The case that Dongqi Crane will share today is a customized gantry crane for a natural gas company in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian gas customers refine the natural gas through a special filtration process to produce usable fuel in the Saudi Arabian desert. Within the filter station, there are two to four 24m towers (each 3m in diameter) that move the material through elements that need to be replaced regularly. Each tower weighs 16 US tons and the tower cover must be removed to access the filter.

Gantry crane solution for hoisting materials on 24-meter-high platform

Crane Company engineers designed the lifting and traversing system using 19 trolleys of three different sizes and eight gantry cranes.

The high temperatures required the crane company to build a “super heavy-duty” system capable of withstanding temperatures up to 50°C. It must also be able to withstand sand and dust and be designed for spark-free operation in explosive atmospheres, complying with ATEX Category 2 requirements.

Engineers installed gantry frames on the 24m platform of each filter station and ensured they moved on the platform via rails.

The drive shaft provides power for the movement of the trolley and distributes the power of the traveling motor to the two traveling drives.

The trolley is removed with the tower cover to allow the winch to gain access to the interior of the tower. Once the cover is removed, the gantry slides into position over the opening. Two of the crane company’s wire rope winches lifted the filter from the tower.

The gantry travels to the pick-up position at the end of the track and a winch safely lowers the contaminated filter to the ground and picks up a new filter.

A crane delivers the new filter into position above the tower, and a winch inserts the clean filter precisely into place.

Once the filter has been successfully replaced, the trolley will precisely transport the cap back into place at the top of the tower so that it can be screwed securely on.

The crane company and the customer worked together for nine months to plan and design the special lifting and moving system. The entire project to installation took a year.

What can we learn from this

The work content of the gantry crane in this case is not special, but the working environment is relatively harsh. If Dongqi Crane designs a gantry crane solution for this company, we believe that the following points must be paid attention to.

1. Environmental adaptability: Saudi Arabia’s climate is hot and dry, and the desert environment may impose special requirements on mechanical equipment. The metal structure and materials of the gantry crane need to be able to withstand the effects of extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures and sandstorms, and appropriate anti-corrosion measures need to be taken to prevent sand and dust from eroding the equipment.
2. Carrying capacity and stability: Due to the operating characteristics of natural gas companies, gantry cranes may need to carry heavier cargo. Therefore, the design must ensure that the gantry crane has sufficient load-bearing capacity and stability to meet the work requirements. The design of the track also requires special attention to its load-bearing capacity and stability to ensure the safety of the gantry crane during operation.
3. Accuracy and Efficiency: The accuracy of the gantry crane is crucial to its efficiency and safety. In the design, attention should be paid to the flatness and accuracy of the track, as well as the operating speed and control accuracy of the gantry crane to ensure that it can complete the task accurately and efficiently.
4. Safety performance: Gantry cranes need to strictly abide by safety regulations when operating. Various safety factors need to be taken into consideration during design, such as preventing objects from falling and injuring people, and preventing the gantry crane from shaking and being unstable. In addition, necessary safety protection facilities, such as temporary safety guardrails, etc., need to be installed.
5. Maintenance and overhaul: Considering Saudi Arabia’s geographical location and climatic conditions, maintenance and overhaul of gantry cranes can be relatively difficult. Therefore, the maintainability and ease of repair of the equipment should be taken into consideration when designing so that repairs and parts can be repaired and parts replaced in a timely manner when problems occur.