Turbine bearing maintenance equipment and method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to turbine bearing maintenance equipment and methods. Various embodiments include equipment (2, 12) for performing maintenance on a gas turbine bearing area (14), and related methods. An equipment (2, 12) may include: a set of tracks (20) sized to be coupled to a gas turbine (6) and disposed coaxially with a bearing (13, 15) near the gas turbine (6), the set of tracks (20) being used to support a portion of a housing (18) of the bearing (13, 15); a first platform (28) straddling between the set of tracks (20); a lifting device (30) coupled to the first platform (28) to engage an inlet bell mouth (17) of the gas turbine (6); and a second platform (32) suspended from the set of tracks (20) and sized to accommodate an operator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbomachines. More particularly, the subject matter relates to gas turbines and associated maintenance equipment. Background Art

[0002] Conventional turbines, such as gas turbines, generally include three sections: a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. The compressor section compresses ambient air and provides this compressed air to the combustion section where it is mixed with fuel to generate a heated working fluid (gas). The heated gas is provided to the turbine section where it impacts the turbine blades to drive the rotation of the turbine rotor shaft.

[0003] The rotor shaft is sometimes coupled to an electric machine such as a generator (e.g., via a coupled shaft) that converts the rotational energy of the turbine into electrical energy. In other cases, the rotor shaft is coupled to an accessory box or other system. In either case, the rotor shaft is coupled to an external shaft (e.g., from an accessory box or electric machine). The coupling is surrounded and protected by a thrust bearing. The thrust bearing can provide mechanical support to the shaft and dissipate thrust from the turbine during operation. The thrust bearing is located near the inlet bellmouth of the compressor section of the turbine and is protected by a bearing housing. The bearing area also includes journal bearings that bear radial loads applied to the rotor. Additional components within the bearing housing area may include lift oil lines, thermocouple wiring, and other instrumentation.

[0004] When performing maintenance on a shaft or thrust bearing, the conventional approach requires complete removal of the inlet bellmouth in order to access the bearings (and shaft) below the casing. The inlet bellmouth is formed in two halves around the turbine shaft and is interconnected with other components in the compressor section. Due to the large weight of the bearings (e.g., up to 225 kilograms per half), the conventional approach requires clearance in order to manipulate these components. The conventional approach for maintenance on the bearing area including the thrust bearing and the journal bearing involves the use of an overhead crane that raises the upper half of the inlet bellmouth to remove the upper half from the assembly. Therefore, the maintenance approach requiring complete removal of the inlet bellmouth is expensive, cumbersome, and time consuming. Summary of the invention

[0005] Various embodiments include apparatus for performing maintenance on a gas turbine bearing region, and related methods. An apparatus may include: a set of rails sized to couple with a gas turbine and disposed proximate the gas turbine coaxially with a bearing in the bearing region, the set of rails for supporting a portion of a housing of the bearing; a first platform straddling between the set of rails; a lifting device coupled to the first platform to engage an inlet bellmouth of the gas turbine; and a second platform suspended from the set of rails sized to accommodate an operator.

[0006] A first aspect of the present disclosure includes an apparatus for performing maintenance on a bearing area of ​​a gas turbine, the apparatus having: a set of rails sized to couple with the gas turbine and disposed proximate the gas turbine coaxially with a bearing in the bearing area, the set of rails for supporting a portion of a housing for the bearing; a first platform straddling the set of rails; a lifting device coupled to the first platform to engage an inlet bell mouth of the gas turbine; and a second platform suspended from the set of rails sized to accommodate an operator.

[0007] A second aspect of the present disclosure includes a method for performing maintenance on a bearing area of ​​a gas turbine, the method comprising: separating a section of an inlet bellmouth of a gas turbine without removing the section of the inlet bellmouth from the gas turbine; removing a casing from a bearing in a bearing area within the gas turbine; installing a bearing maintenance device near the inlet bellmouth and the bearing, the bearing maintenance device having: a set of rails sized to couple with the gas turbine and coaxially arranged with the bearing in the bearing area, the set of rails being used to support the casing of the bearing; a first platform spanning between the set of rails; a lifting device coupled to the first platform to engage the inlet bellmouth of the gas turbine; and a second platform suspended from the set of rails sized to accommodate an operator; and performing maintenance on the bearing area while the sections of the inlet bellmouth remain separated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] These and other features of the present disclosure will be more readily understood through the following detailed description of various aspects of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which depict various embodiments of the present invention, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 Schematic perspective views of devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0010] Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of a portion of an apparatus and a turbine according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic side view of a portion of an apparatus and a turbine according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 4 A schematic top view of another embodiment of an apparatus together with a section of a bearing housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 Schematic perspective view of the device and bearing housing in FIG.

