Thordon Bearings Inc

Thordon Bearings offers two grades of water lubricated main shaft guide bearings for new turbines, upgrades from other bearings and full conversions from sealed oil systems.  Thordon bearings can be specified as an upgrade for rubber or other non-metallic bearings in existing water-lubricated bearing systems or as a complete conversion from sealed oil or grease lubricated systems to pollution-free water lubrication.

Thordon Turbine Guide Bearing benefits include:

• Long wear life and lower maintenance costs mean lower life-cycle costs
• Zero pollution risk (no oil or grease needed)
• Very high abrasive resistance
• Full-cycle technical support includes system design, machining, installation and after-sales service
• Replacement without removing the main shaft

Thordon wicket gate, operating mechanism and linkage bearings operate wet or dry and eliminate the cost, maintenance and pollution risk associated with greased bearings. ThorPlas-Blue wicket gate bearings also come with a 15 year wearlife guarantee!

• Self-lubricating to ensure performance in limited-motion applications
• No galling from edge loading caused by minor misalignments or gate deflections
• Can be machined on site to accommodate dimensional inconsistencies and avoid replacement parts
• Quick delivery and less downtime to meet demanding rehabilitation schedules

All Thordon bearings can be easily machined and sized to final dimensions on-site prior to installation or easily line bored after installation to correct misalignment and dimensional inconsistencies encountered during turbine rehabilitation.

Tough, abrasion resistant Thordon SXL segmented shaft seals offer several technical advantages over carbon graphite-based seals:

• Ease of installation as carbon segments are quite fragile and can break easily
• Provide extended wear life if abrasives are present
• Increased capability to handle transient loading at startup and shutdown
• Easy installation and misalignment tolerance
• Supplied molded to size

Operating parameters for Thordon SXL segmented shaft seals are generally similar to those for carbon graphite seals in terms of maximum interface pressure and minimum leakage rate. Thordon segmented shaft seals have been designed for shafts up to 2000mm (80") diameter. They can be designed for use in either radial or axial sealing systems.

The main shaft seal of a turbine usually operates under high PV-value conditions and may also be frequently exposed to abrasives in the water. Thordon segmented shaft seals are a proven solution working in both clean and abrasive laden water.  Additional advantages of the segmented seal design include easy installation and replacement without removing the shaft. Disassembly of other machine parts may not be required.