08 September 2025 – New research by a leading Swedish university and tests at one of Canada’s most advanced engineering laboratories have provided the latest independent results verifying how self-lubricating ‘ThorPlas-Blue’ bearings out-perform all other options when used for hydro-turbine wicket gate applications.
The findings, from Luleå University of Technology (Sweden) and PowerTech Labs (Canada), reinforce research done by institutes across Europe and North America, including IREQ (Quebec Electricity Research Institute). They are included in a ‘Summary of Technical Testing on Self-Lubricating Bearings Used in Hydro-Turbine Wicket Gate Applications’, a comprehensive white paper from Thordon Bearings which evaluates use-specific bearing performance on a through-life basis.
The two organisations undertook independent studies to test claims made for a key component of the vanes that control water flow through a turbine to regulate power output. They focused on the sliding friction coefficient and wear rate that underlie the performance of self-lubricating, thermoplastic bearings.
As well as comparing friction, wear rates, creep, and resistance to stick-slip across a selection of widely available bearings, tests documented the significant variability in friction that occur under different load and speed conditions. The results confirm why a growing number of users specify ThorPlas-Blue bearings for wicket gates and verify that the dynamic and complex role of friction variability should always figure in bearing design and material selection.
Outcomes fully align with the data that Thordon has been compiling for 20-plus years and make a strong contribution to a white paper which offers a unique, peer-reviewed comparison of self-lubricating bearing materials with a specific focus on their performance in the wicket gate application. Offering the numerical values which underpin the mechanical properties of thermoplastic bearings, it documents the stable friction performance, low wear rates, negligible creep, and high resistance to stick-slip exhibited by ThorPlas-Blue.
Access ‘Summary of Technical Testing on Self-Lubricating Bearings Used in Hydro-Turbine Wicket Gate Applications’ here.
About Thordon Bearings
Thordon Bearings designs and manufactures a complete range of journal bearing and seal systems for application across a number of sectors, including marine, offshore, clean power generation, mining and other pump and land-based industrial sectors. Thordon Bearings’ polymer bearing solutions offer excellent wear life, reduced noise and low operating friction while providing a dependable, long-lasting, environmentally friendly alternative to grease and oil-lubricated bearings. Thordon systems and bearings are available worldwide through over 70 agents and distributors.
