Waste handling operations at a UK nuclear-licensed site were being complicated by the uneven distribution of low-level waste within steel cylinders, with existing grabs unable to adapt to the uneven loads.
In order to mitigate this problem and ensure safe hoisting practices, new cylinder grabs that could compensate for deviations in the load’s centre of gravity were required.
Building upon the successful grab design of the Semi-Automated Goliath Cranes previously delivered to the customer, SCX designed, manufactured, tested and installed seven bespoke grabs incorporating new features that keep the cylinders level as they are lifted.
Carried by the customer’s existing overhead cranes, a new lifting beam spine allows for an adjustable single pickup point instead of multiple drops of rope. A centre of gravity compensation slider for the central lifting eye helps to maintain level lifting, with an incline to horizontal not exceeding 5°.