The Mexican Navy has awarded Thordon Bearings a second major contract for the supply of its water-lubricated SXL wear rings for retrofit installation to the waterjet propulsion nozzles on 25 interceptor patrol vessels. The contract follows the success of extensive trials in which the SXL material replaced the use of other anti-corrosive coatings in waterjet impeller housings, resulting in increased resistance to cavitation induced corrosion.
Thordon’s legal distributor in Mexico, Rotary Parts, manufactures the housings for 25 Polaris and Polaris II fast patrol boats. The delivery includes SXL wear rings with an outer diameter of 440 mm (15. 8 inches) and a duration of 160 mm (6. 3 inches) for each wheel arch. The facility is being positioned in dry dock at various Mexican Navy sites along the Pacific and Gulf coasts.
“We won a first contract in May 2023 for 50 SXL wear rings and now a second contract for 75 more has followed,” said William Lugardo, Thordon Specialist at Rotary Parts. “As soon as the main contract was confirmed, we began maintenance of the wheel casing to ensure the optimal surface before machining the Thordon SXL material. We have finished the first batch of SXL wear ring installations and are currently up and running at the moment.
Rotary Parts recommended the use of SXL curtains to update the propeller housing coating formula to better protect the surface from propeller corrosion and cavitation. Typically, the inner casing of a waterjet turbine is covered with a new layer every 3 months to maintain propulsion efficiency. .
“They tried using different types of coatings but without success,” said Lugardo.
Tests conducted prior to the contract signing demonstrated the longevity of Thordon’s water-lubricated polymer technology.
“There is no wear or damage to the Thordon deck,” Lugardo said. “And a year after the first tests, it’s still cavitation-resistant and has improved the power of the waterjet for those vessels. The cover better protects not only the propeller housing, but also the propeller blades and tips, potentially reducing the overhead of waterjet maintenance.
Jeffrey Butt, Business Development Manager for Thordon Bearings, Marine and Coast Guard, said: “Thordon Bearings is a leading provider of complex polymeric responses to the Mexican Navy; however, this is the first time that our SXL complex has been used to upgrade the beloved anti-pollution coatings on waterjet tanks. We are very happy that the tests have been successful. Winning this order is confirmation of SEMAR’s Naval Secretariat’s continued confidence in Thordon Bearings’ patented technology.
This was Thordon Bearings’ largest marine contract in Mexico in 2023 and the Canadian company expects to secure more orders for the same application in 2024.
January 2024