TURBINES AND GEARING FOR VLCC

Very large tankers with their heavy investments and dangerous cargoes, require engines fulfilling certain essential requirements, such as increased torque and thrust in the propeller shaft compared to earlier units; best possible manoeuvering and stopping ability, very high reliability and adequate emergency systems; adaption to new machine room dimensions, increased hull movements, stiffer propeller shafts and so on. The paper deals mainly, with engines for 300,000 tdw tankers, and larger. Most important is the question of whether steam turbine drives can be used for large single screw applications. Important components are reviewed briefly and a new gearing for high torques is presented. The claim is made that the designs of turbines and gearing now available will match demands in size as well as in quality and know-how. Power in the range of 35 to 45 MW at 80 rev/min single screw, and even more, is ready for production at request. Also discussed are twin screw arrangements and the overlapping propeller engine. As regards turbine machinery it is primarily the gears, the propeller thrust block and the shafting that have to be increased for single screw use. Relatively speaking, turbines are still rather small and attention must be paid to marine conditions such as varying speed, rapid manoeuvering and reversing direction of rotation.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 45 Conference Papers presented at IMAS 73, London, 4-8 June 1973, organized by the Institute of Marine Engineers. This paper is available only in a set of 7 papers in Subject Group 1: "Boilers, Main Steam Turbine and Gearing" at $10.00.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Marine Engineers

  Memorial Building, 76 Mark Lane
  London EC3R 7JN,   England 
• Authors:
  • Ross, G
• Publication Date: 1973

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Gears; Propulsion; Steam power plants; Steam turbines; Tankers; Turbines; Vehicle design; Vehicle drive systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Gear design; Steam turbine design; Tanker propulsion; Turbine drives; Turbine gear design
• Subject Areas: Design; Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00048454
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute of Marine Engineers
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 14 1973 12:00AM