[0014] Figure 6A flow chart depicting an exemplary method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 7 As shown in reference Figure 6 A schematic exploded view of a portion of a turbine during a maintenance procedure described in the flow chart.

[0016] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a hydraulic lift system for a rotor according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a mechanical lifting system for a rotor according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] It should be noted that the drawings of the present invention are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are intended to illustrate only typical aspects of the present invention and therefore should not be considered to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the same numerals between the various figures represent the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] As noted, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbomachines. More particularly, the subject matter relates to gas turbines and associated maintenance equipment for gas turbine bearings and associated equipment.

[0020] Various embodiments of the present disclosure include maintenance equipment for a gas turbine configured to access and remove components (e.g., turbine thrust bearings, journal bearings, piping, and / or wiring) without completely removing the inlet bellmouth of the turbine, as compared to conventional approaches. That is, the maintenance equipment and methods disclosed according to various embodiments allow access to the bearing area and associated housing from below the turbine assembly, eliminating the overhead crane used in conventional methods.

[0021] Go to Figure 1 , shows a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a bearing maintenance device (or simply device) 2 according to various embodiments. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a system 4 is shown including an apparatus 2 mounted to a portion of a turbine 6 (eg, a gas turbine), and a portion of an electric machine 8 (shown as an alternative embodiment) coupled to the turbine via a shaft 10 . Figure 3 Shows from Figure 1-2 2 is a side view of the device 2 in FIG. Figure 4 A top view of the device 2 together with a portion of the bearing housing is shown, and Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 A perspective view of the device and housing in FIG. Figure 7A schematic exploded view of a portion of a turbine 6 undergoing a process according to various embodiments described herein is shown. Due to the various angles and illustrations of the apparatus 2, reference is made to Figure 1-5 and 7.

[0022] The apparatus 2 is configured (e.g., sized) to perform maintenance on a bearing area 14, which may include a thrust bearing 13, a journal bearing 15, and / or a thrust bearing 13 and a journal bearing 15 of an adjacent turbine (e.g., a gas turbine). Figure 2 , Figure 7 ) other wiring and piping. As is known in the art, the thrust bearing 13 and the journal bearing 15 are located in the turbine housing 16 ( Figure 2 ) outside the axis 10( Figure 2 ) Figure 2 , the turbine housing 16 is partially shown as a section of the inlet bell mouth 17. In the bearing area 14, the thrust bearing 13 ( Figure 7 ) can help attenuate mechanical forces applied to shaft 10 by the rotation of blades (not shown) within turbine 6. Journal bearings 15 can also attenuate mechanical forces applied to shaft 10, for example, by attenuating rotational forces. Thrust bearing 13 and journal bearing 15, along with additional wiring and piping, are surrounded by bearing housing 18, the upper half 18A of bearing housing 18 being located at Figure 2-5 In some cases, as known in the art, such as Figure 2-4 , shaft 10 is coupled to electric machine 8, however, according to various embodiments, shaft 10 may be free or coupled to a different system. In various embodiments, device 2 and its components are formed of metal (e.g., steel), alloys, or other composite materials capable of withstanding the mechanical stresses associated with the functions described herein. In some cases, device 2 includes components that are integrally formed (e.g., via casting, additive manufacturing, etc.) and / or separately formed and subsequently coupled (e.g., via mechanical fastening, screwing, clamping, etc.).

