Bearing technology and energy supply systems for hydropower plants

Basic flizz cable carrier system®

• cost-effective complete system, consisting of energy chain, chainflex® cable and stainless steel housing
• Protection against weather and soiling
• Low maintenance, for travel distances up to 100 m

Plain and spherical plain bearings

• lubrication-free flanged bushings made of the all-round material iglidur ® G or iglidur ® H especially for underwater applications. For very high surface pressures, we recommend igutex ® TX1.
• rod end igubal® KBRM: corrosion-free, suitable for liquid media, with robust, long fibre-reinforced polymer spherical cap

Bearing technology and e-chain® Semi-finished

• plates made of iglidur® JB: highly wear-resistant with low coefficient of friction
• Heavy-duty threaded nut dryspin® JGRM  + high helix lead screw dryspin® stainless steel AISI 304 with right-hand thread
• drylin® RJUM housing bearing + EEWM  round shaftin AISI 420C
• stainless steel energy chain series E4.1: robustlightweight,, modular

Plain bearing

• For guiding the piston:
  Cylindrical bushings iglidur ® H370 for high loads, with very good wear resistance under water
• For fixing the water column and the main swivelling movement:
  High-strength wound plain bushings igutex® TX1 or igutex ® TX2, very wear-resistant under extreme loads

Plain bearing

• For guidance of the piston:
  Cylindrical bushings iglidur ® Q for high load, wear-resistant on many shafts
• For supporting the main axis:
  High-strength wound plain bushings igutex ® TX1 or igutex ® TX2, very wear-resistant under extreme loads

Plain bearing

Cylindrical bushings iglidur® UW: extremely wear-resistant underwater endurance runner, the first choice for pump applications

Safe energy supply even in high waves

The point absorbers from CorPower Ocean are lightweight, compact and can cope well with storms thanks to the innovative "Wavespring Phase Control Technology". The upward and downward movement of the buoy is converted into a rotational movement via a cascade gearbox, which drives a power generator. Two E4.1 series e-chain® together with chainflex® servo, power and control cables ensure a secure energy supply within the buoy.

Plain bearings for durable wave energy converter

For Rotary Wave's WEC, the designers were looking for bearings that were extremely resilient and suitable for the aggressive seawater environment. The surface pressures achieved are around 50 MPa, the maximum speed is 10 rpm. The decision was made in favour of iglidur ® Z bearings. They achieve significantly better results than sintered bearings with a bronze surface, for example.

First WEC made of plastic reliably moved with iglidur®

The shaft energy converter from PolyGen is the world's first WEC made predominantly of plastic. For the bearing points on the axis of the flaps, bearings were needed that could withstand the high mechanical load and the corrosive salt water for as long as possible. The perfect solution was found at igus®: iglidur ® flanged bushings made of the material H370, specially developed for the wet area.

Uninterrupted energy transmission at the tidal turbine

Tocardo was looking for a way to safely route the cable from the turbine to the converter in the control cabinet and thus achieve the longest possible service life for the system. igus® provided the perfect solution with E4/4 e-chain®: They are corrosion-resistant, insensitive to persistently damp environments, easy to install and quick to open if a cable needs to be replaced.

Tidal turbine moves safely in rough seas

The OpenHydro tidal turbine generates green electricity in the North Sea. If required, the generator can be moved 20 metres downwards, which means that a large part of the cable is below the surface of the water. A metal chain could not be used in the aggressive sea conditions. The operator therefore opted for our plasticenergychain E4/4, which ensures maintenance-free operation of the turbine.

Saves space and maintenance costs: basic flizz® system on the screen cleaner

The H-cleaner from Muhr, a global specialist for these systems, uses a proven standard for the energy supply to the travelling carriage: the basic flizz® system. Completely installed at the Rochlitz hydropower plant in just 1.5 hours, the compact system moves the cable safely over 15 metres. Although well concealed, the energy chain is easily accessible for maintenance or when adding new cables.