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An Introduction To Tunnel Thrusters in Ships - Design and Application

Tunnel thrusters are essential for ships' low-speed lateral maneuverability, particularly during docking, and are designed to operate under bollard pull conditions. They can be categorized into bow and stern thrusters, with advantages including improved maneuverability and reduced towage costs, though they also have disadvantages such as increased power consumption and maintenance complexity. The design considerations for tunnel thrusters focus on maximizing thrust and efficiency while minimizing resistance and cavitation.

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36 views7 pages

An Introduction To Tunnel Thrusters in Ships - Design and Application

Tunnel thrusters are essential for ships' low-speed lateral maneuverability, particularly during docking, and are designed to operate under bollard pull conditions. They can be categorized into bow and stern thrusters, with advantages including improved maneuverability and reduced towage costs, though they also have disadvantages such as increased power consumption and maintenance complexity. The design considerations for tunnel thrusters focus on maximizing thrust and efficiency while minimizing resistance and cavitation.

Uploaded by

Xuan Khanh ma
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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An Introduction to Tunnel

Thrusters in Ships – Design and


Application
Giới thiệu về động cơ đẩy loai og trên tàu – Thiết kế và ứng dụng

ByTanumoy SinhaFebruary 11, 2019Naval Architecture

Tunnel thrusters are used by ships to provide low-speed


lateral manoeuvrability when docking and high thrust while
at a standstill.

From design point of view, thrusters are designed as per the


bollard pull condition. Traditionally, bollard pull condition
refers to the amount of force a tug can apply to a bollard
when secured to a pier.

Tunnel thrusters are just like the azimuth thrusters, which


are used behind a ship for propulsion, except that these
thrusters are placed inside a tunnel (an opening from one
side of the hull to the other) either in the forward (bow) or
aft (stern) of the ship. Also, the whole setup is immovable
meaning, the impeller in the tunnel can create only
athwartship force.
Kamewa Ulstein Super Silent Tunnel Thrusters / Youtube
Ships equipped with tunnel thrusters can be identified by the
symbol of a big cross in a red circle on both sides of the hull
above the waterline over each of the thrusters. These
thrusters are situated below the lowest load waterline so as
to be able to always underneath the waterline.

The major purpose of tunnel thrusters usage would be


during the berthing of ships, especially for very large ships
such as VLCC, Aframax, Panamax, Passenger vessels (Ocean
liners & Cruise ships), in heavy wind and tide conditions.

They are also used by research vessels during collecting


samples or launching AUV’s or ROV’s which require the ship
to remain still. They shorten the time of manoeuvring and
reduce the cost of towage. Also, since inception of tunnel
thrusters manoeuvrability specifically in ports has become a
lot easier. They can either be operated manually or with the
help of DP systems (Dynamic Positioning) which makes it
even more efficient as the later can operate on their own by
just setting the position through the feedback mechanism.

Tunnel thrusters found on ships as –

1. Bow Thrusters (Water-jet Bow Thrusters, conventional


bow thruster & Hydraulic tunnel thrusters)

2. Stern Thrusters

Water-jet bow thrusters is a special type of thruster that


utilises a pumping device instead of a conventional
propeller. The water is discharged through nozzles with high
velocity. They have a greater advantage of smaller hull
penetrations for an equivalent size thrusters.

Stern thrusters are just like the conventional propeller tunnel


thrusters. They are used for increased stability and better
turning ability (about its midship).
Image credits: nieuwsbladtransport

Pros and Cons


Having a tunnel thruster installed is definitely advantageous,
but as we all know there are two sides of ever coin.
Therefore tunnel thrusters have got their own disadvantages
as well.

1. They can sometimes affect the efficiency by increasing


the resistance to forward motion through the water.
However, this is mitigated by proper fairing of the aft of
tunnel aperture.
2. Ship operators should take care of the impellers and
the tunnel, either through the use of protective grate or
cleaning, to prevent fouling.
3. They consume a lot of power and require a separate
DG set to power the impellers, thereby, increasing the
fuel consumption.
4. Installation, repair and maintenance cost can
sometimes be a problem as they are quite expensive
and complex systems to handle with.

However, looking through the brighter side of it –

1. Installation cost compensates the working efficiency.


2. They may seem to consume a lot of power (hence,
fuel), but at the same time they also save a lot (fuel) by
avoiding unnecessary manoeuvring, which is quite
unavoidable without tunnel thrusters.
Design
Based on design, the family of thrusters can be divide into
CPT (Controlled Pitch Thruster) and FPT (Fixed Pitch
Thruster). They are designed to achieve maximum thrust for
a specific propeller diameter and guaranteed maximum
efficiency.

Tunnel thrusters of type CPT are equipped with Controllable


Pitch Propellers. The torque developed due to the propulsion
motor is transmitted by elastic coupling and bevel-gear to
the shaft on which the hub of the propeller is mounted. The
direction of thrust is controlled by means of a change of the
pitch propeller. The change of pitch is controlled by a
hydraulic method.

Tunnel thrusters of type FPT are equipped with Fixed Pitch


Propellers. The direction of the thrust is obtained by means
of a change of rotation direction in the propulsion motor. The
thrust is controlled by a change in the number of motor
revolution.

During vessel design, it is important to determine whether


tunnel emergence above the water surface is commonplace
in heavy seas. Tunnel emergence hurts thruster
performance, and may damage the thruster and the hull
around it.

Following are some design parameters which increase


technical benefits –

1. The tunnel diameter should be as small as possible so


as to minimise the mounting space and increase hull
efficiency.
2. Tunnel thruster should be designed for maximum
thrust.
3. High efficiency should be obtained by adapting
the propeller design to the tunnel diameter, and to
optimise the flow towards the propeller.
4. Standard blades of backward skewed design with
rounded tips should be designed. This results in
optimum thrust efficiency while obtaining a more
gradual change in the cavitation volume.
5. The propeller should have a large blade area so as to
keep cavitation volume as low as possible. This results
in maximum thrust output at minimum noise and
vibration levels, giving optimum comfort in the
accommodation.

Following points are to be considered if you are ordering a


tunnel thruster –

1. The components of the tunnel thrusters have to be


reliable and durable.
2. Bearings and the gears should have a long lifetime.
3. The thruster should offer high efficiency.
4. The thruster should be design in such a way that the
components a maintenance friendly.

Over to you..

Do you know any other important information on tunnel


thrusters that can be included to this article?

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