Page 21: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1994)

Thrusters, Water Jets, Propellers & Gears

Orders & Innovation Drive

Propulsion Gear Manufacturers

Using recent orders—recieved and fulfilled—and technical inno- vation as a barometer, MR/EN has found that propulsion gear manu- facturers, in general, have been busy in efforts to tweak product and service performance.

Drawing definitive conclusions or defining trends encompassing the broad universe of propulsion gear manufacturers would be pre- sumptuous at best; inaccurate at worst. Instead, please read on to discover the moves manufacturers have made lately to optimize prod- uct performance.

For additional technical infor- mation on a particular manu- facturer's product line, please circle the appropriate number on the

Reader Service Card bound in this issue. For a complete listing of manufacturers and corresponding circle numbers, refer to the box on page 37.

Thrusters & Water Jets

Lips Jets, 100 percent owned by

Lips BV of The Netherlands, engi- neers, markets and produces high quality water jet systems. Lips

Jets' range covers the complete market demand, with units de- signed and built to match a shipyard's or operator's specifica- tions. This level of customization is possible, thanks to a few special features on the units, including the location in-board of the thrust bear- ings, the proven cavitation charac- teristics of the adopted pump and the reportedly easy-to-use control system.

Lips waterjets are fabricated by welding in AISI 316 L stainless steel plates, a process which allows a light and resistant construction.

Lips Jets is focused on fast passen- ger and car ferries on the commer- cial side, as well as naval ships and the leisure market.

MJP Waterjets' J500S-DD double drive propulsion system was shown by the Swedish Coast Guard to power 10 new vessels, which are being built by Karlskronavarvet in

Sweden. MJP has previous experi- ence supplying waterjet propulsion systems to the British Navy, the

U.S. Army and Danish

Farvandsvaesendet. The units were reportedly chosen for their effi- ciency in both forward and reverse, and the unit's patented flexible shaft coupling, which allows the drive shaft to flex without disturbing the tip clearance of the impeller blades.

This arrangement allows the drive shaft to be directly mounted to the engine-mounted gearbox without the need of cardan shafts or sup- port bearings.

MJP will deliver 10 complete shipsets of J500S-DD jet propul- sion systems, including intakes, hy- draulics and remote control system

RMC-DD. The order is reportedly the largest placed for jet propulsion systems from a Swedish yard during the decade, and the order includes an option for three more shipsets during 1996.

Hamilton water jets are avail- able to match most gasoline, high- speed diesel and gas turbine en- gines up to 3,000 kW. The

Hamilton Jet series of water jets is available in the HJ, HS and HM (Continued on page 32)

Rolla SP Propellers supplied surface piercing propellers for this Trinity Marine-Built "XFPB" (Ex- tra Fast Patrol Boat).

GET THE ONE

THAT WON'T GET ON

YOUR NERVES.

The product of state of the art technology routinely used in the design of large, commercial and military propellers,

NEW GENERATION

WORKWHEELS improve cavita- tion performance, increase efficiency and save on maintenance costs.

Most important, NEW GENERA-

TION WORKWHEELS reduce vibration levels due to pro- peller induced unsteady hull pressures nearly 50%.

They also reduce vibration caused by unsteady shaft forces 50%.

Result? Workboats run smoother. There's no need to reduce power for the sake of vibration and cavitation.

Moreover, the 5-blade design combines enhanced structural integrity with the equivalent low speed ahead/astern maneuvering performance of a standard series workwheel.

Optimized variable pitch distribution, nonlinear blade skew and advanced

New Technology blade sections round out the features you get with NEW

GENERATION WORKWHEELS. Open or ducted versions available in manga- nese bronze, nibral and stainless steel.

For sizes, prices and precise technical information, call or write Bird-Johnson

Company.

Standard Series i "New Generation" Series

BIRD-JOHNSON COMPANY 3719 Industrial Road, Pascagoula, MS 39581 Tel: 1-800-237-7353 • Fax: 601-769-7048

February, 1994

Circle 296 on Reader Service Card 31