Thordon Bearings has supplied a full suite of grease-free bearings for the Otto Holden Generating Station on the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, as part of a major mid-life refurbishment project led by Andritz Hydro for Ontario Power Generation (OPG). The project involves replacing old technology with Thordon’s high-performance products across the station’s eight turbines, with completion expected by 2029.
The refurbishment, facilitated by local distributors RMH Industries in Quebec and Millstream Engineering in Ontario, has so far seen Thordon’s ThorPlas-Blue and Thorseal bearings installed in units 7 and 5 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, with unit 8 scheduled for installation in Q4 2024. Each turbine retrofit includes 262 bearings, covering wicket gate bearings and seals, Thorseal linkage bearings, Thordon SXL operating ring wear pads, and servo motor bearings and seals.
RMH Industries is manufacturing the servomotors with Thordon’s bearings, leveraging decades of expertise. Gaétan Dionne, General Manager of RMH Industries, highlighted the company’s capability to install bearings on servomotors using liquid nitrogen in under a minute.
Thordon’s bearings were selected for their high-performance reputation and their ability to eliminate the need for regular greasing, thus reducing maintenance costs and preventing river contamination. The bearings are designed to operate in wet or dry conditions, are self-lubricating, and can handle edge loading caused by minor misalignments or gate deflections. The ThorPlas-Blue bearings are engineered thermoplastics capable of withstanding pressures up to 45MPa (6,527 psi).
Thordon’s Thorseals are made of a proprietary elastomer that does not degrade over time and are available in various sizes, including custom options up to 1.5m (60in) in diameter.
Greg Auger, Commercial Director at Millstream Engineering, stressed the importance of precise measurements when installing the wicket gate bearings. “It is critical to get accurate measurements of the shaft and housing dimensions before final machining of the ThorPlas-Blue bearings so that they can be sized correctly for proper fit and clearance,” Auger said. He emphasized the need for careful installation and protection of the bearings during ongoing overhaul work.
Millstream Engineering will continue to support OPG across Ontario, as the Otto Holden station is part of a broader push to modernize hydropower facilities across Canada. OPG has identified significant untapped hydroelectric potential, with about 4,000MW available in Ontario’s northern rivers, enough to power approximately 3.5 million homes.
Ryan Edmonds, Business Development Manager for Hydro & Industrial at Thordon Bearings, noted the global growth in the hydropower market due to rising demand for renewable energy. “Hydropower is a clean, secure, domestic source of electricity, and Thordon’s high-performance solutions are a perfect fit for these durable assets,” Edmonds said.
