Hydro Turbines

Our tilting pad bearings have been the industry standard for more than a century.

Modern Hydro Turbine Bearing Applications and Support

Kingsbury's line of tilting pad bearings has been the industry standard for more than a century, starting with the first bearing designed and manufactured by Dr. Albert Kingsbury. Kingsbury can supply not only thrust and guide bearings, but the thrust blocks, cooling systems and housings as well.

Hydro-turbine bearing applications typically have relatively low operating speeds and high thrust loads. Depending on the requirements, the thrust bearings may be equalized or non-equalized, and the guide bearings may be fixed geometry or have tilting pads. To date, bearings have been installed on hydro turbines and generators with shaft diameters varying between 150 and 1500 mm.

Get more information about a Kingsbury bearing in this Application.

In addition to supplying bearings for new applications, Kingsbury regularly furnishes retrofits for aging spring plate bearings and other tilting page bearings offering complete diagnostic services, like failure analysis for symptoms like noise and high temperature, wear detection, as well as the replacement or upgrade of other makes of hydrodynamic bearings. Our experienced field service engineers can travel directly to your site to help with dismantling and evaluating larger bearings that are impractical to ship to our factory.

For Hydro Turbine Bearings Repair, Retrofit, or Replacement, visit the Bearing Services page.

For services related specifically to spring bed/spring plate bearings, visit this page.

Bearings for Hydro Facilities

Albert Kingsbury invented and installed the original tilting-pad thrust bearing for hydro-electric turbine-generator applications in 1912. Today, Kingsbury remains the global leader in hydro-electric bearing supply, support, and refurbishment.

Installing Insulation Sheet

Kingsbury provides insulated bearings and can convert existing, non-insulated designs into fully insulated bearings to reduce the risk of damage and down-time from stray shaft currents.

Retrofit Thrust/Journal Bearing for Horizontal Hydro Unit

Both traditional vertical and horizontal in-line, or pedestal-mounted bearing designs, are available.

Field Installation of Vertical Hydro Bearing

Expert field installation, shaft alignment, and technical field support are available from Kingsbury.

KBV Self Equalizing Replacement for Aging Thrust Bearing

Kingsbury equalizing vertical thrust bearing replacement of an aging, non-equalizing OEM design. Mechanical leveling plate and pin-style equalization is available. For maximum load equalization and performance, Kingsbury's hydraulically-equalized thrust bearings completely eliminate friction and wear in the support components.

Field Service Inspection of Pumped Storage Unit Thrust Runner

Kingsbury can repair or replace large solid or split thrust runners and thrust blocks up to 144" diameter.

Retrofit Thrust Bearing for Roberts Tunnel Hydro Station, City of Denver

Horizontal Hydro retrofit for Roberts Tunnel Hydro Station (City of Denver) - Kingsbury specializes in replacing aging designs with more robust, higher load-capacity bearings with superior load capacity and simpler maintainability.

Original Bearing Removed from Roberts Tunnel Hydro Station Due to Failure

Original, non-equalizing competitor bearing for Roberts Tunnel Hydro clearly showing wear and probable misalignment damage.

VK Thrust Bearing, New Replacement for GE Spring-plate Bearings

Damaged spring-plate type OEM bearing and replacement Kingsbury "VK" style vertical tilting pad bearing. The "VK" design provides drop-in replacement options for customers with spring-plate, spring-shoe, and other inferior vertical bearing arrangements for hydro and other large motor applications.

Field Installation of New KBV Self Equalizing Thrust Bearing

Field Installation of Vertical Equalizing Kingsbury "KBV" bearing assembly.

Field Inspection of Thrust Runner on Umbrella Unit

Field inspection supported by Kingsbury of thrust runner on an umbrella-style unit. Kingsbury has vast experience with solid and split thrust runners, steel and older cast-iron, upper and lower guide bearings, and thrust blocks.

Retrofit Turbine Guide Bearing for Vertical Hydro

Retrofit Turbine Guide bearing. Kingsbury designs, manufactures, repairs, and retrofits upper and lower guide bearings and other large journal bearing applications for all makes and models.