[0023] As shown, the apparatus 2 may include a set of tracks 20 ( Figure 1 , 4 and 5), which are sized to be coupled to the gas turbine 6 and are coaxially disposed with bearings (e.g., thrust bearing 13 and / or journal bearing 15) near the turbine 6. In various embodiments, a set of tracks 20 may include two different parallel tracks 22, 24 ( Figure 1 , 4 and 5). The rails 22, 24 may be separated by a distance d R ( Figure 1 , 4and 5), which is substantially less than the outer diameter of the bearing housing 18 and substantially greater than the inner diameter of the bearing housing 18. These rails 22, 24 can be used to support a portion of the bearing housing 18, for example, to allow efficient maintenance of the thrust bearing 13, the journal bearing 15, and other associated components such as wiring, piping, etc. within the bearing housing 18. The rails 22, 24 may include mounting members 26 ( Figure 1 , 4 and 5) for coupling with the gas turbine 6 and / or the electric machine 8 or other systems. The mounting member 26 may be fastened, bolted, screwed or otherwise coupled to the gas turbine 6, the electric machine 8 or other systems.

[0024] As described herein, the rails 22, 24 may be coupled to the thrust bearing 13, the journal bearing 15 (and the housing 18) and the turbine 6 (direction A, Figure 2 ) is arranged coaxially with the (rotational) main axis of the bearings 2, 12. That is, during use of the maintenance device 2, 12, the rails 22, 24 may be positioned parallel to the axis A and may be approximately equidistant (+ / - a few percent) from the thrust bearing 13 and the journal bearing 15, respectively.

[0025] In various embodiments, the apparatus 2 also includes a first platform 28 straddling between a set of rails 20 (rails 22, 24), and a lifting device 30 coupled (e.g., mechanically fastened, bolted / threaded, integrally formed, etc.) to the first platform 28 to engage the inlet bell mouth 17 of the turbine 6. The lifting device 30 may include a winch or a pneumatic lifting device, and in some cases, may be configured to lift the first platform 28 about an axis a. L The lifting device 30 can be used to rotate to deliver components for maintenance of the bearing area 14 (e.g., thrust bearing 13, journal bearing 15, etc.). In addition, the lifting device 30 can be used to change the position of the inlet bell mouth 17, for example, by raising or lowering the upper half 17A of the inlet bell mouth 17 relative to the first platform 28. The lifting device 30 can also be used to deliver other components 31 to / from the first platform 28.

[0026] In various embodiments, the apparatus 2 may include a second platform 32 suspended from a set of tracks 20 (e.g., tracks 22 and / or tracks 24), wherein the second platform 32 is sized to accommodate an operator (e.g., an operator). In various embodiments, the second platform 32 is coupled to the tracks 20 by a suspension system 34, which may include fixed supports 36 and articulated supports 38. In some cases, the second platform 32 is positioned below the bearing area 14 (and housing 18) while the apparatus 2, 12 is mounted to the turbine 6 so that the operator can access the bearing area 14 from the shaft 10 below. In various embodiments, the second platform 32 is a single platform ( Figure 4), but in other cases, the second platform 32 includes two different platforms 32A, 32B separated from different tracks 22, 24 respectively.

[0027] In some cases, the apparatus 2 also includes at least one cross-brace 40 spanning between the rails 22, 24, for example, to stabilize the rails 22, 24. The cross-brace 40 may be located at one or more points along a set of rails 20, including adjacent to the platforms 28, 32. The cross-brace 40 may be used for torsional and bending support.

[0028] In various embodiments, the apparatus 2 further includes a cart system 42 coupled to the rails 22, 24 for axially sliding the bearing housing 18 along a set of rails 20. That is, according to various embodiments, the cart system 42 is configured to support a portion of the bearing housing 18 (e.g., the upper half 18A) and allow a portion of the housing 18 to move along the axis of the rails 22, 24 so that an operator can access the bearing area 14. The cart system 42 may include a mechanical rail system (e.g., a gear-based rail system), a hydraulic rail system (e.g., using a hydraulic pump and cylinder), or any other suitable conveying system coupled to the rails 22, 24 and capable of axial movement along the rails 22, 24. As described herein, the rails 22, 24 are spaced apart so that the bearings (e.g., the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15) are configured to be located between those rails 22, 24 while the apparatus 2, 12 is mounted to the turbine 6. In some cases, an additional cart system 42A is used to support and / or transport lifting device 30, for example, along tracks 22, 24.

