Transformers No Game for Electrical Manufacturer and Ports Lifting Engineers Handling Costly Freight
An Enerpac EVO synchronous lifting system has helped save a transformer manufacturer hundreds of thousands of dollars in freight from New Zealand to India by safely and precisely weighing the electrical equipment to exactly verify that its tonnage came in under local shipping port weight limits.
The state-of-the-art hydraulic 12-point lifting, shifting and weighing system was deployed by New Zealand and international logistics and machinery moving specialists Machinery Movers Ltd to assist with their delicate challenge in Northland, New Zealand.
Machinery Movers needed to establish that the transformer came within the Northland Port's maximum lifting capacity of 110 tons. If it exceeded this, a special ship had to be brought in at a cost of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, says Enerpac New Zealand representative Mr Neville Stuart.
"Warwick Bell from Machinery Movers rang to ask if I knew anyone who could provide lifting and weighing with precision accuracy. Because Enerpac works with companies lifting huge loads including buildings and tunneling machines, we knew that the new Enerpac EVO synchronous lifting system currently in New Zealand would do the job."
The 12-point Enerpac synchronous lifting system used in the Machinery Movers project is of a type that replaces manual control of hydraulic heavy lifting with Programmable Logic Control (PLC) control of multiple hydraulic cylinders, a technology that offers accuracy, safety and productivity benefits for precision lifting, shifting and weighing of heavy machinery, plant and structures.
Using the EVO system, one operator controls the entire precision lift, shift or weighing process, during which the status of every hydraulic lifting or pulling point is constantly monitored and displayed. Instead of whole teams of lift and shift personnel trying to manually co-ordinate with each other inputs/outputs from hydraulic cylinders dispersed around a job, the EVO-Series Synchronous Lifting System integrates the high-pressure hydraulic cylinders involved with the PLC system to monitor and control precise movement, positioning and weighing of heavy loads.
"Quite often, as in maritime construction and shipping operations, you have to get an exact idea of the weight at each lifting point as well as the total weight so as to get an even spread of power and precise totals.
"In the case of the NZ transformer weighing, I was asked to assist Machinery Movers' expert team in operating the precision lift over the weekend, which went very smoothly. After five weighs, we were able to certify an average weight of 109.4 tons, which enabled the transformer to be shipped off on its way to the customer in India. The manufacturer was very happy."
Through an integrated HMI (Human Machine Interface), all of the EVO system movements are managed from a central control position that displays live operation with real-time status updates for each lifting position.
The EVO system is the evolutionary result of Enerpac's 25 years of experience in specialised hydraulic engineering and lifting technology using digitally controlled hydraulics.
Enerpac's global synchronous lifting experience strongly complements the expertise of Machinery Movers, which provides a full range logistics packages including consultancy and engineering services from initial planning through all stages to project completion. The company's expertise extends from small factory plant and machinery removal through to handling major weight-intensive and over-dimensional projects.
"Safety and precision are often very important in lift, shift and weighing projects, with the EVO system able to provide accuracy down to plus/minus 1mm on all the lifting points used," said Mr Stuart . "If you are moving an oil rig or maritime production platform, for example, loads need to be very evenly distributed for the structure to achieve the highest standards of safety, reliability and construction integrity."
In addition to buildings and stadiums, Enerpac synchronous systems can be readily applied to infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels and for monitoring, foundation support and structural testing. Similar systems have recently been deployed in Australasia to lift, shift and position drilling rigs, wharf cranes and (using a related SyncHoist technology) to lift, shift and position complex and heavy precast concrete girders involved new $72 million Brisbane Riverwalk project.
Further applications of Synchronous Technology
Further applications of synchronous technology include:
Oil, gas and petrochemicals, including oil refinery and platform installation
Power generation, including generator and turbine lifts
Wind power structures, including windmill levelling
Mining, including heavy static plant such as grinding mills and machinery
Shipbuilding, including hull components and entire vessels
Harbours and jetties
Production, manufacturing
Aerospace, including lifting for transport of Airbus A380 wings
Transport, including railroad
Lifting and aligning of NASA radar systems
ENERPAC EVO SYSTEM ADVANTAGES
The EVO synchronous system offers eight standard hydraulic control modes and can control 4, 8 or 12 points with one hydraulic power unit (HPU). A master control unit is also available that offers daisy chain control of up to 16 EVO systems, giving a maximum of 192 lifting points.
The multifunctional EVO-Series can be used with multiple standard 700 bar (10,000 psi) single- or double-acting cylinders and is offered with a 5 HP or 10 HP hydraulic power unit with 250 litre (66 gallon) reservoir.
Evo Synchronous Lifting System, shown here with double-acting cylinders and draw wire stroke sensors
Accuracy, controllability and safety are major benefits of the EVO system, while time saving is another advantage. The process does not have to be stopped after any incremental value, checked, manually re-measured and corrected. The EVO System carries out these actions during the entire lifting process, even with low lifting or lowering speeds. Depending on the application, time savings up to 60 percent can be achieved.
Safety benefits of the PLC-controlled system include elimination of the potential for error with the multi-operator manual control approach. The digitally precise EVO-system incorporates warnings and stop functions. It offers full monitoring and control, with programmable failsafe monitoring and safety alarms.
The precision control offered by the EVO system reduces the risk of structural damage by bending, twisting or tilting due to uneven weight distribution or load-shifts between lifting points. The easy-to-use and very user-friendly touch screen interface displays the movement process, cylinder positions and load read-outs by lifting points and total load.
Enerpac's synchronous lifting technology monitors and manages lifting, lowering, weighing, alignment and load transfer procedures of non-uniformly distributed heavy loads. The system incorporates a variable frequency drive (VDF) motor, which facilitates lowering of engine speeds and oil flows as required to optimise control of the speed of lifting. This feature also makes it possible to use the system with various capacities of cylinders.
For superior visibility and control, the EVO-Series offers network capabilities to link up to four hydraulic power units to a single master control. The system features a user-friendly interface with easy-to-use menus for simplified navigation. Additionally, the system can be programmed to record and store operation data at user-defined intervals to continuously monitor the pressure and position of every lifting point for safe, accurate control.
Enerpac is an international market leader in high-pressure hydraulics, with 28 offices in 22 different countries and more than 1,000 employees. Enerpac has been established in Australia and New Zealand as a major supplier of high-pressure (700 bar) hydraulic equipment for 50 years, having nationwide service backup and a strong distribution network.
For more information about Enerpac equipment in Australia please contact Enerpac, Block V. Unit 3, Regents Park Estate, 391 Park Road, Regents Park, Sydney 2143, ph Australia (61) Sydney (02) 9743 8988, fax (61) (02) 9743 8648, e-mail info@enerpac.com.au. For more information about Enerpac equipment in New Zealand please contact Neville Stuart on 02 166 7716 neville@enerpac.co.nz
