Baumann transports heat exchangers

Bauman used its newly acquired Goldhofer THP/SL-L axle lines plus 200t turntables to carry the heat exchangers, one measuring 33.65m long, 6.05m wide, 6.14m high and the second was 29.5m long, 6.7m wide, 6.5m high.

The coil-wound heat exchangers weighed 274t and 278t. The THP/SL-L series offers a 26t per axle load at a speed of 20 km/h.

The heat exchangers were transported during the day, mainly on secondary roads, due to the size of the transport. The combination with the self-steering trailer used for the 274t heat exchanger comprised 18 + 10 THP/SL-L axle lines with an overall length of 69m and a gross combination weight of 433t. For the 278t heat exchanger, a self-steering trailer with 16 THP/ST axles lines was combined with 14 THP/SL-L axle lines for an overall length of 72m and a gross combination weight of 450t.

The Baumann team handled the operation with a total of six tractor units, which were used in push-pull combinations on gradients of up to 12%.

In addition to the police escort, a safety team was deployed to remove and then replace obstacles such as road signs and traffic lights. All road junctions were secured, and steel plates were utilised to spread the load where necessary.

The team encountered several sections where road crossfall was excessive, with an operator stationed on every vehicle to take action as required. “In combination with our new tilt indicator with warning signal, Goldhofer’s new 200t turntables were a great help in this respect. As a result we were always in the picture and could take action wherever necessary,” said Reinhard Treutler, Baumann’s project manager.

The heat exchangers are destined for a natural gas liquefaction plant in Canada.