ARIZONA POWER PLANT REDUCES WEEKS OF SHUT DOWN BY USE OF SPECIAL SKY-RISER CRANE TO REFUEL/REPLACE CONTROL RODS.
Air Technical Industries of Mentor, Ohio announces a compact, high lift crane that can be mounted on the top edge of a nuclear reactor during routine shut-downs to assist on control rod maintenance. By using this unique crane, the normally used overhead polar crane can be used simultaneously for other important maintenance tasks, thus saving days or even weeks of approximately $1,000,000 per day down time.
The SKY-RISER crane travels on an I-beam ring and is capable of reaching every square inch of the reactor top surface. Electro-hydraulically operated by a remote push button pendant, all functions (boom lift-lower, telescopic mast up-down, telescopic boom in-out, cable up-down, rotation clockwise-counter clockwise) are smooth operating and are more easily and precisely controlled than an overhead crane located many feet above a reactor. The crane can install the 16’8″ long control rod any where in the circle of 14’6″ area.
Designed to be easily disassembled into smaller subassemblies for easy transportation, erection, and storage (the circular I-beam even comes in two pieces), the SKY-RISER can be built to fit any size reactor.
In addition to improved efficiency and reduced shut down time the unit improves safety and prevents possible damage to the control rods because of agility and dexterity of the unit which allows for perfect alignment of the control rods.
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