Motors for swift shipping

Ulysses, a fast RoPax ferry, is one of the largest ferries in the world servicing the busy Dublin—Holyhead route, and is operated by Irish Ferries. It has 12 decks for up to 2,000 passengers and 1,340 cars or 240 lorries. The operator urgently needed new motors for two of the four azimuth thrusters – propellers used for sideways manoeuvring in ports. One of the German motor builder's experienced service staff took measurements on site in order to adhere to tight refit specifications and timelines, and to avoid the kind of installation difficulties caused by earlier replacement motors. Menzel adapted two squirrel-cage motors from their large inventory of motors and components for many common applications. The selected motors are by default suitable for high humidity environments. Menzel provided them with IP54 protection for maritime application and made numerous additional adjustments in the shortest possible time.

The team converted the stock motors from horizontal to vertical operation, modifying the bearings accordingly, installing new thrust bearings, and producing a special vertical-mounting flange. They dismantled and re-configured the fan design in order to change the rotational direction. They shortened the shafts and machined them for smaller diameters. To meet the vessel’s mechanical interfaces the terminal boxes had to be installed in exactly the right position; even the arrangement of the terminal studs was predetermined. The customer provided the water coolers, whilst Menzel modified the stator frames to connect the coolers, implementing cooling type IC 81W. Ultimately, the manufacturer tested the motors in their own load test field, with the customer present on site in Berlin for the final inspection. Menzel completed both motors on time, thus once again proving themselves to be an exceptionally flexible supplier.

More information about modular squirrel-cage motors with a wide range of design options is available at https://www.menzel-motors.com/squirrel-cage-motor/ic81w-ic86w/.