[0029] In some cases, each track 22, 24 includes two different track segments 22A, 22B and 24A, 24B coupled at the axial ends 50 of those segments. In various embodiments, the different track segments 22A, 22B and 24A, 24B may be configured to couple and disconnect to allow access to the space between the turbine 6 and adjacent systems (e.g., the electric machine 8). In these cases, the track segments 22A, 22B and 24A, 24B may be individually inserted into the area 52 ( Figure 2 ) and assembled when aligned with the axis 10 (or around the axis 10).

[0030] According to various embodiments, the apparatus 2 , 12 may be used in a method of performing maintenance on a bearing area 14 . Figure 6 is a flowchart showing various processes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. These processes can be applied to reference Figure 1-57-9, however, these processes are not intended to be limited to those specific components shown and described with reference to those figures. In addition, according to various embodiments, the process may be omitted, added, or otherwise recorded. In some embodiments, the process includes:

[0031] Process P1: Separating the sections (upper half 17A and lower half 17B) of the inlet bell mouth 17 of the gas turbine 6 without removing the inlet bell mouth 17 from the gas turbine 6 ( Figure 2 ) sections 17A, 17B. In various embodiments, this may include using a hydraulic ram or other lifting device to lift the upper half 17A of the inlet bell mouth 17 away from the shaft 10, and may also include using a conventional jack stand to hold the upper half 17A ( Figure 7 The height of the (shown as separated) in FIG.

[0032] Process P2: Lifting the housing 18 within the bearing area 14. This may include using a jack or other lifting device to separate the upper half 18A of the housing 18 from the lower half (lower half not shown) of the housing 18. In some cases, this process is performed by using a mechanical screw 60 ( Figure 7 ) to lift the housing 18A. The machine screw 60 may be actuated into sections that separate the housings 18A, 18B (partially blocking the lower half). In addition, in a preliminary process, it will be understood that the upper half of the inlet bell mouth 17A may also be lifted using a jack 62 or other lifting device to provide clearance for the machine screw 60 to raise the upper half of the housing 18A, and in some cases, guide rods 64 are coupled to the lower half 17B of the inlet bell mouth 17 and the upper half 18A of the housing 18 to hold the bearing housing 18A in place.

[0033] Process P3: Installing the bearing maintenance device 2 near the inlet bellmouth 17 and the bearing area 14. In various embodiments, the process may include coupling the device 2, 12 to the turbine 6, for example, via the mount 26, and to the electric machine 6. In various embodiments, the bearing housing 18 (e.g., the upper half 18A of the housing 18) may be loaded onto the cart system 42 to slide that portion of the housing 18 axially relative to the thrust bearing 13 and the journal bearing 15 (and to allow maintenance on the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15, as well as other components in the bearing area 14). In some cases, the device 2 may be at least partially assembled on site, but in other cases, one or more portions of the device 2 are preassembled. In instances where the device 2 is at least partially assembled on site, once the inlet bellmouth 17A is lifted and secured, the bearing housing 18 will be lifted sufficiently high off the lower half 17B of the surface of the inlet bellmouth so that the maintenance device 2 can be constructed underneath. In some cases, track segment 22B is installed first, and then mounting member 26 is used to couple apparatus 2 to electric machine 8 and / or accessory gearbox (not shown). Subsequently, track segment 22A can be added to track segment 22B along with crossbar 40. Platforms 28 and 32 can also be added, and a cart system 42 (e.g., including rollers and / or a cantilever system) can be installed. As described herein, housing 18A can be loaded onto cart system 42 for transport along apparatus 2.

