Barnhart Blog: Heavy Lift

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Transport and Setting of Turbine/Generator in a North Carolina Project

Market: Power

Location: North Carolina

The Challenge

Barnhart Crane & Rigging Co. won a bid on an already-in-progress job, which included the hauling, lifting, and setting of steam equipment, and the customer urged the team to finish the job on a very tight schedule. On top of that, very wet and extremely cold weather made the project even more difficult, not to mention a very constricting site gave the crew very little real-estate in which to work.

The Solution

Creative planning, hard work, and timely deliveries all helped Barnhart meet the deadline. In addition, clever engineering enabled the team to connect the Marino girder to the Barnhart gantry track, and as a result, saved much time and money.

The Description

The customer contracted Barnhart for the onsite transporting and setting of the turbine in addition to a generator. The job required the team to lift, haul, and set these massive pieces to an alternative location on the job site.

The project was already underway when the crew won the bid, and the customer desired a quick finish. Barnhart engineers then focused on quickly submitting the project plans. Other engineers on the site also flooded the team's engineers with questions, and Barnhart's quick responses kept the job on schedule.

Barnhart's engineers also developed a plan to connect the Marino girders with the Barnhart gantry tracks. This allowed the team more flexibility and availability with its equipment and saved quite a bit of time and money.

The rest of the crew suffered through cold and wet weather. In fact, the site conditions heavily constricted the equipment because of minimal space to navigate machinery. The crane operators and workers pressed onward with hard work and overcame the dreary setting.

A subcontractor also delivered integral parts and equipment to Barnhart right on schedule. This timely delivery, matched with Barnhart's creative engineering staff and diligent crew, allowed Barnhart to start a job behind schedule and finish ahead of the deadline.

Major Equipment Used

Goldhofer Trailer
Stator Frame
500T Hoist

Barnhart Crane & Rigging Company Services:

Monday, March 28, 2011

An Unwieldy Dome Did Not Circumvent Barnhart's Efforts to Successfully Complete Removal

Market: DOE

Location: Washington

The Challenge

A customer contracted Barnhart Crane & Rigging Co. to remove a containment dome. However, the thin walls of the dome caused the dome to flex and bend during removal, making the project very difficult to complete.

The Solution

The Barnhart team engineered temporary hold-down and tightening brackets to stabilize and easily remove the dome.

The Description

A customer assigned Barnhart to two tasks: removing a containment dome and transporting a polar crane. The dome extended 80 feet in diameter and weighed around 145,000 pounds.

The team conducted a shell analysis on the dome and found the dome to be thin and flimsy. The shell analysis led the team to engineer the appropriate brackets described above and to locate the best rigging attachment points.

Barnhart's subcontractor, Cutting Edge Services, cut the dome using a large wall saw. Once the subcontractor cut the dome, Barnhart used a CC1800 SSL crawler crane to place the dome on the ground.

The team lifted the polar crane to a transporter for shipment. And the customer left the dome on the ground to be cut into pieces for easier shipment.

Although the project lasted several months, Barnhart's expert engineering and well-trained staff finished the project ahead of schedule with no injuries.

Major Equipment Used

CC1800 SSL Crawler Crane
THP Trailer