To meet more stringent emissions regulations, HeidelbergCement AG cement works needed to replace two existing rotary kilns at its facility in Germany. The challenge would be hoisting five components of the 68-meter-long unit up to a height of 11 meters in a restrictive space.
Initially the plan was to use a 600-tonne class crane, but because of the restricted space and the storage capacity in the plant, it was only possible to use a 350-tonne class crane. Belgian crane contractor Sarens brought in a Liebherr LR 1350/1 crawler crane to manage the job.
The 350-tonne crane was erected with a 42-meter main boom, a 27-meter derrick boom, 85 tonnes of superstructure ballast, and 75 tonnes of suspended ballast. After hoisting the components weighing up to 144 tonnes, the crane had to move around 20 meters on a specially prepared track so the load could be positioned for the installation work.
As soon as all five pipe sections of the rotary kiln had been positioned, they were aligned and welded together by fitters from Thyssen-Krupp. The finished rotary kiln had a net weight of 452 tonnes and was finished with refractory cladding so that in the future it will be capable of producing around 4,500 tonnes of clinker every day. The clinker is then ground into cement.
Source: Liebherr