[0034] Process P4: The sections 17A, 17B at the inlet bell mouth 17 remain separated ( Figure 2 ) while performing maintenance on the bearing area 14. According to various embodiments, an operator (e.g., a human and / or a robotic operator) can use the first platform 28 and / or the second platform 32. In some cases, a scaffold will be constructed in this area. In some cases, an external jack or lifting device can be used to raise the rotor (shaft 10) of the gas turbine 6. Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an exemplary hydraulic rotor (shaft) 10 support system 100 is shown, which is configured to raise the shaft 10 of the gas turbine 6 in conjunction with the maintenance operations described herein. In various embodiments, the support system 100 includes at least one mount 102 for mounting the support system 100, and a hydraulic jack 104 coupled to the mount 102 to engage the shaft 10 and lift the rotor. The hydraulic jack 104 can be actuated, for example, manually or via a control system to raise and / or lower the shaft 10. Fig. 9An exemplary mechanical support system 110 is shown engaged with the rotor (shaft) 10. The mechanical support system 110 may include a mount 112, and a mechanical jack 114 coupled to the mount 112 to engage the shaft 10 and lift the rotor. The mechanical jack 114 may be manually actuated, for example, using one or more tools 116, such as a winch. These support systems 100, 110 may help provide the greater force required to manipulate the shaft 10 and perform the maintenance procedures described herein. In some cases, for example, after raising the shaft 10, an operator may rotate the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15 to a top-dead-center position. In various embodiments, the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15 may be rotated by hand without lifting the gas turbine shaft 10. The shaft 10 may be moved axially, for example, via the hydraulic support systems 100, 110, in order to remove the bearings 13, 15 and related components. In various embodiments, only the lower half of the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15 needs to be lifted to the shaft 10. At this time, the lifting boom assembly can be used to rotate the lower half of the thrust bearing 13 and / or the journal bearing 15 to the top dead center for subsequent lifting and removal. In addition, after rotating the thrust bearing 13 or the journal bearing 15 to the top dead center, the bearing 14 can be separated (e.g., divided into several parts, such as halves) and removed from the rotor (shaft 10). According to conventional methods, the bearings 13, 15 can then be repaired, refurbished or replaced and inserted back into the rotor (shaft 10). That is, in various embodiments, the replacement thrust bearing and / or the journal bearing or the refurbished thrust bearing and / or the journal bearing can be inserted back into the rotor (shaft 10).

[0035] As described in this manual, Figure 6 During the described maintenance process, the second platform 32 is positioned below the bearing area 14 while the maintenance apparatus 2 is mounted to the gas turbine 6. This can allow an operator (e.g., a human and / or a robotic operator) to access the bearing area 14 from below the shaft 10 and reduce (or eliminate) the need for overhead equipment such as an overhead crane. In addition, the apparatus 2 can allow an operator (e.g., a human and / or a robotic operator) to perform maintenance on the bearing area 14 without removing the inlet bell mouth 17 from the gas turbine 6. The apparatus 2 can shorten the time required to perform maintenance on the bearing area 14 and simplify the process of accessing the bearing area 14 relative to conventional systems and methods.

[0036] As described herein, the apparatus 2 can eliminate or greatly reduce overhead obstacles present in conventional methods of accessing the bearing area 14. These conventional approaches require the bell mouth 17A to be completely lifted with a crane to access the bearing area 14. Sometimes, maintenance operators attempt to perform some of these maintenance without tools or with makeshift tools, which is dangerous and time consuming due to the manipulation of heavy parts in a confined space. In addition, due to the weight of the components in the bearing area 14, for example, the bearing housing 18, which can weigh thousands of pounds, the apparatus 2 can be used to replace the laborious, dangerous, and time consuming transportation process that is typically performed by hand.

