ALSTOM SPECIFIES KINGSBURY LEG™ JOURNAL BEARINGS ON TM2 TURBINES

PHILADELPHIA, PA, January 2, 2001 – Design engineers in the Medium Turbine Group at Alstom Power's La Courneuve facility have recently decided to exclusively use Kingsbury's Leading-Edge-Groove (LEG™) journal bearings for the company's TM2 turbines. The decision comes as a result of Kingsbury's previous successful retrofits of five existing turbine journal bearings with the more efficient LEG, starting with a refinery application in 1996. Since 1999, the LEG journal bearing is also exclusively used in the gearbox when it is an overhung unit. Kingsbury has provided tilting pad fluid-film bearings to Alstom La Courneuve for its medium steam turbines for over 44 years. In 1986, Alstom specified Kingsbury LEG thrust bearings for its new VEGA combined-cycle steam turbine. By 1994, Alstom began specifying LEG thrust bearings on TM2 turbines, which typically consist of high and low pressure units. An equalized thrust bearing is used on the active side of the high-pressure unit, while non-equalized bearings are the rule for the low-pressure unit and for the HP slack side.