A bearing with pads having cooling micro-channels therein, and method

A bearing for supporting a shaft rotating around a bearing axis, the bearing comprising:

• a housing structure;
• a plurality of pads;
• wherein each pad is coupled with the housing structure and comprises:
• a bearing surface, adapted to co-act with a rotary shaft supported by the bearing;
• an opposite back surface directed towards the housing structure;
• a radial leading side surface and a radial trailing side surface, the radial leading side surface and the radial trailing side surface extending radially with respect to the bearing axis;
• a shaft receiving space;
• a lubrication fluid volume between the housing structure and the shaft receiving space;
• wherein in operation the lubrication fluid volume is filled with lubrication fluid circulating therein;
• wherein:
• each pad comprises a plurality of cooling micro-channels;
• each cooling micro-channel has an inlet end and an outlet end in fluid communication with said lubrication fluid volume and is oriented such that circulation of lubrication fluid in the lubrication fluid volume promotes flow of the lubrication fluid through the cooling micro-channels;
• and the inlet end of at least one of said cooling micro-channels is positioned along the radial leading side surface of the respective pad.