Cranes for renewable operations

The two year development project in conjunction with the University of Sheffield has seen the university’s mechanical engineer, Tom Iverson, working together with Mechan, to create a crane with a three metre outreach that can be attached to the base of a wind turbine to load/off load materials and maintenance equipment from boats.

Richard Carr, managing director, Mechan, said: “Although we have produced jib cranes for many hazardous applications and environments, finding a design that would work with vessels moving unpredictably presented additional technical issues we had not encountered previously.”

The project, which is due to complete in September, has been facilitated by the Knowledge Transfer Partnership, which offers businesses access to collaborative funding and academic expertise, to design new products, improve processes, introduce new systems and discover new markets.

Mr Carr added: “Rapid growth in offshore wind farms has brought the logistical needs of these developments to the attention of suppliers such as Mechan. We are now looking forward to producing a prototype that will enable us to showcase our new crane and demonstrate how it will improve the efficiency and safety of construction at sea.”

To comply with the Lloyds Register Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment, Mechan’s crane is suitable for operation in Sea State Three. The jib has a 1300kg safe working load, 20m/min hoisting speed, 270-degree manual geared slew and will be given a marine specification paint finish.

The company is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of cranes and hoists, supplying clients from the power generation industry, including Areva Transmissions, Siemens and Rolls Royce.