FöRFATTARE
Glavatskih, Sergei

INSTITUTION
Tillämpad fysik, maskin- och materialteknik / Maskinelement

SAMMANFATTNING
This report is a continuation of the work reported earlier that was aimed to assess the feasibility of replacing the mineral oil in hydro power plants with a more environmentally acceptable fluid. Those studies examined the differences between mineral and synthetic oils in terms of maximum operating temperature, minimum oil film thickness and power loss in a tilting-pad thrust bearing with an outer diameter of 228.6 mm operating in a fully flooded mode. Test data and theoretical results showed that the ester base oil performed better than the traditionally used VG68 mineral oil.

In the present paper further performance comparisons between this environmentally adapted ester base oil and VG68 mineral oil, this time in a full scale thrust bearing of a hydro power plant, are reported. Again, a complete set of bearing performance parameters is recorded. Recorded data that include temperature, oil-film thickness and power loss are presented and analysed. It is shown that the environmentally adapted ester base oil significantly improves bearing operating characteristics.

ISSN 1402-1528 / ISRN LTU-FR--04/20--SE / NR 2004:20