AMCS technologies at nuclear plant

Among them is one of the cranes with the highest lifting capacity in the world, the Favelle Favco M2480D, which was recently installed and equipped with the DCS 61-S, the new safety system for interferences management and prohibited overfly zones.

The specificity of this hydraulic luffing tower crane, with a capacity of 220t, is to have two jibs—one of 70m and one of 30m. It therefore has two hoist winches and two hooks that can work simultaneously or separately.

The purpose of the DCS 61-S anti-collision system is to ensure the management of prohibited overfly zones (by jibs and/or cables and hooks) as well as anti-collision with interfering cranes, jib by jib, and cable by cable or together.

The DCS 61-S was designed to accommodate this new management of jibs and multiple cables. Indeed, it is an evolving system, said manufacturer AMCS technologies, developed to integrate the management of anti-collision and zoning for new machines.

In order to respond quickly to the customer’s request, the technical challenge for AMCS technologies’ R&D teams was to guarantee the safety of the construction site and therefore the management of the two hoist winches on the same crane with two jibs.

This represents a special feature with a major challenge in the sector of anti-collision. AMCS technologies said it's a world first.

The crane supplier was also involved in the project. It has developed an interface to access the electrical signals of the DCS 61-S on the hydraulic controls of the crane, to ensure the two main functions of the DCS 61-S: the zoning and the anti-collision.

“Considering the concentration of non-standard cranes around each machine, the performance and reliability of the DCS 61-S help to ensure the productivity of the Hinkley Point C construction site,” said AMCS technologies.