Precision pre-cast lifting

An order was recently placed by Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) for four 32 ton Condra portal cranes to manage materials handling at its new Copperton and Garob Wind Tower pre-cast yard in Northern Cape.
Portal cranes for pre-cast yards are purpose-built to lift, position, stack and load reinforced concrete components. Two have been at work for another customer in Nelson Mandela Bay since late last year, when they were commissioned at a yard supplying concrete bases and columns to coastal wind farms.
The four machines for WBHO’s Prieska yard will help produce similar components, in this case keystones each 20m in length that will be used to erect the 100m high reinforced concrete wind towers at the Copperton and Garob wind farms.
The two farms will together generate some 140MW of electricity (573 GWh per annum) after completion in mid-2021.
Each of the four identical, 28,5m span cranes will feature two 32 ton hoists delivering lifting speeds of 3m/min over lifting heights of 9,09m, allowing pre-cast components to be simultaneously and precisely lifted at two points to minimise stress on the loads. Cross-travel and long-travel speeds will liftingbe 20m/min and 60m/min respectively, allowing quick crane manoeuvrability along yard rails 375m in length.
Condra
Marc Kleiner
Tel: (011) 776-6000
E-mail: sales@condra.co.za