03.08.2011

Big lift firsts in Texas

Global heavy transport and lifting company ALE has completed a series of big lifts at an oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, using its AL.SK190 heavy lifting machine for the first time in North America. ALE completed a two stage project that involved lifting 1,338 tonnes at 54 metres radius.

In the initial phase of the project, the AL.SK190 was used to exchange coker drums, removing six old drums and replacing with six new drums each weighing up to 471 tonnes. The crane first lifted a 1,400 tonne derrick structure which was positioned on top of the existing coker drums at a height of 100 metres and set it on the ground. The coker drums were then exchanged, and the derrick structure replaced.
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The AL.SK190 - lifting for the first time in North America - completed a two stage project that involved lifting 1338 tonnes at 54 metres radius.

The derrick lift was the first time a complete derrick assembly - consisting of triple drill towers and cutting deck - had been removed and replaced in a single piece. The lift required a complex tackle arrangement with a 12 point pick up.

To successfully complete the project without the need to shut down the coker, the AL.SK190 was rigged outside the boundaries. This also enabled the completion of the project with no permanent equipment in the refinery having to be dismantled and without the coke pit wall being removed.

“This project clearly demonstrated the benefits of the AL.SK190’s lifting radius – we were able to rig the crane off plot, meaning key aspects of the refinery remained operational during the installation,” said John Trafford, operations manager, ALE.
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The crane first lifted a 1,400 tonne derrick structure which was positioned on top of the existing coker drums at a height of 100 metres and set it on the ground.

The crane was then relocated to the refinery’s hydrocracking unit (HCU), where it lifted and installed eight items including a 625 tonne, 71 metre high fractionator and three reactors ranging from 550 to 1,382 tonnes.

“Because of the AL.SK190’s outreach we were able to use existing foundations for the HCU aspect of the project, achieving substantial time and cost savings as any other crane would have required new foundations to be laid,” said Trafford.

In addition to the AL.SK190, ALE utilised an 850 tonne tailing gantry and 60 axle lines of SPMT to complete the HCU installation. The company also supplied all of the engineering calculations and related support.

The 4,300 tonne capacity AL.SK190 has a load moment of 190,000 tonne metres, a 141 metre main boom and a 32.1 metre ballast radius. It also features a 600 tonne quick winch system.
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Six old coker drums were replaced each weighing up to 471 tonnes.