A 2-ton capacity overhead crane has been put into operation in the engine room of the 350nd Power Unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), built by the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom. The crane will be used to perform lifting, transportation and loading-unloading operations both during the construction and installation phases of the turbine building and during the operation of the nuclear power plant.
The process began with the installation of the crane beams, and for several months the experts adjusted the electrical circuits, control and monitoring circuits of the internal mechanisms, and the equipment responsible for the safe operation of the crane. Afterwards, the crane underwent static and dynamic tests, including maximum load operation. Based on the results of the checks, the commission of experts accepted the equipment and confirmed that the crane was ready for operation.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC General Manager Sergei Butckikh said the following regarding the issue:
The service life of the overhead crane in the engine room is designed for the entire life cycle of the power unit. The overhead crane will be used to install the turbine generator and other heavy equipment. All of this equipment is already on site and we will proceed with their phased installation after the necessary preparations, he said.
Three bridge cranes are being installed at different levels in the engine rooms of the Akkuyu NPP power units. Each of these cranes will be combined with a high-tech control system. This system will eliminate the possibility of collisions between cranes, hook suspensions or ropes in all operational scenarios. The upper part has a main bridge crane with a lifting capacity of 350 tons, while the lower part has two wide-span bridge cranes with a lifting capacity of 30 and 15 tons.
