Lift studies | Engineering & design
Crane lifts are essential to maintaining and renewing processing plants across key Australian industries. While working in tight spaces is common, lifting ageing or damaged infrastructure adds a further layer of complexity. A large Queensland processing plant faced just this situation: they needed to remove and replace the roof of a good water wash (GWW) tank, which had been structurally damaged. They engaged FIELD Engineers to plan the critical crane lifts for both the removal and new installation.
FIELD engineers inspected the GWW tank on site and outlined several concept approaches for the lifts with the aim to avoid compressive stresses that could further damage the existing roof. Engineers carried out finite element analysis to evaluate stress distributions and identify potential failure points, so that temporary stiffening, lug placement and rigging could be designed for the safest and most suitable method. From there came crane selection and positioning, and all these elements were included in a comprehensive risk management plan.
FIELD Engineers provided rigging design drawings, crane layout and configuration, structural stiffening requirements, and a sequenced removal procedure tailored to the tank’s condition and site constraints. Evaluating several concepts resulted in a cost-effective tiered spreader pattern solution using off-the-shelf rigging components, which minimised compressive loads on both the old and new roof. FIELD Engineers’ expertise in both lift planning and engineering and design resulted in a successful, on-schedule lift, completing essential maintenance for a key Queensland industry.
When everyone else is scratching their heads or telling you it can’t be done give us a call.
