Tilted thruster produces 20% more effective thrust

The Wärtsilä WST-24R thruster offers up to 20% more effective thrust than comparable conventional thrusters

DECEMBER 5, 2017 — Wärtsilä has launched the industry’s first tilted steerable thruster with combined electric retraction and steering, the Wärtsilä WST-24R,

A notable feature of the new thruster is the gearbox, which has an 8-degrees tilted propeller shaft configuration. This reduces thruster / hull interactional losses, producing up to 20 percent more effective thrust than conventional non-tilted thrusters and enabling lower fuel consumption. This extra effective thrust directly contributes to the advanced DP capability of a vessel.

Replacing the existing LMT 1510, the Wärtsilä WST-24R thruster offers more than 10 percent added unit thrust as a result of the reduced power density. This, combined with improved hydrodynamics and the dedicated Wärtsilä thruster nozzle design, reduces the environmental impact of the propulsion system.

The Wärtsilä WST-24R can also be delivered to comply with clean notations and is optionally compatible with the US EPA’s VGP2013 stipulations.

The Wärtsilä WST-24R is also designed to achieve reliability with fewer components. All systems are easily accessible for maintenance. The combined steering-retraction seals can be replaced from inboard and are designed to have no oil to water interface, to reduce environmental risk.

The steering is electric, rather than hydraulic, further enhancing the capabilities of the system, and the new retraction system is lightweight and safe with self-locking electric actuation.

The unit is well suited for applications in shuttle tankers and offshore support and construction vessels.

“This latest addition to our thruster offering increases operational efficiency for owners and operators, while the pre-aligned plug and play installation eases shipyard time and costs,” says Michel van Veluw, Director Thrusters & Propulsion Controls, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions. “There are other retractable thrusters of this size on the market, but the Wärtsilä WST-24R is the only one with the tilted configuration advantage