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Tens of thousands of seagoing ships must meet tough demands on the world's oceans. The drive equipment in particular must satisfy demands for high reliability, so that operation is possible throughout the year with very little servicing and without having to stop for repairs. When a ship's drive shafts pass through one or more bulkheads, bulkhead seals minimize the passage of water from one section of the ship to the next to a minimum, and thereby also give the maximum possible time to rescue the crew in the event of an emergency. Bulkhead seals from EagleBurgmann Espey are short, the sealing elements can be assembled and dismantled easily without removing the shaft. They offer excellent compensation for inaccurarcy in the surroundings with a large axial play. Many international ship operators and fitters trust bulkhead wall seals from EagleBurgmann Espey. The large number of approvals from marine and shipping organisations such as Germanischer Lloyd or ABS, the American Bureau of Shipping, also reflect the reliability of these seals.
Issue and challenge:
Oil resources in the deep sea cannot be exploited with drilling platforms. Here, FPSO oil supply ships (FPSO = Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Vessel) come into play. Through pipelines, which are flexibly anchored to extraction heads at the bottom of the sea, the crude oil is pumped on to the FPSO ship, where it undergoes a variety of refining stages. Gas, water and solids are separated from the crude oil, and stored until being transported away. The conveying pumps, along with other pumps for explosive materials, are located in a compartment between bulkheads. The electrical drive for the conveying pump is located in the adjacent compartment, with a drive shaft passing through the bulkhead. The Australian operator wanted a seal for this shaft feed-through which, due to the small available space, needed to be compact, easily mounted, able to prevent explosive gases from getting into the machine room, and which, in the event of an emergency, would also function under water.
Solution from EagleBurgmann Espey:
The competitor's seals previously used for this application had an average service life of three months. The operator of the oil supply ship asked EagleBurgmann Espey to offer a seal solution that would run for at least a year. To meet the operators needs, Espey chose an Espey® WDKS with a connection for barrier gas, a length of only 50 mm (1.97 “), and an easily assembled split housing. It is designed for a pressure of 2.1 bar (30.46 PSI), a temperature of 50 °C (122 °F), and a rotation speed of 3550 rpm, and is also able to operate underwater. The ambient air is used as the barrier gas, in order to minimize the costs that an additional barrier gas supply would entail. The implemented seal has a long service life, is maintenance-free, and compensates for shaft movements. The seal was installed in September of 2008 and is still running without having needed any repairs.
Process description:
Ships with drive shafts that run through one or more bulkheads require bulkhead seals to prevent any possibility of water from rushing into adjacent sections of the ship – and therefore provide a high level of protection against flushing. The work and observance vessel Weserplate with a length of 27.1 m (1,066.93”), a width of 6.7 m (263.78”) and 1.19 m (46.85”) depth of flotation requires a bulkhead seal to protect the engine room against flushing.
Problem and challenge:
The shaft feed through in the bulkhead of work and observance vessel Weserplate requires a bulkhead seal. The entire drive system needs to be highly reliable in order to ensure that the ship offers year-round service without ever being laid up for repairs – and call for a minimum of maintenance at the same time. The shaft runs with 1,800 min-1 revolutions. The diameter in the sealing area is 98 mm (3.86"). The seal operating temperature in the engine room is maximum 45 °C (113 °F) according to the specifications of German Lloyd. The operating pressure in case of damage will not exceed 1.5 bar (21.76 PSI). The installation length should be as short as possible. The seal should guarantee an easy assembly.
EagleBurgmann Espey solution:
To fulfill the application requirements Espey designed the bulkhead seal Espey® WDK-BHS with two segmented seal rings made of a PTFE-carbon compound and split housing for easy assembly. A barrier gas port is not needed. The seal width’ of only 30 mm (1.18") meets the customers’ requirements. The seal guarantees a long-term operation time without any maintenance.
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