The largest crane ever built by Manitowoc has completed its largest lift yet. The Manitowoc 31000 crawler crane successfully performed a pick-and-carry lift with a 650-tonne cold box at a liquefied natural gas plant in Gwangyang, South Korea.
The Manitowoc giant lifted the 55m-tall cold box from a flat-bed trailer in tandem with a 600-tonne-capacity Manitowoc 18000. Once the box was airborne and upright, the 31000 took over and carried the load to its final location. The entire operation took less than two hours to complete.
The 31000, which has a capacity of 2,300 tonnes, has been stationed at the Posco E&C natural gas plant since March. Both the 31000 and the 180000 are owned by South Korean firm Chunjo Construction Co.
Chunjo team members were impressed by the 31000’s Variable Position Counterweight (VPC) system, which was used for the first time during this impressive lift.
“It’s great to see this flagship crane performing, making an awkward lift look easy,” said Chunjo chairman Chang Hwan Jang. “The 31000 has minimal footprint thanks to its VPC, but also offers huge capacity, so it fits our needs perfectly. We are delighted with how well the crane is performing and look forward to seeing the next challenging lift it tackles.”
This particular lift was made all the more challenging by the presence of a high wall to the side of the 31000, which restricted the crane’s movement. In order to overcome this obstacle, the crawler’s operators raised its 55m boom to the highest possible angle, bringing the load closer to the crane and minimising potential swing.
Since arriving at Posco E&C, the 31000 has performed numerous lifts around the congested site. For example, the crane previously positioned two reactors weighing 250 tonnes and 450 tonnes respectively. However, even tougher challenges lie ahead.
As part of its busy schedule, the 31000 will complete increasingly difficult lifts at the site. A 900-tonne pick has been scheduled for November, and two 1,000-tonne lifts have been planned for December and February.
The 31000 will remain at the Gwangyang plant for the foreseeable future, but Chungo has stated its intention to supply the crane to another major project once work at the site has been completed.
