SPRINGFIELD, Ohio, June 22, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In May, Konecranes was awarded a contract to modernize and thereby improve the safety and reliability of three (3) existing 225/35 ton polar cranes at the Arizona Public Service, Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station. The first crane will be installed in the fall of 2014 and the last in June 2015. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the order.
The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station®, located in the Arizona desert approximately almost 55 miles kilometers west of downtown Phoenix, has since 1992 been the largest power producer of any kind in the United States. The facility is on 4,000 hectares of land and consists of three pressurized water reactors, each with an original generating capacity of 1.27 GW. The plant is a major source of power for Phoenix and Southern California, capable of serving about 4 million people.
"A key motivation for APS to modernize the cranes at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was to improve the safety and reliability of their aged lifting equipment by implementing the latest Konecranes SUPERSAFETM patented single failure proof technology," says Steve Waisanen, Head of Business Unit Nuclear at Konecranes. "There are approximately 440 nuclear reactors around the world with an average age of 22 to 25 years, and we are already involved in bidding several modernization projects globally as various international authorities and plant operators review their present and future safety needs".
The scope of the modernization project includes design, engineering, fabrication, testing, delivery and installation of three new 225/35 ton Konecranes SUPERSAFE™ single failure proof hoists/trolleys, including controls for all crane motions, state of the art operator cabins and a number of safety and reliability improvements. Stringent quality requirements will be adhered to through implementation of Konecranes audited and approved nuclear quality control program in compliance with 10CFR50 Appendix B and NQA-1.
Konecranes 3rd generation SUPERSAFE™ single failure proof design has been accepted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is fully compliant with the most stringent worldwide single failure proof requirements including ASME NOG-1, NUREG-0554 and NUREG-0612.
SUPERSAFE™ crane systems are designed to withstand the most destructive types of plausible crane accidents such as two-blocking, which occurs when the lower block is driven into the upper block, potentially resulting in damage to the hoisting system and dropping of the load. Another key safety feature of the single failure proof design is a dual load path lifting mechanism intended to prevent dropping of the load should there be a complete failure of either redundant wire rope. The hoisting system is also designed to safely lower a load, at a controlled speed, in the event of a complete loss of power.
When on site, installation will be performed by Konecranes in an expedited manner in order to complete the upgrade of each crane during a period of 10 days. In order to achieve the aggressive installation schedule Konecranes will utilize specialized processes and patented installation tools that are specifically designed to perform critical site installation and rigging activities in a safer and more efficient manner than traditional installation methods. Konecranes installation processes and tools have a proven track record and have been successfully deployed at numerous other nuclear power generation facilities.
Konecranes provides a full range of nuclear services and regulatory-approved overhead lifting equipment for nuclear power plants throughout the world for all types of nuclear lifting.
Scott Gilbey, Director of Marketing and Communications, Region Americas
E-mail: scott.gilbey@konecranes.com or phone 937.525.5676
Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment and machine tools of all makes.
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