E-chain systems handle heavy tropical duties

An Igus E-chain system with a 441m travel is being used for two ship unloading cranes in the Lekir Bulk Terminal/TNB Power Plant in Lumut, Malaysia.

An Igus E-chain system with a 441m travel is being used for two ship unloading cranes in the Lekir Bulk Terminal/TNB Power Plant in Lumut, Malaysia.

The location is a modern coal power plant, newly constructed by TNB Jana Manjung.

Coal is unloaded from ships by two large cranes built by Koch in Wadgassen, Germany, and transported the 2km to the power station by conveyor belt.

The terminal has the largest capacity for unloading bulk goods in South East Asia.

The quay of the new terminal is about 830m long and 20m deep so ships as big as Panamax and Capemax can land.

The cranes unload the coal at docking stations on a man-made island situated approximately 2km offshore.

They can unload up to 1500tonnes per hour.

Igus E-chain systems were selected for the two ship unloading cranes at the terminal.

Igus worked in close co-operation with Siemens, responsible for the electrical engineering, and Koch to develop an E-chain system able to carry cables over this vast, and possibly unprecedented, distance.

Igus ReadyChain, a fully harnessed E-chain system, supplies energy and data to the trolley and cabin ride.

A 223m Igus E-chain has been used for the longitudinal travel of each crane.

Each one can accelerate up to 30 m/min and is filled with 45 medium-voltage Chainflex cables, CFCrane 50/6.6/10kV and CFCrane 35/16.6/10kV, fibre optic cable with six fibres, 62.5/125um, and a fine water spray hose used to minimise the generation of dust while unloading.

This equals a fill weight of 7kg per metre.

With a cross-travel E-chain weight of more than 2.5 tonnes, the load could only be handled using Roll-E-Chain 5050R.

This cable carrier's integrated rolls reduce shearing and traction loads by more than 75% due to the friction coefficient.

The trolley is supplied energy via cables run through Rol-E-Chain 5050R2.

This is driven with two middle brackets to handle the 41kg/m load, which is the average load carrying capacity with a travel 90m long and speed of 190m/min.

The E-chain and its cables together weigh almost 2.5tonnes.

Another Igus E-Chain (part number 4040.25.150.0) supplies the drivers' cabins with an impressive 73m travel distance and 4.1kg/m fill weight.

The cable carrier is equipped with Chainflex special cables, travels at speeds of 20m/min and accelerates at 0.5m/s.

An important factor influencing the design of the system was the tropical climate, as temperatures fluctuate between 23 and 34C with 77-85% humidity of air and sea climate.

The intense ultraviolet radiation above the ocean was also an issue.

Stainless steel guide troughs protect all the E-chain systems against weather and sun.

The Roll-E-Chains also have stainless steel bearings to prevent possible corrosion.

The operating company had experienced problems with other systems, such as drum and slip ring corrosion, and was looking for a safe solution.

Using motor cable drums for the cross travel would have needed supplementary system components.

The system would have therefore been more susceptible to malfunction.

For example, the guiding of the water pipe would require a second drum, additional driving gear and controls, which could all potentially malfunction.

Similarly, if the trolley travel and cabin supply had used a festoon system, a whole string of problems would have arisen, caused by the raw and corrosive climate and the high travel weakening the festooning and jeopardising operational safety.

The Igus solution to supply the trolley is a system that does not require driving gears and thus provides the best operational safety.

Another advantage is only one supplier is required for the complete, fully harnessed system.

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