When the Sarens team began reviewing the project, they quickly determined it would take a large crane, like the company’s 1,763 ton (1,600 t) capacity Demag CC 8800-1 crawler crane to complete the job.
When Sarens was recruited to perform a series of challenging lifts at India's Ramagundam Fertilizer Plant, the team imported a Demag CC 8800-1 lattice boom crawler crane all the way from Greece to get the job done.
Commissioned by the RFCL (Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd.), through the project's EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor, Bridge and Roof Company Ltd., Sarens was responsible for lifting heavy equipment to aid with the construction of the Ramagundam Fertilizer Plant. The project involves the construction of a new ammonia plant and a new urea plant with capacities of 2,425 tons (2,200 t) per day and 4,244 tons (3,850 t) per day, respectively, as well as developing an ancillary offsite and utility facilities. In total, approximately $750 million will be invested into the project when it's completed in late 2018/early 2019. Once completed the plant will produce 1.2 million tons (1.12 million t) of urea annually.
Need for a Massive Crane
When the Sarens team began reviewing the project, they quickly determined it would take a large crane, like the company's 1,763 ton (1,600 t) capacity Demag CC 8800-1 crawler crane to complete the job. For the first, and one of the most challenging lifts, Sarens needed to lift a 468 ton (425-t) urea reactor into place.
“The Demag CC 8800-1 crawler crane is a highly versatile machine,” said Navneet Jain, Sarens regional deputy director, Asia Pacific. “In addition to being a good fit for this project, we have several other jobs happening in India that the crane can be used for. So, we decided that transporting it here from Greece was a good choice.”
Getting the Crane to the Job
The Sarens crane was shipped to the Mumbai port in India. The Sarens team quickly offloaded the crane and transported it to the site using multiple trucks. To aid with assembling the CC 8800-1 crane and act as a tailing crane, Sarens also deployed a Demag CC 2800-1 lattice boom crawler crane. The team was able to safely assemble the machine in just seven days, despite facing space limitations.
“We are pleased with how smooth the transportation process went with the Demag CC 8800-1 crawler crane,” said Jain. “The machine is certainly designed with the needs of the customers in mind. For a big crane, it's relatively easy to transport and assemble, even in tight conditions.”
Completing the First Challenging Lift
The 468 ton (425-t) urea reactor measured 174 ft. (53 m) in length and 12.4 ft. (3.8 m) in diameter. To perform the lift, the reactor was upended with the CC 8800-1 crane in an SSL 84/72 configuration at a lift radius of 78.7 ft. (24 m). The CC 2800-1 assist crane was used in an SSL 54 configuration. After lifting the reactor, the CC 8800-1 crane operator slowly slewed and walked the heavy load into position.
The 20-member crew battled rain, area constraints and narrow plant roads to complete this project's first erection safely and within the target schedule.
“Our team did a great job and earned high praise from the client,” said Jain. “However, there were several more lifts to be done, so the team got right back to work to ensure those were also completed in the stipulated time frame.”
Next Up
The Demag CC 8800-1 crawler crane is scheduled to be at the Ramagundam Fertilizer Plant for another 40 days. The Sarens team will use it to execute five more key component erections, weighing up to 705 tons (640 t).
“We are proud of our operations, fleet, engineering, logistics, sales, planning and support teams for getting the Demag CC 8800-1 crane to India, transporting swiftly and executing on this project safely and efficiently. We know we'll get a lot of use from it in the future,” said Jain.
About the Sarens Group
The Sarens Group, with its Belgium-based head office (Wolvertem), has been providing heavy lift, engineered transport and specialized rigging services for more than 60 years. With modern design tools and one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and specialty rigging equipment, along with a team of highly skilled professionals, the Sarens Group is an international market leader in its field. Employing more than 4,200 employees who embody the spirit of the company's motto, “Nothing too heavy, Nothing too high”, the Sarens Group is well prepared to support its customers' heavy lift, engineered transport and specialized transport requirements around the globe and across every market sector.
For more information, visit www.sarens.com.
For more information about Terex, visit www.Terex.com.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
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