Energy Industry Projects
Large Things, Little Time
 Recently, Coast Machinery Movers received a request by Southern Cal Valve to remove four 250 ton steam generated turbine units from a 45 foot platform area located at Southern Cal Edison power plant in Laughlin, Nevada.
We had one day to mobilize and work up a lift plan on how the removal and transportation of each unit was to be performed within a two week time schedule limit. At the time of gearing up the lifting and transportation equipment, Coast Machinery Movers specialists were in route to the job site to review the lift plan. Coast Machinery Movers proceeded in the transportation and delivery of 14 truckloads of gantries and transporters. Once delivered, the gantries were immediately set in place upon the 45 foot high platform with the assistance of the existing cranes on site and placed in the proper configuration for lifting the number one unit and removal of support lugs. At that time the unit was lowered through the opening to ground level under the 250 ton generator unit and held while CMM crew erected the second gantry directly under the generator to support it.  Next, the crew extended the length of the rigging to the 45 foot level gantry to give the capability of lowering the generator to ground level. The crew removed the ground level gantry and the generator was lowered onto the two main beams and eight pneumatic 50 ton dollies with 400 ton capacity. Once loaded, CMM crew moved the units a quarter of a mile to the designated staging area. At that time the crew erected the gantry over the generator unit and lifted the unit off of the transportation equipment and lowered it onto blocking as per the customer's request.
This required CMM to disassemble the gantry and re-assemble it and we had to do this process eight times. Services were performed on time as per the two week schedule. CMM had to plan the moves carefully hour by hour, activity by activity and it paid off with zero accidents or incidents. Upon completion of the 250 ton generator removal, Southern California Valve asked Coast Machinery Movers to extend the contract to move four steam turbine blades on support frames to an area 1,000 feet away and set on blocking. Coast had three days to complete this phase and mobilized on the project with four 50 ton pneumatic dollies, support equipment and the crew necessary to move the four turbine units. With a load plan, the crew set out to load the 115 ton turbines with onsite crane onto the dollies and moved them to the storage area. The crew then raised the dolly jacks to maximum height and set the blocking under the turbine frame, lowered the dolly jacks, and set. Ten hour days with zero incidents for the CMM crew, another feat to be proud of. |