Mammoet moves huge gas turbines

Dutch heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet moved three gas turbines, over three separate journeys, from the port of Bautino, in southwest Kazakhstan, to the Sirdarya CCGT plant in Shirin, Uzbekistan – a distance of 2,200 km.

The turbines weighed around 517 tonnes each and measured up to 15 m long and 6.3 m wide.

Due to the varied topography of the route it was divided into three sections, each requiring a specially tailored solution to get the cargo to its destination.

For the first 500 km section, mainly on good roads, a THP/SL 19-axle side-by-side combination from specialised vehicle manufacturer Goldhofer was chosen to transport the gas turbines. Up to five prime movers (three in the front and two at the back) were used to handle the multiple steep gradients. MAN 41.680 heavy-duty trucks with V8 engines developing 680 hp ensured that sufficient traction and pushing power were available.

Due to steep curves, narrow unsurfaced roads, and bridges with limited load bearing capacity on the second section through Uzbekistan Mammoet transloaded the gas turbines onto its AL600 high girder frame which was mounted front and rear on a 20-axle THP/SL P(1+1/2) combination with ADDRIVE. The Mammoet specialists used Goldhofer’s ADDRONIC to synchronise the ADDRIVE modules. This enabled the two ADDRIVE units to be fully integrated in the combination for additional traction and pushing power on steep inclines. The full power was available at a click of a single button to bring the convoy to top speeds of up to 18 km/h.

The ADDRIVE heavy-duty self-propelled modules can support speeds of up to 25 km/h. Such a combination ensured both enough tractive power to carry the ultra-heavy loads up the hills and the braking power needed for safe travel on the downhill sections. At higher speeds the ADDRIVE modules switch off automatically and then switch back on again when the speed falls below 25 km/h.

The main obstacle for the 100 metre long and 900 t heavy convoy on this section of the route was the many bridges whose load-bearing capacity was too low for the combination. The 60 axle lines of the THP/SL heavy-duty modules alone were insufficient to meet the maximum axle load requirements. In order to observe the limits on the individual bridges Mammoet positioned an eight-axle Goldhofer modular vehicle, known as a belly trailer, directly under the high girder bridge to take a share of the heavy load. “The eight axles under the high girder bridge had to be steered separately front and rear. Continuous monitoring and adjustment of suspension on the belly trailer enabled us to pass over each of the bridges safely and reliably at walking pace,” says Marek Lysko, operations manager at Mammoet Kazakhstan.

On the last section of the journey, Mammoet loaded the turbines on a heavy-duty self-propelled combination, which covered the last kilometres to the power plant. 

“This project reinforced our reputation as a trusted heavy-transport logistics partner to Central Asian market. Concentrated power of will of the team, skills of engineers, reliability of personnel made sketches and drawings come to reality”, says Ali Yoldashov, Mammoet’s regional manager – Caspian.