📩 19/10/2023 15:57
The first circular bridge crane with a lifting capacity of 390 tons was put into operation at Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGS), Turkey's first nuclear power plant. The crane will be used in all stages of the life cycle of the 1st power unit of Akkuyu NPP.
The circular bridge crane, also known as the pole crane, is considered one of the most important mechanisms of the reactor compartment. The crane, which will be used for the supply and maintenance of the reactor, will be involved in the lifting and transportation operations here, as well as in delivering a special reloading machine, which is responsible for loading the nuclear fuel into the reactor, to the work area and in transporting various equipment.
The mechanism of the crane, which will move on a circular rail track mounted on the upper cylindrical part of the reactor building, offers the opportunity to carry out transportation operations at any point in the center of the reactor building. The mechanism on which the crane is located can also move along a bridge with a length of 41,5 meters.
During preparation for commissioning, static tests of the main transport mechanism were carried out with a simulated load of 487,5 tonnes. The total weight of all components of the crane is approximately 500 tons.
The pole crane, which will be used to carry out transport and technological operations for the assembly of the nuclear reactor, has successfully passed the commissioning tests and is now fully ready for operation. This crane will be involved in the multi-stage nuclear reactor assembly process and subsequent physical start-up stages. It is a complex technological engineering structure consisting of various components such as crane, bridge, service trolley, touch screen control cabinet, special control cabinets mounted in a separate room outside the pressurized area of the reactor compartment. Here again, I would like to point out that, as always, our priority is security. Only specially trained and certified operators with experience and skills in the use of this type of crane are allowed to operate the crane.