Trailing Edge Cooling for Fluid Film Bearings

Innovative, Patented Design

To increase heat transfer in tilt pad bearings and expand bearing operating limits, Waukesha Bearings offers an innovative trailing edge cooling technology.

The patented design* features grooves in the trailing edge face of the tilting pad and a spray bar adjacent to the trailing edge to deliver cooling flow. The grooves increase the surface area and allow the lubricant to penetrate deeper into the pad for greater cooling effect. The flow supplied to the trailing edge is a portion of the flow already being supplied to lubricate the bearing for hydrodynamic operation.

*Patent No. US 9,534,637 B2

Trailing edge cooling on a Maxalign TPJ bearing

Improved Heat Transfer

One of the leading applications of trailing edge cooling technology is on the Maxalign® tilt pad journal bearing. Optimized for performance in large rotating equipment, Maxalign bearings offer reduced oil flow and power loss to improve machine efficiency; a pivot design highly adaptable to shaft misalignment; and an industry leading hydrostatic lift design in the lower pads that produces a reliable shaft lift while limiting the temperature increase that the hydrostatic lift feature can induce once the machine has reached full speed.

The application of trailing edge cooling in the Maxalign design further lowers bearing temperatures, permitting operating speeds and loads in excess of 100 m/s and 3 MPa, without compromising bearing life or safety margin.

Trailing edge cooling is not limited to the Maxalign bearing design. Any radial or thrust bearing operating under higher speeds and loads than typically allowed would benefit from trailing edge cooling.