Our installation team moved the individual components of a hydropower plant into an existing building. As the building was still in the refurbishment phase, there were a number of challenges to overcome.
Hydroelectric plant
work diary
This time the installation team faced a tricky task.
The job was to move a modern hydropower plant into an existing building.
Our task was to move the individual components into the building and to support the assembly.
As the building was still in the refurbishment phase, there were a number of challenges to overcome. For example, the access drive was in poor condition and the concrete had already been partly removed in places, so crossing it with a crane was not possible. Large steel plates therefore had to be delivered first, which we had to lay out so that the V-Kart pick-and-carry crane and our machine skates could roll across them.
Advantages of a V-Kart
The V-Kart as a crane offers several advantages compared with a mobile crane. It is more manoeuvrable, can travel with the load and, thanks to its design, is low and compact. The disadvantage on this site, however, was definitely the tyres, which are not suitable for rough terrain, and the resulting low ground clearance.
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More informationOnce we had laid the steel plates, the installation could finally begin and the first intake funnel was moved in. For this, the funnel was lifted in on the river side and set down on timber planks, then pulled into the existing opening using chain hoists. The river bed and the building were kept dry for this with timber shoring, numerous sandbags and pumps.
Responding perfectly to conditions on site
The ideal lifting points and the ideal solution are not always available. So it is a matter of assessing on site what is feasible and which safety measures have to be taken to ensure that the components can be lifted smoothly. For this, we had to shore up and support several beams with steel props and drive timber baulks into the existing structure to achieve greater stability.
Once the funnel was finally in place, the hydropower plant itself could be moved in. As the pictures clearly show, the difficulty lay in defining the lifting accessories so that there was enough room to move it in while at the same time everything hung level so that it could be installed. At the same time, we had to make sure that the lifting accessories did not become too long, as the space between ceiling and floor was not particularly generous.
Moving in the large electric motor and the hydraulic power unit was straightforward thanks to their defined lifting points and compact design, whereas the elbow section had to be brought into the right position with a round sling and chain hoist before it could be installed.
Once all parts were aligned and positioned, we still had to erect some supports and secure everything for the concreting work. Brackets and props were welded on, and the plant could be cast in concrete the following day.
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About the author
Tobias Schott
Managing director of Omega Mounting GmbH, Rodgau · more than 20 years of hands-on experience in installation and maintenance
A trained mechatronics technician, at home in maintenance, servicing and industrial installation since 2004 – first alongside his father, and since 2012 with Omega Mounting: from the overhead conveyor in Frankfurt to the crane system in a new-build hall. As appointed person for lifting operations, he plans and leads lifting operations in data centers and on industrial sites in the Rhine-Main region, is an instructor and examiner for cranes, aerial work platforms and telehandlers, and a safety officer. On assignments abroad he is known as the "German Troubleshooter" – the one you call when things get stuck on site. He did not learn what quality means from a manual, but from his father: Made in Germany as a standard for his own work, not as a label. That is why quality comes first at Omega Mounting – before speed and before price. The project diary shows the jobs his team has planned and carried out – without customer names, but with everything that can be learned from them.
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