are not straightforward and require know-how and/or new research. Gdansk University of Technology (GUT) has two faculties in which research in the field of bearing systems is being carried out: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) and Faculty of Shipbuilding and Ocean Engineering (FSOE). Teams in both faculties were involved in the research of water lubricated or self-lubricating bearings for various applications, including hydropower. In general, there are two basic types of bearings in hydro applications which require different approaches. Low speed bearings in which mixed lubrication conditions exist, such as guide vanes bushes, rotor blade bushes, where the application of properly selected self-lubricating material allows for eliminating grease as a lubricant. But also in these bearings material selection and bearing design, along with reliable durability prediction is not a straightforward task, especially as the bearings operate in atypical conditions of small oscillations. High speed bearings in which fluid film lubrication is possible and modifications are focused on substituting mineral based lubricants (mineral oils) with eco-friendly lubricants, preferably with water. Water lubrication creates numerous problems including material issues and low carrying capacity of water lubricated bearings due to low viscosity of water.

Authors (6)