Reliable energy supply for harsh environments in waste incineration plant

• What was needed: Roller energy chain, 316 stainless steel gutters
• Requirements: Extreme use of the energy solution without breaks, changing humidity, replacement during operation with only short interruptions, incomplete documentation of the crane systems
• Industry: Waste incineration, crane
• Success for the customer: Creation of an electrical engineering plan, creation of a customised energy supply solution, installation of the energy chain and commissioning

When the Weisweiler waste incineration plant went into operation in 1996, it initially opted for a classic festooning system. The plant, which is designed for a throughput of 360,000 tonnes per year, is still one of the most modern waste incineration plants in Germany today. It has three incineration lines, which are fed from a central bunker. The furnaces are fed by two cranes that travel on a shared 70 metre long crane runway and have a span of 25 metres.
The operators were not 100% satisfied with the trailing cables for supplying energy to the cranes, as wear was noticeable due to the very abrasive dust. The bending in the same places always results in 'predetermined breaking points', so that some core was lost. In addition, cleaning such cables is difficult or even impossible. The energy supply system in the plant is subject to extreme stress because the cranes work around the clock without breaks at very high speeds. The changing humidity in the bunker also places high demands on a solution. In addition, two further challenges had to be solved for the successor system. The first: the replacement had to take place while the incineration lines were in operation, so there could only be brief interruptions when the cranes were not feeding the furnaces. The second: As the manufacturer of the cranes had ceased trading in the meantime, the documentation was incomplete and had to be re-recorded.

Our energy chain specialists were given the opportunity to present our plastic energy chain in a rolling version. The "Rol E-Chain" can handle long travel distances and high speeds with low drive power.
However, those responsible at MVA remained sceptical about the plastic material in the system. However, our energy chain specialists managed to dispel this scepticism - partly by visiting another waste incineration plant together, where a chain of this type has already been in operation for almost nine years. Rol E-Chain systems were installed not only on the crane runway, but also on the 25 metre wide crane girder. The corresponding channels are from our standard programme, but were manufactured in 316 stainless steel to withstand the harsh environmental conditions.
The lack of documentation for the cranes took around two months of work. Our technicians checked which tasks the respective cables fulfil and created an up-to-date electrical engineering plan on this basis. At the same time, preparations were made for the conversion from flat to round cable. We were ultimately able to present the customer with a "customised" design; the moving arm for the trolley's energy supply was also individually adapted. Our technicians worked in three shifts for a fortnight to install the energy chain. This was followed by two days of commissioning, during which every single cable and the control technology were tested in accordance with VDE requirements.