Innovative Equipment Used in S.C. Nuclear Rotor and Feedwater Heater Replacement

Market: Nuclear

Location: South Carolina

Project Dates: 02/2010

The Challenge

A customer’s faulty crane and tight quarters hindered the progress of the crew as they strove to finish a project, in which the customer hired Barnhart to remove and replace rotors and feedwater heaters at a nuclear power facility.

The Solution

Quick-thinking, using crane mats for the customer’s crane, and rigging with a basketing device helped Barnhart to successfully complete the job.

The Description

A rail-cart brought the new rotor to the site, and the team offloaded the machinery with a 44A gantry system and transported it to the crane bay by means of a 9-lines Goldhofer PST with no problems. After this, the team set the new rotor with the customer’s gantry crane.

When the team attempted to lower the old rotor with the same crane, the gantry malfunctioned nine feet off of the ground. After consultation with the engineers on the project, Barnhart stacked crane mats on the Goldhofer to reach the suspend rotor. No more problems followed this successful solution.

After the customer’s gantry was repaired and approved for use, Barnhart used it to replace and move the nuclear feedwater heaters. Because of large obstruction, Barnhart rigging experts removed one of the feedwater heaters with a light slight system and rotated both feedwater heaters using new basketing rigging with the crane. The team then loaded the pieces onto the Goldhofer for transport out of the plant along a designated route.

Major Equipment Used

• 44A Gantries
• 9-Line PST Goldhofer Trailer
• Light Slide System
• Specialized Rigging including New Basketing Device