Gantry Crane for Nuclear Facility Decommissioning

Once again, EC&MW, Inc. was contacted by another nuclear power facility—this time in Alabama. If memory serves correctly, the facility was in the process of being decommissioned. Unlike most of our custom aluminum gantry cranes that remain in service for years, this crane was engineered for a single, highly specialized lift. Once the job was completed, the crane had fulfilled its purpose.

The crane was designed to remove an approximately 8,000-pound concrete shielding plug. While we cannot say with certainty what was located beneath the plug, we do know it served as a radiation barrier and was part of the facility’s nuclear infrastructure. Because of the critical nature of the lift, every aspect of the crane’s design was engineered specifically for the customer’s unique application.

Project Requirements

The customer required a custom lifting solution that could:

• Safely lift an approximately 8,000-pound concrete shielding plug.
• Operate within an extremely confined work area.
• Clear permanently installed electrical power panels.
• Allow the electrical panels to remain energized during the lift.
• Provide a safe lifting solution without modifying the existing facility.

Custom Lifting Solution

The most noticeable feature of this crane is its unusual slanted-leg design. While it may appear unconventional, every angle was the result of a specific engineering requirement.

Electrical power panels were located on both sides of the work area. These panels could not be removed or relocated and, more importantly, they had to remain energized throughout the project. Their location created permanent obstacles that a conventional gantry crane simply could not clear.

A traditional gantry crane with straight vertical legs would not fit within the available workspace while still allowing the concrete shielding plug to be safely lifted and removed. The footprint of the shielding plug, combined with the location of the electrical panels, left very little room for maneuvering.

By engineering the legs to angle inward, EC&MW was able to position the crane directly over the load while maintaining the necessary clearance to safely pass between the energized electrical panels. This custom geometry allowed the crane to perform the lift without requiring modifications to the facility or interruption of surrounding equipment.

Engineering Challenges

This project presented several unique engineering challenges beyond simply lifting an 8,000-pound load.

• Extremely limited floor space.
• Energized electrical panels that could not be relocated.
• Critical lifting operation within a nuclear facility.
• A one-time application requiring a purpose-built design.
• Maintaining maximum safety throughout the lift.

Rather than attempting to modify the customer’s facility to accommodate a standard gantry crane, EC&MW engineered the crane to accommodate the facility.

Project Summary

This project is an excellent example of how custom engineering can solve lifting challenges that standard equipment simply cannot address. By designing a purpose-built aluminum gantry crane with inward-sloping legs, EC&MW provided a safe, practical solution for removing an 8,000-pound concrete shielding plug within the confined space of a nuclear power facility. The result was a successful lift that met the customer’s operational, spatial, and safety requirements without requiring modifications to the existing infrastructure.