Stern Tube Sealing Arrangements

Note Book for Marine Engineers

STERN TUBE SEALING: Type EVF 480 [ Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.]
The stern tube-sealing device [has 4 seal rings including one spare seal rings no. 3E] is to prevent lubricant for the stern tube bearing and the seal rings from leaking to the outside or the inside of the vessel, and also to prevent sea water from itroducing into the bearing. 1. Aft Side Sealing Device: It consists of 6 kinds of the casings [the aft casing, the aft intermediate ring, the adaptor ring, the aft cover and the net cover], 4 pieces of the seal rings and the aft liner, which being fixed to the propeller rotates together with the shaft. The seal rings contact the liner to seal lubrication oil and to prevent seawater from introducing into the unit by means of seawater pressure, lubricating oil pressure and spring load. The # 1, # 2, # 3, # 3E, seal rings are operated to seal water, bearing oil respectively, and at normal operating conditions # 3E seal is kept to be idle by balancing oil pressure at its front and back side. So if the bearing oil should leak out to the sea, the # 3E seal can be easily worked in order to stop the oil leakage by closing the valves leading to the # 3 and # 3E sealing chamber. That provides further safety. For the purpose preventing the seal rings from being damaged by the fish net trapped, the net seal is installed in the unit. Fwd Side Sealing Device: It consists of 3 kinds of the casings [the fwd casing, the intermediate ring and the front cover], 2 pieces of the seal rings and the liners [ the fwd liner and the half ring]. It is used to seal lubrication oil. Intermediate ring Aft Casing AFT Fasterner AFT Liner Net Cover FWD Casing Front Fastener FWD Liner Intermediate ring

2.

1, Net Seal

2, 3, 3E Seal Rings

4, 5 Seal Rings FWD SIDE SEALING

AFT SIDE SEALING

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE: 1. Pressure of Oil for Stern Tube Bearing: Normally stern tube bearing oil pressure is set to be 0. 3 ~ 0. 4 kg/cm2 higher than seawater pressure. A gravity tank or oil supply piping for pumping up is equipped to large ships and deep draft ships having 5 m or more difference between full load draft and light load draft for the purpose of obtaining two different [high and low] oil pressure. Therefore, pressure shall be set to be high when fully loaded and to be low when lightly loaded. 2. Oil supply to space between 2 and 3 Seal Rings: The system is normally equipped in case the full load draft is 15 m or more and the seal size is 710 or larger. There are two alternatives, the open mode which constantly connect the piping from the space between 2 and 3 seal rings to the aft seal tank [stand pipe], and the closed mode which closes the said piping. Open mode: Open the outlet and the inlet valves of the aft seal tank [stand pipe] on the pipes to the space between 2 and 3 seal rings, and adjust the oil level of the tank at around 1 m above the shaft center at both full load and light load condition [only when full load draft level is 15 m or lower]. Supply oil when the level goes down to 0. 5m. As the oil level of the tank becomes higher, the consumption rate of lubricant becomes greater. As the level becomes lower, the rate becomes lower.

3.

Pressure at the space between 2 and 3 seal rings will balance with seawater pressure. In case it becomes unbalanced due to fluctuation of seawater pressure or other reason, seawater intrusion or lubricant leakage is likely to happen. The oil level of the aft seal tank shall be adjusted from time to time by supplying additional oil or draining oil so as to maintain the said balance. Engineer 1 Abdul Hamid

Stern Tube Sealing Arrangements

Note Book for Marine Engineers In case the oil level of the aft seal tank continuously increases, collect oil by the system as illustrated at right where the collection height 0. 3 ~ 0. 5 m above the shaft centre. 4. Closed mode: In case the oil level of the aft seal tank is not stable, especially in case of rough weather or shallow draft sailing, the outer and the inner valves of the aft tank shall be closed and drain shall be checked to observe lubricant condition and to supply oil when necessary by opening the outlet and the inlet valves. Oil supply to space between 3 and 3E seal rings: Normally the oil supply to the space between 3 and 3E seal rings is performed under the same pressure as of the stern tube bearing oil. In the event oil level of the bearing gravity tank or the lubricant tank is found to be lowered and excessive leakage to the outside of the ship through 3 seal ring is observed, close the outlet and inlet valves on the line connecting to the space between 3 and 3E seal rings and operate 3E seal ring. Oil supply to space between 4 and 5 seal rings: Oil pressure in the space between 4 and 5 seal rings is determined by the height of the fwd seal tank or of the outlet piping system. Adjust it at 0. 1 ~ 0. 3 kg / cm2 at both fully loaded and lightly loaded condition. Measure oil temperature periodically and perform circulation cooling from time to time so as to keep temperature 60 C if a pump is equipped. Seal rings are made of Viton or Nitrile Rubber. Coil garter springs are used to support the seal rings in position. The screw shaft is approximately 15% ~ 17% larger in diameter than the intermediate shaft. The larger % is associated with the larger diameter propellers. The reason is the screw shaft is subjected to similar stress to intermediate shaft [due to transmitted torque, compressive stress from the propeller thrust and stress induced by its own weight] but the fwd side of the conical end is heavily loaded due to the manner in which the weight of the propeller is supported by the screw

5.

6.

AFT SEAL TANK

0.3 ~ 0.5m

Shaft Centre

2 Abdul Hamid

Engineer