A 5-tonne SWL overhead travelling crane at Magnox Harwell had reached the end of its design life. The vault store that it serviced however, would be active for many decades and a fit-for-purpose lifting solution was vital.
Modern safety requirements, a desire to retain as much of the solid underlying infrastructure, and an extremely tight working area added to the challenge. Overhauling the crane was preferable to the expense of an entirely new system, but was it a viable option?
After undertaking a full assessment of the site, SCX Special Projects delivered a full electrical and mechanical upgrade of the crane and ancillary systems. The complete solution includes a new retrieval system, cable management arrangement, additional interlocks, and upgraded grapple.
The panels and electrics were also overhauled to resist the radioactive environment that they operate within. Redundancy was also added to numerous other components including cable cutters, CCTV signal path, and clutch assemblies to remove potential points of failure.