ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Ӏ SPECIAL REPORT
BReaking news: New batteRy-poweRed cRawler fRom LiebheRR
The LR 1160.1 Unplugged is the latest model in the Liebherr’s battery- powered crane series. The company says it is one of the first battery- operated crawler cranes in the world.
The crane has a load capacity of 160 tonnes and the electro-
hydraulic drive has the same performance specifications as Liebherr’s conventional version. Both versions are operated in the same way, too. As you would expect from an electric, emissions-machines, machine it is very quiet: Liebherr says that, in idling mode, the sound pressure level of three Unplugged cranes, at a distance of 16 m, is equivalent to that of a normal conversation on the job site at a distance of 1 m. This corresponds to a value of only 60 dB(A). If it is taken into account that a crawler crane is in idling mode for 60 % of
the time on the jobsite, this low noise level is an big advantage said Liebherr. The LR 1160.1 Unplugged can be operated with or without cable.
The battery offers eight hours lifting operation. The crane can be operated without restrictions while plugged into a conventional electric supply with 63 A or charged within 4.5 hours. Using a 125 A supply, the battery can be fast-charged in 2.5 hours. The LR 1160.1 Unplugged is equipped with all Liebherr’s established assistant systems designed for safe operation. In addition, it includes a Gradient Travel Aid for the safe negotiation of slopes and inclines. It uses the crane’s control system to automatically calculate the centre of gravity and warn the operator before the crane leaves the safe area. While travelling, the operator receives information about the permissible and actual gradient and the crane's overall centre of gravity at all times. If necessary, the boom angle can be altered so that the machine remains in the safe area. A Ground Pressure Visualization function calculates the actual
ground pressure of the machine in real time and compares it with the specified safety limits of the relevant job site. This means the operator is permanently aware of whether the machine is situated in, or is approaching, a critical area, outlined Liebherr. When erecting or lowering the boom, a Boom Up-and-
Select Plant Hire, in the UK, gets the first three LR 1160.1 Unplugged models – with three more planned to follow
j yourself. Most of the companies that are offering alternative fuels will also give you assurance. “So that is equipment and fuel.
The third layer is really breaking new ground to change how things operate, the entire methodology. For example the wind sector has quite an interest in moving to low- carbon operations because it's very much in line with their fundamental philosophy; and they are looking at how could you work in a different way. Can you design towers that need a different type of lifting equipment that could be electric- powered, and that also could require far less in the way of concreting and civil groundwork? You might end up with towers that need something other than a crane to erect.”
42 CRANES TODAY
Down Assistant indicates the approach to the tipping border and automatically stops operation before the operator unintentionally enters an unsafe zone. Liebherr-Werk Nenzing has delivered the first three LR 1160.1 unplugged cranes to Select Plant Hire in the United Kingdom. Select is pursuing the goal of operating more and more zero-emission construction sites and plans to buy another three further LR 1160.1 Unplugged cranes this year. The Unplugged version of the crane can be recognised via the blue accent on the crane’s upper carriage.
That sort of blue-sky thinking is
transformational, from the ground and the design-stage up: “It's about changing the way the people work. It’s about rethinking how we do things. We can talk about new fuels like hydrogen to power some of the bigger cranes and it sounds very simple, but actually doing it is hard work. There are huge gains to be made still just by changing the way that people use the equipment, the way they drive. “There's a lot still to be gained in terms of helping people realise we all have a role to play in this. The big big shift is in how interested people are in this topic within our sector and within the heavy industries generally. In our company there is pressure from
shareholders, from customers, and from the board, and they are all pushing the same way. I talk to engineers who have been with Mammoet all their lives and are coming up to retirement and want to leave the industry in a better state than they found it; I see the younger generation coming in with new ideas. The company is full of engineers, and engineers love solving problems. Together they want to take all of their information and knowledge and experience and figure out how they can use it to make the industry fit for 21st century. But we really do need to start acting now.” See our video with Erica Gray at:
www.cranestodaymagazine.com/ videos/
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