Gas / Steam Turbine Bearings

Kingsbury turbine bearings deliver proven reliability in gas and steam turbine applications worldwide. Designed for high surface speeds, elevated temperatures, and continuous duty, our thrust and journal bearings maintain stable film formation and predictable performance under the most demanding load conditions.

When conventional flooded lubrication reached its limits, Kingsbury developed Leading Edge Groove (LEG®) directed-lube technology. By channeling oil precisely to the pad’s leading edge, LEG designs run 5–20 °C cooler, handle 15–20% greater load, cut oil flow by 50%, and reduce frictional losses by up to 45%, extending bearing life and improving turbine efficiency.

Our bearings are used in both OEM and retrofit installations, replacing older spring-plate or jack-screw designs to improve load distribution, reduce pad temperature, and lengthen maintenance intervals. Supported by Kingsbury’s R&D, design, and field service teams, each bearing solution is engineered to reduce vibration, stabilize rotor dynamics, and sustain long-term efficiency across the turbine’s operating life.

Gas and steam turbines subject bearings to extreme mechanical and thermal stresses. Kingsbury designs each bearing to maintain film stability and predictable performance even under fluctuating loads, high temperatures, and demanding speed profiles.

In gas turbine systems, our LEG® directed-lube bearings sustain a stable oil film during high-speed operation and transient conditions such as startup or coast-down. By eliminating churning losses and reducing shear heat, they deliver measurable efficiency gains and longer service life.

In steam turbine applications, Kingsbury thrust bearings with chrome-copper pads and optimized pivot geometry manage heavy axial loads and dissipate heat efficiently. Plants that retrofit older designs with Kingsbury equalizing or LEG configurations have recorded up to 20 °C lower pad temperatures and significantly reduced oil-system power loss.

Across utility-scale, combined-cycle, and mechanical-drive systems, Kingsbury turbine bearings have earned a reputation for reliability, vibration stability, and low maintenance requirements. Supported by our field service and repair teams, each bearing is engineered to perform beyond OEM specifications and to keep your turbine assets operating at peak efficiency year after year.

For Gas and Steam Turbine Bearings Repair, Retrofit, or Replacement, visit Kingsbury’s turbomachinery bearing services page.

Contact us to discuss new installation, upgrade or bearing review for high speed/high load turbine bearings for gas and steam applications. Our Kingsbury team will arrange for a detailed review of your application, load conditions, oil-system history and expected service life and present a solution and outline expected performance improvements.

The Advantages of LEG^® Technology vs Flooded Bearings

• Reduces operating temperatures by 5° to 20° C, depending on shaft speed
• Increases load capacity by 15% – 20%, reducing required bearing size
• Lowers oil flow by 50%, allowing for reduced lube system demand
• Improves efficiency, with a 45% reduction in friction losses

The applications and data demonstrate that LEG^® technology is a cost effective and reliable method of lubrication that improves efficiency, lowers capital costs, and adds value to machinery.

Anatomy of an LEG® thrust bearing. Click to learn more.	Oil flow characteristics of an LEG® journal bearing. Click to learn more.	Oil flow characteristics of a BPG® journal bearing. Click to learn more.

Enter the BPG^® Journal bearing for even greater machine efficiency

More recently, a new addition has joined the directed-lubrication family of Kingsbury journal bearings, the Between Pad Grooves (BPG^®), improving machine performance even more:

• BPG^® journal bearings direct lubrication using feed bars between pads to introduce cool oil
• BPG’s lower oil flow rate results in significantly reduced power losses
• Unlike the LEG^® bearing, BPG^® can be designed for bi-directional shaft rotation when required

Kingsbury’s Bearing Selection App will get you in the right ballpark, but to learn more about which bearing type is best for your application, we encourage you to contact a Kingsbury application engineer.

Kingsbury Design and Manufacturing Advantages

Kingsbury uses laboratory test data as well as real-time application data in order to provide bearing performance calculations that are the most accurate in the industry. Kingsbury’s ability to predict operating performance allows us to select the right bearing for every application, and to provide the right fix or upgrade for any problems you are experiencing with your current bearings.

There are other advantages to Kingsbury bearings: we maintain a large inventory of standard parts for gas and steam turbine installations. We offer ultrasonic and dye penetrant testing on new items and perform 100% inspection of bond integrity on repaired thrust and journal bearings. Finally, Kingsbury can provide instrumentation to allow you to monitor bearing performance, including thermocouples, RTDs, bayonet probes, load cells, axial displacement probes and vibration sensors.

Kingsbury’s directed lubrication bearing enjoy a well-established reputation in the power generation industry through installation in literally thousands of gas or steam turbines, both as retrofits as well as new machines. Ask us to evaluate your application to see if we can offer you better results with a Kingsbury LEG^® or BPG^® in your turbomachinery designs.

For Gas and Steam Turbine Bearings Repair, Retrofit, or Replacement, visit Kingsbury’s turbomachinery bearing services page.