“NEW” TECHNOLOGY IN BEARINGS

AGENDA FOR THE “NEW” TECHNOLOGY:

PTFE-LINED THRUST BEARINGS

INTRUDUCTION

NORTH AMERICAN PTFE BEARING

ENERGY KEEPERS

ENENERGO

ONTARIO POWER GENERATION

PTFE a.k.a. TEFLONR

BACKGROUND

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

EXPERIENCE

KERR HPP UNIT 3 PTFE REPLACEMENT

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

INTRODUCTION

ENENERGO WAS FOUNDED IN 2004 BY THE DESIGN

ENGINEERS THAT PRIOR TO ITS ESTABLISHING WORKED

FOR UETM , A BIG GENERATOR MANUFACTURER

COMPARABLE TO OUR GE.

THEIR ENGINEERS WERE PART OF THE R & D TEAM IN THE

MID 1960’S THAT DEVELOPED THE PTFE BEARING.

WITH THEIR EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE GAINED WAS A

GOOD BASIS FOR THE FOUNDING OF THE ENENERGO

COMPANY

North American

PTFE Bearing, LLC

FOUNDER/OWNER

Kjell V. Nyqvist

105 W Horizon Circle

BOISE, IDAHO 83702

OFFICE: 1-208-345-0833

MOBILE: 1-208-631-9756

E-MAIL: ptfebearings@gmail.com

Web: ptfehydro.com

ALFRED MOHINOSENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER

INTRODUCED THE FIRST PTFE THRUST BEARING IN NORTH

AMERICA IN 1999

ONTARIO POWER GENERATION OWNS 69 HYDROELECTRIC

GENERATING STATIONS WITH AN INSTALLED CAPACITY OF

13,000 MW

69 OF WHICH 14 ARE OPERATING WITH PTFE THRUST

BEARINGS FOR A TOTAL OF 40 PTFE THRUST BEARINGS

5 units, 5 years, 150 rpm, 286 ton, 2.5 MPa (360 psi), 8 pads

1,415 cm2 (219.3 in2), no noticeable liner wear

Manitou Falls 5 x 15 MVA G.S., Ontario, CANADA

Energy Keepers, Inc.

Gary Peterson, PE

Maintenance Manager

Selis Ksanka Qlispe Project Works

(Kerr Project #0005)

A Corporation of the Confederated Salish

and Kootenai Tribes

43069 Kerr Dam Road

Polson, MT 59860

PolyTetraFlouroEthylene, PTFEBetter known as TEFLONR

On April 6, 1938, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett, DuPont, discovered a white, waxy solid when checking

a frozen, compressed sample of tetraflouroethylene, a gas related to FreonR.

TFE spontaneously polymerized into PTFE. TeflonR was registered as DuPont’s trademark

for PTFE in 1945.

Prominent properties:

Specific gravity 2.15

Tensile strength 21-35 MPa 3,000-5,000 psi

Elongation 300-500%

Flexural Modulus 500 MPa 72,000 psi

Folding Endurance >106 cycles

Impact Strength 189 J/m 3.5 ftlb/in

Hardness 50-65 Shore D

Friction Coefficient 0.1 <3 m/min <10 fpm

Melting Point 327oC 621

oF

Max. Op. Temp. (20,000 h) 260oC 500

oF

Dielectric Constant 2.1

Resistivity >1018 ohm-cm

BACKGROUND

CONVENTIONAL WHITE METAL (BABBITT)

LINED THRUST BEARINGS

Main Cause of Mechanical Failures of Hydro Generators’ Thrust Bearings

o Thermal Deformation, Crowning

o Low Flexibility; Alignment Critical

o High Susceptibility to Particles

o Wipes One, Wipes All

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

AIRCRAFT APPLICATION

TRANSFER

CHALLENGE 1

Low Elasticity Module

Bonding to Steel

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION &

INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLATION &

OPERATION

CONTENT:

