Keller, a German manufacturer of special gearboxes, recently delivered their gearing systems for 2 inboard pumps and an underwater pump to Tianjin Dredging Corporation (TDC).
In addition to these gearing systems, the contract also involved a cutter-head gearbox with a nominal engine power of 5,000 kW.
“Following the decision by the Chinese dredging and shipping company Tianjin Dredging Corporation (TDC) to build the ‘Tian Kun’, one of the largest dredging vessels for the Chinese market in terms of its performance and technology, Keller was commissioned to build not only 3 pump gearboxes but also the most essential part of the drive train, the so-called cutter-head gearbox, ” Mr. Marcel J. M. Wiegman, Keller Managing Director , revealed exclusively for Dredging Today.
The optimized gears have a final weight of 180 tonnes and rank among the largest gearboxes that Keller had built in its 115 years of existence.
“During the design and manufacturing phase, project meetings took place regularly during which all internal processes including the special required transportation were discussed. By doing this, the required quality as well as the tight time schedule could be maintained at all times ,” added Mr. Wiegman.
An essential component of the quality control was conveyed to the final test run.
Drive and gear mechanisms were put through their paces. Support images of the gear toothing were taken and these were then compared with the calculations; the noises and vibrations were measured and the transmission tightness verified.
After the final inspection, as well as the final acceptance by the customer, the seaworthy packing of the complete powertrain was carried out, followed by shipment to the harbor in Bonn, Germany. The powertrain was then transported via Rotterdam, the Netherlands on its long sea route and was delivered punctually in China.
Over the last 10 years, the German manufacturer has delivered about 75% of all large cutter-head gearboxes in Europe.
[mappress mapid=”23093″]