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Feature 2 | PROPELLERS & THRUSTERS


ABB services boosts Azipod appeal Azipod specialist ABB is now offering customers more through its service centres.


and manufacturer ABB Marine provides customers with an undertaking for overall service costs during the period involved. “We tell the client that we believe service will cost a certain amount during the first five years, and this much during the following five years, including drydocking service, work and spare parts. If it costs more than expected, the customer will not see(incur) this,” explained Antti Ruohonen, the company’s director for propulsion product services. Under such agreements, ABB offers


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complete shaſt line maintenance and repair, including bearing changes, with the aim of ensuring product reliability in operational service, reducing maintenance costs and clarifying responsibilities. All maintenance tasks, spare parts, and service plans are agreed beforehand, in a single package. Te approach is intended to raise the efficiency of the service programme, reduce costs and avoid delays. In addition to the global network of


marine service centres covering ABB products, the company also has dedicated Azipod regional service centres, located in Houston, Shanghai, Murmansk, and at the Azipod factory in Helsinki. Besides increased hydrodynamic


efficiency, and engineering enhancements including fully electric motor steering and


ong-term service agreements are now being offered for Azipod propulsion systems wherein designer


a new, hybrid thrust bearing technology, improvements expressed in the new Azipod XO series include better internal accessibility, and an aggregation of measures claimed to offer the potential for reductions of up to 50% in lifecycle costs. From the outset of the development of


the second-generation product, simplified service was a key consideration. According to Antti Ruohonen, it was felt that it should be possible to service, and even replace, the most critical components without drydocking the vessel. New bearing and seal arrangements have been devised which allow service and, if necessary, replacement to be effected from within the pod, on larger units. “We developed a new type of shaſt sealing


which can be replaced from inside the pod, without the need for drydocking. We developed the sliding thrust bearing in a way that allows the wearing parts, the thrust pads, to be replaced from inside the pod,” confirmed Mr Ruohonen. Te hybrid bearing at the aſt, non-drive


end of the Azipod shaſt, carrying the system’s thrust loads, is a new innovation by ABB, combining the advantages of two different bearings. It utilises proven roller bearings for radial support of the shaſt line, and slide-type bearings to accommodate propeller thrust loads. Te slide thrust bearing’s white metal pads can be changed by hand from within the pod. Te previous design used spheroidal roller bearings.


The new shaft seal solution increases


the integrity of the pod and reliability of operations. Known as the interspace concept, this feature makes it possible to service the seals from inside the pod. Access for the technician is afforded by way of three small openings in the Azipod’s forward area. It is claimed that shaſt seal replacement


at the drive end can be accomplished in one day, and that changeover of thrust bearing components can be effected in about eight hours, thereby allowing critical parts to be replaced during the course of a regular port call. Moreover, the turning shaſt seal, located


between the hull and the vertical pod structure, can now be changed from below. Provided the vessel can be trimmed so as to sufficiently raise the upper part of the pod above the water surface, this can obviate the need for drydocking. Azipod XO includes a sophisticated condition monitoring


propulsion


system(PCMS) to oversee all critical parts, including the propulsion drives and the bearings. PCMS collects data from multiple sources, processes the information and produces displays of


the system’s status


for the crew. It registers the condition and wear of key components, and delivers early indications of maintenance needs, improving the predictability of ship operations. The system also allows remote diagnostic monitoring from technical offices ashore. NA


ESCHER WYSS PROPELLERS No Compromise


An optimal product impresses with all of its components. If you demand the highest standards of quality, then we have plenty in common. Escher Wyss Propellers offer uncom- promising performance, tailor-made to your requirements – with over 75 years of experience.


Photo of naval vessel with friendly permission of PIZ Marine, Germany


ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH Escher-Wyss-Weg 1, 88212 Ravensburg Tel: +49 (751) 295 11-0, Fax +49 (751) 295 11-679


46 www.escherwysspropellers.com The Naval Architect July/August 2011


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