1. Purpose

2. Technical Data

3. Product Description

4. Preparation Before Installation

5. Installation

6. Operation and Maintenance

7. Instructions for Transportation and

Storage

SOLUTION

Joint Russian Team Figured out How to

Bond the PTFE to the Metal Base by

Impregnating a Wire Mesh with the PTFE

which was then soldered to the Metal Base

REWARD

Highest Award in Science and

Technology, Russia, 1985

Vladimir P. Loshkarev, Chief Design

Engineer, UETM (Now EnEnergo), was

Awarded the USSR State Prize for

development of hydro units thrust

bearings with PTFE coated segments

38 Years Operation

More than 800 Delivered

CHALLENGE 2

First Commercial Application, 1978

Ust-Ilim, 18 x 282.5MVA, 125rpm, 1,650ton

(3,637,623 lbs) , 16pads, 6.3MPa (913.802 psi)

The below cross section of a PTFE-lined thrust shoe shows

pre-drilled and NPT threaded hole for insertion of a

temperature sensor

Also notice the slot through the friction surface metal flex

PTFE composite above the sensors tip transferring the oil

film temperature

Below Plan and Section Drawings shows

the Wear Marks that are typically provided

with 2 or 4 shoes of the set’s PTFE friction

surfaces

Depth of wear marks are

0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 mm

Complex and complicated design for this Babbitt bearing is to

minimize the risk of deformation and wipe can be made simpler

with the insulated properties of the PTFE- lined thrust bearing.

This shows the replacement PTFE-lined thrust bearing shoe that

replaced the previous shown complex design. All PTFE shoes are

made to the exact fitting dimensions as the old Babbitt thrust

bearing shoe’s for easy replacement installation.

EXPERIENCE

LONGEVITY OF PTFE-LINED THRUST BEARING

To establish a wear rate of PTFE-lined thrust bearings

one would have to go back to its infancy when the first

such bearings were put into commercial operation in

1978 at the Ust-Ilim hydropower plant. These liners

have 1.5 mm of wearable thickness. Protracting from

actual wear rates, the longevity is expected to be

between 40 to 70 years.

Of course, the wear rate depends on different

operating conditions. Below are listed a few

hydropower plants with different operating

conditions and parameters to indicate measured

wear rates so far.

After twenty (20) years of operation at the 18 x 283

MVA Ust-Ilim HPP on the Angara River in Russia

the wear of the 16 segment thrust bearing with a

total load of 103 metric ton was 0.3 mm (0.012 in.).

9 units, 15 years, 200 rpm, 1,720 ton, 6.0 MPa (867.6 psi), 12 pads

2,350 cm2 (364.3 in2), 0.32 mm (0.013 in) liner wear

Zagorsk Pumped Storage Plant

The thrust bearings at the Zagorsk Pumped Storage

Plant north of Moscow with six units each rated

236 MVA, 150 rpm, axial thrust 1,460 ton, without

HPOL, and 1,200 starts annually were inspected

after fourteen years uninterrupted

operation and found in excellent condition with

0.2 mm wear (0.008 in).

TEHRI HYDROELECTRIC

PROJECT INDIA

First delivery in 2001

In commercial operation since

2003

4 x 278MVA, 214.3rpm,

Total thrust load: 1,500ton

(3,306,930lbs)

Number of pads: 12

Pad area: 2,190cm2 (339.5sqi)

Specific load: 5.8MPa (812.1psi)

Mean velocity: 24.9m/s (81.7fps)

KERR HPP UNIT 3 PTFE

REPLACEMENT

QUESTIONS/ ANSWERS

North American

PTFE Bearing, LLC

FOUNDER/OWNER AND

GENERAL MANAGER

Kjell V. Nyqvist

105 W Horizon Circle

BOISE, IDAHO 83702

OFFICE: 1-208-345-0833

MOBILE: 1-208-631-9756

E-MAIL: ptfebearings@gmail.com

Web: PTFEHYDRO.COM