Propeller Shaft Bearing Systems

Propeller Shaft Bearings

Shaft Coating

Water Quality Package

COMPAC

Thordon COMPAC is a high performance water lubricated bearing system primarily for “blue water” operating conditions. Specially formulated with a low coefficient of friction to reduce startup friction and eliminate stick-slip.

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RiverTough

Thordon RiverTough propeller shaft bearings operating in combination with hard coated nickel-chrome-boron sleeves are specially formulated to provide superior wear life in very abrasive water conditions and have proven their ability to last at least twice as long as rubber bearings.

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ThorShield

Thordon's ThorShield propeller shaft coating system provides corrosion protection against seawater. This toughened, 2-part epoxy coating is up to nine times more flexible than existing shaft coating products.

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Water Quality Package

The Thordon Water Quality Package is designed to supply seawater to the propeller shaft bearings for lubrication and cooling while also removing suspended solids from the seawater.

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Shaft Seals

SeaThigor

The Thordon SeaThigor Seal is a mechanical face seal for 300mm (11.8") to 750mm (29.5") water lubricated propeller shafts found in yachts, cruise ships, merchant ships and naval vessels. The SeaThigor has evolved from a design first tested in 2003 and improved during the next decade.

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TG100

The Thordon TG100 is a new mechanical seal designed specifically for 86mm (3.375") to 305mm (12") shaft vessels operating in either clean or abrasive-laden waters including workboats, harbor tugs, offshore supply vessels, yachts, ferries, fishing trawlers and self-propelled dredgers.

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BlueWater Seal

The Thordon BlueWater seal is a water lubricated forward seal for 300mm (11.811”) to 1000mm (39.370”) propeller shafts found in various vessels, such as yachts, cruise ships, merchant ships and naval vessels. The simplicity of the seal design provides minimal seal maintenance.

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Documents

Commercial Ship AFT Seal Oil Discharges PDF, 909.34 KB Factual Accounts of Oil Leaking from Propeller Shaft Stern Tubes Due to AFT Seal Damage.
Oil Emissions from Propulsion Systems of Commercial Ships PDF, 322.29 KB
COMPAC System Brochure for Merchant Fleet Vessels PDF, 873.63 KB
Seawater Lubricated Propeller Shaft Bearings PDF, 2.35 MB Thordon offers different propeller shaft bearings for different operating environments, depending on the abrasives in the water.
For Successful Operation of COMPAC Propeller Shaft Bearings PDF, 115.31 KB A general guideline for optimal installation and successful operation of COMPAC bearings including: arrangement, axial retention, shaft liners, corrosion protection, cooling and clean seawater, seals, marine growth and storage.

Technical Papers

Seawater for Propeller Shaft Lubrication in Merchant Ships PDF, 980.89 KB This paper by Craig Carter looks at the growing uptake of open seawater lubricated propeller shaft systems considering environmental, operational, regulatory and shipbuilding issues

References

Commercial Ship References PDF, 1.14 MB Shipowners using Thordon Seawater Lubricated Propeller Shaft Bearings
Thordon Bearings Help Ensure Reliable Performance of New AHTS Vessels PDF, 161.61 KB

Design

The final (fully finished) sizing of a Thordon elastomer or ThorPlas bearing can be determined by using the Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Program.

You cannot run the Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Program without a User Registration Number. Once you have a User Registration Number you can download the Program below and enter it when prompted.

Click here to Request a Bearing Sizing Program User Registration Number

If you have a Bearing Sizing Program User Registration Number, you can download the program here

Videos

Since 1965 Thordon has been providing water lubricated systems, this video examines the different components in the COMPAC Seawater Lubricated Propeller Shaft Bearing System and how they operate. The various components covered in this video includes Thordon’s COMPAC bearings (AFT and FWD), Water Quality Package (WQP), and SeaThigor mechanical seal.

How a Thordon COMPAC stern tube bearing system works

Thordon water quality package provides a clean flow of lubricating seawater to the propeller shaft bearings. It takes only the seawater from the sea (through the sea chest), removes abrasive particles and pumps the water into the stern tube to lubricate the non-metallic bearings.

TG100 water lubricated mechanical face seal from Thordon Bearings

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Our Newsletter

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Read our most recent newsletter

Thordon Merchant Fleet NewsWorks 2023

Thordon’s web-based newsletter specifically developed for marine users of oil-free and grease-free bearings in the merchant marine sector. This newsletter includes articles that highlight our successes on tankers, bulk cargo carriers, ferries, and cruise ships with COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings, and ThorPlas-Blue deck equipment installed and used around the world. We also introduce Thordon’s new BlueWater Seal and highlight the largest rudder bearing Thordon has ever produced.
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Recent Marine News

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Orkim Takes to the Water with Five Product Tankers Fitted with COMPAC

Jul 12, 2021

China’s Fujian Southeast Shipyard has delivered four in a series of five new product tankers ordered by Malaysia’s Orkim Sdn Bhd. The 9000dwt Orkim Sapphire and Orkim Pearl, and 14,500dwt Orkim Diamond and Orkim Emerald represent the first vessels in the ship operator’s fleet to be fitted with a COMPAC seawater lubricated shafting system from Thordon Bearings.
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COSCO Confirms Thordon Seawater Lubrication for Eight Newbuild General Cargo Ships

Jun 15, 2021

COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers, a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO), COSCO Shipping Lines, has confirmed that the eight newbuild multipurpose cargo vessels entrusted to COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Dalian) Co. Ltd. will each feature a COMPAC seawater lubricated shaftline arrangement from Thordon Bearings. The scope of supply, to be rolled out in two four-ship batches scheduled for August 2021 and December 2022, includes COMPAC propeller shaft bearings, shaft liners, ThorShield shaft coating, and Thordon’s Water Quality Package.
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