A Challenging Lift

Heavy lift takes 12 hours to complete after old cooler jams

The project at Majuba power station after the collapse of the coal silo and the replacement of the lime rotary kiln Coopax Cooler at Mondi has presented some of the most extreme technical challenges Babcock has faced thus far.

The Mondi contract is a significant project for Babcock, as Mondi have traditionally used a competitor company for all their heavy lift work.  Mondi Paper put their faith in the skill and expertise of Babcock to remove and replace a lime rotary kiln Compax Cooler.  The scope of the project at Mondi was to lift out the old Cooler and replace it with the new unit, then relocate the crane to the ESP and fit a longer boom in order to lift the three filter units (30ton each) into position and secure. Once again the Liebherr LG1550 Mobile Crane was utilised with great effect and efficiency.  “During the operation, we were challenged further when the old cooler jammed during removal and the lift ended up taking 12 hours to complete. Once the crane was holding the load it wasn’t possible to pull it down again so we persevered until the cooler was out,” commented Mike Hawkins – Heavy Lift Manager, Babcock.

“My team showed absolute calmness and responsibility under those circumstances, which meant a lot to our client. The load was heavier than originally quoted but we had made provision for this as old equipment is always heavier by virtue of a certain amount of product that remains inside,” concluded Hawkins.

The successful completion of this project has led Mondi to indicate that they would definitely consider Babcock for future projects.