Main Features of Water-Lubricated Stern Tube Seals from KEMEL

Blog | March 7th, 2023

Marine vessels and others can only operate effectively if they are comprised of the right components. And since they will be exposed to seawater, their components should be able to resist the effects of the water as well as their surroundings.

One of the components they should utilise is water-lubricated stern tube seals. They are often installed in newer ships and those sailing to sensitive marine areas. They can also be used for military vessels, especially if they need to be resistant to underwater explosions. All these marine vessels often take advantage of a single seal on the inboard side. The cooling of composite or polymeric seals in the tube is often provided by seawater.

Performance of Water-Lubricated Stern Tube Seals

The effectiveness of water-lubricated stern tube seals on marine vessels depends on numerous factors. First, they can only achieve good performance and long life if the correct design and modelling of the shaft line have been achieved. Sealing can be constructed with slope and offset needed to enhance shaft support and load.

Another factor that may affect the performance of these seals is their installation. The installation of the seals should be done optimally to avoid bending or hull distortion when afloat. Failure to remedy these issues will only lead to overload. These seals, therefore, should be installed similarly to the required configuration of the marine vessels. They should also be aligned optimally to avoid the previously stated problems.

Ultimately, seals’ service life and performance can be affected by system cooling and filtration. The lack of system cooling and filtration may only allow debris and heat to wear out the seals. One way to prevent this problem is to maintain the cleanliness of the pumped seawater flush.

Right Upkeep of Water Lubricated Stern Tube Seals 

Knowing how to check the condition of your water-lubricated stern tube seals can help you maintain them right away. If their temperatures, for instance, consistently stay above their normal trend, then you may have to adjust the shaft loading. Significant vibration through your ship can also mean that your seals have issues. These issues may include shaft misalignment or breakdown of their materials. Increased consumption of torque, lastly, may mean that your seals have already lost tons of fluid film, requiring you to replace them right away.

Get Water Lubricated Stern Tube Seals from KEMEL

If you need quality water-lubricated stern tube seals, you can get them from KEMEL, a division of Eagle Kobelco. This division offers a wide range of marine vessel components that can be advantageous for the marine industry. One of their products is water-lubricated stern tube seals.

Tons of features can be expected from KEMEL water-lubricated stern tube seals.

First, they have improved wear resistance. The active #1 seal ring of these seals is often lubricated through self-controlled clean fresh water. This quality allows the mating ring to be wear resistant. Wear resistance is also expected with their seal housing and the seal ring. Another feature of these seals is they have built-in spare seal rings. The spare #2 seal ring of these seals is integrated into the seal housing as their spare. This seal ring stands by in idle under normal operation. It is likewise cooled, lubricated, and protected by fresh water.

The third feature of these seals is they have improved operability. The active seal ring of these seals can be swapped from the #1 to #2 spare seal through valve operation. As the #2 spare ring activates, the unit would not require disassembly should the #1 seal ring shows leakage.

To purchase KEMEL water-lubricated stern tube seals, you can contact us at Wildon Engineering.

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