[0037] In an exemplary process according to an embodiment: the bearing housing 18 is first removed as described in this specification. Once the bearing housing 18 is separated, the thrust bearing 13 is removed. The thrust bearing 13 is an assembly consisting of an upper half and a lower half, a front assembly and a rear assembly, including thrust pads and thrust "cages" (to hold the pads in place). The thrust bearing 13 may also include instrumentation on the thrust bearing pads, such as thermocouples at various locations. The pads and sometimes the cage (depending on the size) can be removed by hand. If not removed by hand, in some cases, there are custom lifting brackets for suspending and lifting the thrust cage with a cantilever and roller assembly. Next, the upper half of the journal bearing 15 can be lifted and removed. This may involve auxiliary lifting because the journal bearing halves can weigh 50 kilograms (kg) to 250 kg (~100-500 pounds (lb)) each, depending on the gas turbine frame size. After the upper half of the journal bearing 15 is removed, the lower half is isolated from the weight of the rotor (shaft 10) so that it can be rolled to top dead center for lifting and complete removal. There are various conventional methods of "jacking" or lifting the rotor (shaft 10) (e.g., about 0.025-0.040 cm (-0.010-0.015 in)). The shaft 10 can be removed using the referenced Fig. 9The mechanical and / or hydraulic system described further is lifted. In some cases, hydraulics are preferred due to the level of force required to lift the rotor (weights in excess of 23,000 kg or approximately 50,000 lb). As described herein, the apparatus 12 may be mounted in the thrust bearing area 14 (or "cavity") of the lower half bell housing 17B. At this point, the rotor surface (shaft 10) may be jacked up, for example, with a small (e.g., 10 ton) jack (or mechanical screw type jack) that pushes up at a small angle. The lower half of the journal bearing 15 may then be distributed to the cantilever (rigged to ajib), and tension is applied to begin rolling the journal bearing half 15 to top dead center. In some cases, the cantilever will only roll the journal bearing 15 so far, so other items may be used to assist in continuing to roll the journal bearing 15 to top dead center. Due to the low overhead clearance, once at top dead center, a special lifting bracket may be attached to the journal bearing 15 to lift the bearing 15 onto the apparatus 12 and remove it from the area.

[0038] This specification uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising a gas turbine and a maintenance device for said turbine, said turbine having a shaft, a bearing for said shaft, a bearing housing and a turbine bellmouth near said bearing housing, said device (2, 12) being used to perform in-situ maintenance on a bearing area (14) of said turbine (6), said assembly being characterized in that: a set of rails (20) having dimensions suitable for coupling with the gas turbine (6) and arranged coaxially with the bearings (13, 15) in the bearing area (14) near the gas turbine (6), the set of rails (20) being used to support a portion of a housing (18) of the bearings (13, 15); a first platform (28) straddling between the set of rails (20); a lifting device (30) coupled to the first platform (28) for engaging an inlet bellmouth (17) of the gas turbine (6); and A second platform (32) is suspended from the set of rails (20) and is sized to accommodate an operator.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device (30) comprises a winch or a pneumatic lifting device.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second platform (32) is configured to be positioned below the bearing (13, 15) while the device (2, 12) is mounted to the gas turbine (6).

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the set of rails (20) comprises two rails (22, 24), and wherein each of the two rails (22, 24) is substantially parallel to a main axis of the gas turbine (6).

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the bearing (13, 15) comprises at least one of a thrust bearing (13) and a journal bearing (15), wherein at least one of the thrust bearing (13) and the journal bearing (15) is configured to be located between the rails (22, 24) while the device (2, 12) is mounted to the gas turbine (6).

6. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising at least one crossbar (40) spanning between the rails (22, 24).

7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the tracks (22, 24) includes two distinct track sections (22A, 22B) coupled to the track sections (22A, 22B) at axial ends (50).

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the set of tracks (20) is dimensioned to support the bearing housing (18) for access to the bearings (13, 15).

9. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising a cart system (42) coupled to the set of tracks (20), the cart system (42) for axially sliding the bearing housing (18) along the set of tracks (20).

10. A method of performing in-situ maintenance on a bearing area (14) of a gas turbine (6), the method comprising: separating a section of an inlet bellmouth (17) of the gas turbine (6) without removing the section of the inlet bellmouth (17) from the gas turbine (6); Removing a casing (18) from bearings (13, 15) of the gas turbine (6); A bearing maintenance device (2, 12) is installed near the inlet bell mouth (17) and the bearing (13, 15), and the maintenance device (2, 12) has: a set of rails (20) having a size suitable for coupling with the gas turbine (6) and arranged coaxially with the bearings (13, 15), the set of rails (20) being used to support a portion of the casing (18); a first platform (28) straddling between the set of rails (20); a lifting device (30) coupled to the first platform (28) for engaging the inlet bellmouth (17); and a second platform (32) suspended from the set of tracks (20) sized to accommodate an operator; and Maintenance is performed on the bearing area (14) while the sections of the inlet bellmouth (17) remain separated.

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