will serve as a stable platform for remotely operated tools. A robotic arm .... application, a robotic arm is attached t
ISSUE NUMBER 6 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
SHOW REVIEW
INTERVIEW
Lifting and rigging equipment in the spotlight at PLASA 2012, staged at London's Earls Court
Spain-based material handling specialist and weighing systems provider Airpes has adapted in the wake of recession
SHOW PREVIEW Now in its eighth year, LiftEx 2012 takes place 29-30 November at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK
AERIAL WORK PLATFORMS A German-made compact tracked lift was used for maintenance work at a unique facility in New York
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LIFT & HOIST
INTERNATIONAL
CRANES AT CHERNOBYL WORK CONTINUES IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DISASTER OF 1986
EVERY ISSUE:
Overhead Cranes and Hoists • Access Platforms • Lift Trucks • Controls and Components
EDITOR’S LETTER
LHI welcomes special report from one of the most fascinating overhead crane projects in the world.
LIFT & HOIST
INTERNATIONAL
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE 6 Lift & Hoist International 18 Southbourne Gardens Lee, London, SE12 8UQ, UK +44 (0)20 8318 7551 President Guy Ramsey
[email protected] Director of Business Development Mark Bridger +44 (0)1403 264 164
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Maximum Capacity Media LLC Publisher of Industrial Lift & Hoist, Lift and Access, and Crane & Rigging Hot Line; and ILH eNews and Lifting 360 eNewsletters
HOOKED
F
ive years ago I chaired an overhead crane breakout session at a conference in London. The day concluded with a presentation from Eric Schmieman, who, at the time, was safety manager at the Chernobyl containment project, where overhead cranes would work in the aftermath of the shocking, devastating Chernobyl accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, destroying Unit 4 at the nuclear power plant. Conference delegates listened as Schmieman explained how cranes would work in the deconstruction and safe disposal of the accident CONFERENCE consequences in a New Safe Confinement (NSC) on the DELEGATES HEARD site of the most catastrophic disaster in the history of commercial nuclear power. HOW CRANES I was hooked on the project and have kept in touch WOULD WORK IN with Schmieman—he works at the global research and THE development organisation, Battelle Memorial Institute—ever since. I am delighted that we can DECONSTRUCTION publish in this issue a special report from Chernobyl by AND SAFE DISPOSAL Schmieman, corresponding author Vijay OF THE CHERNOBYL Parameswaran, of Bechtel International Systems, Inc., and their colleagues. ACCIDENT An international tender was initiated in 2004 for CONSEQUENCES IN A design and construction of the NSC. A subcontract for NEW SAFE the design and manufacture of the main crane system was awarded to US-based PaR Systems, Inc. CONFINEMENT One of many fascinating dimensions of the project is the mobile tool platform, which is connected to the crane carriage. The tool platform is a custom-made tensile truss that will serve as a stable platform for remotely operated tools. A robotic arm is attached to a rotating mounting plate to allow work to be performed in a complete hemisphere. Remotely operated high radiation cameras will provide full coverage of the Chernobyl plant and all operations during the next phase of the project as workers are located remotely and will perform nearly all operations using cameras. The authors believe that this is the largest implementation of a tensile truss design for these purposes—and I certainly can't contest that. Because it is first of a kind, the manufacturer constructed a 25 percent scale prototype in the US, which is this issue's cover image. Read more about the project from page 18.
RICHARD HOWES, EDITOR
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5
SPECIAL REPORT - CRANES AT CHERNOBYL
MASSIVE AND UNIQUE The design and manufacture of the main cranes system was integral to the New Safe Confinement project at Chernobyl, the scene of a nuclear power plant disaster in April 1986.
Figure 1: New Safe Confinement section looking East
BACKGROUND he Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) accident that occurred on April 26, 1986 destroyed Unit 4. After the accident situation was stabilised, it became apparent that sequestration of the damaged reactor was necessary to minimise long term radiological impact on personnel and the environment. A temporary confinement building, the Object Shelter (OS), was designed and constructed between May and November 1986. The primary purpose of the Object Shelter was to prevent further spreading of the radioactive dust and debris. It was built under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions and was intended to last 30 years. Upon completion of construction, the building had more than 1,000 sq m of openings that allowed some dust to escape and water to enter the steel structure. Although some measures have been taken in the past 26 years to stabilise the structure and reduce corrosion, the risk of collapse of the Object Shelter continues to increase over time. Its confinement function needs to be performed by a new structure,
T
18 LIFT AND HOIST INTERNATIONAL • LIFTANDHOIST.COM
and the Object Shelter needs to be dismantled in an orderly manner. The structural elements being dismantled will be large and heavy. Nuclear fuel material and other radioactive waste will be placed in heavy shielded containers. The dismantling activities and handling of heavy shielded waste disposal casks will require large and sophisticated cranes that are the subject of this paper. In 1997 the G-7 nations prepared the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) for the conversion of the OS into an ecologically safe system. The SIP consists of 22 tasks, the largest of which is the design and construction of a New Safe Confinement (NSC). The NSC will be constructed adjacent to the OS to minimise radiation doses to
construction workers, then slid over the OS on a runway system using hydraulic power. The NSC is an enormous arch-shaped steel structure which will protect the OS from the elements, confine any radioactive dust releases, and support a massive and unique crane system. The approximate dimensions of the NSC arch are 250m wide, 150m long, and 100m tall. A section of the NSC is illustrated in Figure 1. A donor community, consisting of 46 countries and organisations, support the work of the SIP. Funds are administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The facility owner is State Specialised Enterprise Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP). Oversight of SIP work is provided by a Project Management Unit (PMU) staffed by
THE AUTHORS N. A. (Vijay) Parameswaran, corresponding author, Bechtel International Systems, Inc. (USA); Igor Chornyy, State Specialised Enterprise Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (Ukraine); François de Saint Victor, Bouygues Travaux Publics (France); Dan Kedrowski and Rob Owen, both PaR Systems, Inc. (USA); Eric Schmieman, Battelle Memorial Institute (USA).
