Found on the web: E-Crane commissioned for coal handling in Louisiana
E-Crane is a proven and trusted solution in the coal handling industry and has been the ideal solution at many ports and terminals for barge loading and unloading, ship loading and unloading, and stockpiling. While each project is different, the modular and flexible design of the E-Crane makes it ideal for any coal handling operation.
New E-Crane commissioned for coal handling operation
In 2013, E-Crane commissioned a new unit at the Kinder Morgan International Marine Terminals facility in Port Sulphur, US. The company is currently undergoing a multi-phase expansion of the terminal in order to increase the throughput and storage capacity of the facility. The expansion includes the addition of a new continuous barge unloader (CBU), the expansion of reclaim and product blending capabilities and the expansion of coal storage area, as well as various other upgrades.
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The new crane is used for a barge cleaning operation along the Mississippi River. The terminal uses the continuous barge unloader to unload the majority of coal from barges, but the CBU is unable to clean the entire barge. The E-Crane is used to clean the leftover coal from parts of the barge that are unreachable by the CBU. The E-Crane commissioned at Kinder Morgan is an MH1200 Series/Model 11290 PD-E. It has a maximum outreach of 29 m (95 ft) and a maximum lift capacity of 19 t (20.9 short t). The E-Crane mounts directly to a floating barge, which was custom modified to support the crane.
Reducing the power needed to handle coal
The balanced design of the E-Crane makes it ideal for barge mounting. It is based on a parallelogram style boom, which provides a direct mechanical connection between the counterweight and the load. This four-bar mechanism ensures that the E-Crane remains in a near perfectly balanced state throughout its entire working range. While conventional cranes use as much as 80% of their available energy just to move the boom, stick and grab, the E-Crane allows gravity to do the work instead, reducing horsepower requirements and power consumption by up to 50% and significantly reducing maintenance and operating costs.
Along with the significant energy savings that a balanced design provides, it makes the E-Crane ideal for mounting on a floating barge. Because the crane is balanced, the movement causes very minimal listing and movement of the barge. A barge-mounted crane is also beneficial because it floats up and down along with the material barges when the water elevation changes. This means that the cycle of picking material out of the barge is never affected by water fluctuation.
Along with cleaning the remaining coal out of barges, the E-Crane is also used to lift payloaders in and out of the barges. The payloaders are placed into the material barges in order to move all of the leftover coal to one side of the barge. The payloaders are directly attached to the E-Crane underneath the grab in order to easily and quickly move them in and out of the barges. The payloaders are stored directly on the crane barge inside of a containment areas located on the barge deck.
Kinder Morgan is pleased with the success of their machine and has also ordered a second unit for the International Marine Terminals facility. The second E-Crane will be dock mounted and will also be used for barge cleaning.
Source: World Coal
