South Carolina Electric & Gas Company needed to place the CA01 module in the first of two new nuclear plants at the plant in Jenkinsville, South Carolina.
The structural wall module, which is filled with concrete fill after placement, was the heaviest lift to date for either expansion projects.
The module, made entirely of steel, is 70ft tall and 80ft wide. It can be used to house components such as steam generators at the nuclear plants.
In addition to being large and heavy, these modules are usually irregularly shaped and so are difficult to handle within the tolerances required. During a previous module installation, the rigging engineers had to repeatedly add additional counter weight to try and level it, which ultimately required a lot of extra manpower, equipment and time. Enerpac offered the SyncHoist System, a below-the-hook lifting device comprised of multiple specialized hydraulic cylinders mounted directly in-line with the rigging.
The system consists of an 800t SyncHoist cylinder and two 400t SyncHoist cylinders. This system permits operators the freedom to precisely monitor and control each lifting point independently or together in a synchronized manner. The rigging engineers were able to accurately adjust the length of the rigging to position and level the CA01 module to within the tight tolerance requirements in both the X and Y coordinates.
Adjusting each point independently, the rigging engineers were able to level the module more precisely and save more time.
With the use of integrated cylinder stroke sensors and pressure transducers at each lifting point, the operator was able to attain position and load feedback at the control station. This allowed them to extend or retract the cylinder, and because of the internal stroke sensor, monitor and verify the required movement was achieved.
For easy operation and management, the SyncHoist System featured a control system with a touch screen human machine interface (HMI). The system also ensured operator safety through overload alarms
