Cold Climate Wire Rope Hoist for Installations and Maintenance

In a region where the thermometer sometimes doesn't rise above 0°C, isn't accessible by land, and is usually snow-covered, the JSC Yamal LNG Consortium, in cooperation with the French EPC contractor Technip, is building three LNG trains for liquefying natural gas. Operation in the partially open, unheated buildings is a major challenge. The reliable functionality of the equipment must be operational in potentially explosive environments. STAHL CraneSystems developed six cold-climate cranes of 100 t lifting capacity each to be used for installation and maintenance of Yamal LNG’s gas compressors. 

In addition to the durable material, STAHL CraneSystems had to ensure that the explosion protection complied with ATEX directives. Since the crane technology components are only ATEX-certified down to –20°C, STAHL CraneSystems opted for their cold-climate crane concept that had already proven itself in other plants. All hoist and trolley components are enclosed in housings and equipped with heaters.

The temperature inside the housing can be maintained above –20°C by a separate safety circuit so that the crane is always ready for operation. Several temperature sensors run through checks before the crane can be put into operation. Crane bridges, trolley beams, end carriages, and trolleys are manufactured from special low-temperature steel. 

The 100-ton lifting capacity was provided by the AS 7 ZW ex, comprised of two coupled AS 7 wire rope hoists. For lighter loads and fast hoisting speeds, each of the cranes was equipped with an auxiliary hoist from the SH ex series of wire rope hoists, mounted on the large trolley inside the heated housing. The customized hoists for the first two cranes were completed in Künzelsau and transported to a German crane builder, where the cranes are built and tested. 

With 85 years of experience in explosion-protected crane systems, STAHL CraneSystems is at present equipping around 20 LNG projects per year with its hoists and crane components.