FEATURE | RENEWABLE ENERGY
DEMAG HOISTS OPERATE HYDRO BEAMS
The Albbruck-Dogern run-of-river power plant on the High Rhine is a hydroelectric power plant, located right on the German-Swiss border. Rather than a high retaining dam to accumulate potential energy in the water retained behind it, it uses the slope and the kinetic energy of the river to generate environmentally friendly renewable energy. Along with a weir power plant built later, the operator Schluchseewerk generates an annual average of 650 million kilowatt hours of CO2-free electricity at this site to supply 180,000 households. The water volumes required for the power plant are supplied
through a weir channel. Three machine sets, each of a generator and turbine, are installed in the power plant channel. To allow regular with the help of the dam beams and emptied. For this purpose, the 11-metre-long dam beams are lowered into niches provided for them. Previously, these beams had been lowered and raised by a double-
girder overhead travelling crane; after several decades this was long overdue an extensive renovation. In the upgrade, Demag DH hoist units play a central role.
They were the complete replacement of the moving steel structural elements and the load bar; installation of two 16-ton hoist trolleys, which can also operate in tandem; and safety control. Precise positioning was needed, given by frequency-controlled drives in three axes. The drive concept was eight driven crane wheels and four trolley drives. Secure year-round operation was a necessity; so heated electric switchgear cabinets were installed. Positioning and removing the dam beams at depths of up to 22 metres requires high positioning accuracy. Two 20-ton DH 2100 hoist units with a 4/2 reeving system prevent any hook travel. They are installed on two mechanically coupled trolleys that travel with a span of 3.54 metres on an 80-metre-long crane runway. By means of a selector switch on the pendant controller the hoist units can be used individually or in tandem for loads weighing up to 32 tons. Both mounting the dam beams. Further safety functions such as overload protection with summated
hoist units. An additional technical feature makes it easier for the crane operator to position a dam beam precisely: the length of the hook path is measured via rotary encoders on the hoist units and shown on large pivoting displays on the crane bridge. Personnel are thus shown the deposit position of a dam beam with centimetre precision, which can be documented and precisely controlled for subsequent removal. Two additional large displays show the current weight held by the hoist units. The operator Schluchseewerk also uses the hoist units to transport people to carry out inspection and maintenance. The two DH hoist units were therefore equipped with a second brake as a holding brake for this purpose. Their functioning can be checked via an additional button integrated into the ground control panel. A test function for the emergency limit switch and a tare button have also been integrated into the control unit. A total of eight travel unit combinations from the Demag modular
drive system are used for the drives used for long-travel motions. Wheel blocks with 160 mm travel wheel diameters supply cross travel and are driven in pairs. Control for variable-speed travel and hoist operation is provided by Demag Dedrive Compact frequency inverters. Year-round operation must be ensured. Although the crane installation runs under a concrete roof protected against precipitation, the equipment is exposed to outdoor temperatures through the side opening along the length of the crane runway. The trolleys are therefore equipped with additional heaters for the switchgear cabinets. The region experiences cold winters, so the electronics are optimally protected against these weather conditions.
guiding the trailing cable runs along the 80-metre-long crane runway and then at a right angle at the end of the runway. With this space- saving solution, the cable accumulating section is located at the end position of the crane and the crane maintains the best possible approach dimensions. The solution is an ingenious lifting concept for generating natural electricity in southern Germany.
26 | October 2024 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
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