DEVELOPMENT OF THRUST BEARINGS WITH HIGH SPECIFIC LOAD

摘要

Steam turbine is now facing strict market demands for further improvements in efficiency. To meet such demands, thrust bearing with high specific load makes a huge contribution to improvements in efficiency. Because the smaller thrust dummy diameter of rotor can be adopted and leakage flow through the thrust dummy can be reduced, in case thrust bearing allows higher specific load and allowable thrust force becomes bigger. MHI developed the thrust bearing with high specific load, which PEEK (polyether-ether-ketone) resin pad is applied. Both the laboratory bearing tests and long-time operation (from 2007) in MHI's internal combined cycle power plant have been successfully accomplished. This PEEK resin thrust bearing is going to be applied to the actual plant. This article describes the performance and characteristics of PEEK resin thrust bearing and summary of laboratory test and longtime operation.