SPECIAL REPORT - CRANES AT CHERNOBYL
representatives of ChNPP and a consortium of Bechtel International Systems Incorporated (Bechtel) and Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle). An international tender was initiated in 2004 for design and construction of the NSC. The contract was awarded in 2007 to NOVARKA, a joint venture between Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bouygues Travaux Publics. NOVARKA subsequently awarded a subcontract for design and manufacture of the Main Cranes System (MCS) to PaR Systems, Inc. (Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA). The MCS is installed just below the NSC ceiling, approximately 80m (275ft) above ground level. The MCS will be installed in two large lift operations inside the NSC by NOVARKA under technical supervision provided by PaR. The MCS will be installed and tested in the non-radioactive assembly area before arch sliding. The following presents some engineering details and unique features of the MCS: PAR SCOPE OF WORK • Two 96m (315ft) bridges (approximately 7m [25ft] wide) • Six runways, top running, under hung design • One classic carriage hoist • Single hoist configuration; 50 tonnes capacity • One secure carriage hoist • Dual hoist configuration; 40 tonnes capacity (personnel)/50 tonnes capacity (materials) • May be utilised to transfer maintenance personnel throughout the facility in a shielded protective box • One mobile tool platform carriage (MTP) • Quantity of six hoists operating simultaneously to hoist and lower a platform with a tool arm on the underside • Lower platform attachments such as hydraulic power unit, vacuum system, arm/tooling supplied by others • Runway rails and conductor bars • Control system and camera system • On site erection supervision Figures 2 and 3 provide an appreciation of the extraordinary size of the MCS components. To demonstrate scale, a Boeing 777 is illustrated parked below the bridges and in front of the NSC. BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND FUNCTIONS OF EACH MAJOR MCS COMPONENT: CRANE BRIDGES Two crane bridges are top-running underhung, suspended from crane rails oriented East-West and located at an
Figure 2: NSC compared to Boeing 777, same scale
Figure 3: MCS bridges compared to Boeing 777, same scale
elevation of 76m inside the NSC. Due to their considerable length (96m), each bridge moves on six crane rails. Each girder has five individual pinned spans to provide the flexibility to maintain wheel contact for different load cases and arch movement. The bridges are designed such that two fully loaded carriages may be on the same bridge with a separation of at least 22m centre-to centre. The control cabinets are located on the bridge with wireless communication to the control room. Although local control from these panels is possible, the cranes are normally operated from a control room located in a building separate from the NSC. The crane bridges are also equipped with access ways for maintenance of the bridges. CLASSIC CARRIAGE The classic carriage is a top running trolley with one drum. It has four driven wheels and four idler wheels to support garage transfer activities. The carriage wheelbase is 6.5m (21ft) by 7.0m (23ft). Carriage travel speed is 0 to 15 m/min. Lifting capacity is 50 tonnes. Lifting speed: 0 to 10 m/min. Vertical lifting distance of 73m (240 ft). Continuous hook rotation at 0.25 RPM. Carriage controls are located on the trolley with wireless communication to the control room. SECURE CARRIAGE The secure carriage is a top running trolley with two drums. It has four driven wheels and four idler wheels to support garage
Classic carriage
Secure carriage
transfer activities. The carriage wheelbase is 6.5m (21ft) by 7.0m (23ft). Carriage travel speed is 0 to 15 m/min. Lifting capacity is 50 tonnes (materials) or 40 tonnes capacity (personnel). Lifting speed: 0 to 10 m/min. Main hoist vertical lifting distance of 71.2m (234ft). Recovery hoist lifting up 10m (33ft), down 15m (49ft). Continuous hook rotation at 0.25 RPM. Carriage controls are located on the trolley with wireless communication to the control room. In order to allow worker access to high radiation areas of the Object Shelter, the
LIFT AND HOIST INTERNATIONAL • LIFTANDHOIST.COM 19
SPECIAL REPORT - CRANES AT CHERNOBYL
NSC is equipped with a shielded protective box. Workers can be transported in the shielded protective box only by the MCS secure carriage. The secure carriage can be used in cooperation with the classic carriage to lift beams with a length >50m and weight of up to 100 tonnes. CARRIAGE EQUIPPED WITH MOBILE TOOL PLATFORM (MTP) The MTP is a custom-made tensile truss that will serve as a stable platform for remotely operated tools. The MTP is composed of two triangular shaped platforms, upper and lower, connected by six wire ropes. The six hoists on the upper platform allow raising and lowering of the lower platform to the work area. The hoists also precisely control tension on each wire rope so that the lower platform can sustain significant horizontal loads and torque generated by the use of the tools. The MTP design is much more than the standard anti-sway technology used in the crane industry—it is an inverted Stewart Platform and has the same properties as a rigid structural element. The rigid platform provides an ideal delivery system for remote tooling that will be required in the Chernobyl dismantling efforts in the future. For the Chernobyl application, a robotic arm is attached to a rotating mounting plate to allow work to be performed in a complete hemisphere below the MTP. Remotely operated high radiation cameras from Mirion IST will provide full coverage of the Chernobyl plant and all operations during the next phase of the project as workers are located remotely and will perform nearly all operations using cameras. The MTP is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The mobile tool platform is an exclusive design by the crane supplier and has the following features: Figure 4: Mobile Tool Platform suspended from East bridge
Figure 5: Mobile Tool Platform, detailed view
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Provides 1.5 tonne side load capacity with
