With the introduction of a new, greener heating system at the Alderley Science Park, it was important to retain the existing boiler house and remove the boilers intact for reuse elsewhere. The Enerpac LH-400 low height skidding system allowed the boilers to be removed from the building without the need for major engineering work to the low roof and surrounding pipework.
“Removing the roof to allow access for heavy lifting equipment would have meant working at height and taken a good deal longer. Our biggest problem was the limited working space with just 15mm between the top of the boilers and the building’s roof. The low-height skidding system easily fitted under the boilers and was fast too, allowing travel of over a meter every five minutes,” said Iain Ritchie, managing director, Ritchie Services.
The Enerpac low-height skidding system is a modular system comprising a series of skid beams moved by hydraulic push-pull units, traveling over a pre-constructed track. A series of special PTFE-coated pads are placed on the skid tracks to reduce friction. The push-pull units are powered by a standard Enerpac Split Flow Pump to ensure each skid beam travels synchronously.
“Another advantage of the Enerpac LH-400 is its lightweight, this means it can be lifted by hand in tight places, far easier than other skidding systems that can weigh as much as a quarter of a ton,” said Ritchie.
Ahead of installing the skidding system, Enerpac hydraulic cylinders also connected to the split flow pumps were used to raise the boilers.
