In the context of the energy change, the electricity supply companies will undergo several exciting change processes in the years to come. The number of nuclear power plants will also change. Cometto SPMT self-propelled vehicles are already involved in this process.
The end phase of the Emsland nuclear power plant near Lingen, which went into operation in 1988, has commenced. Demolition will start in 2022 and the first components are already being scrapped now. Gertzen Krane - Transporte GmbH & Co. KG from Kluse has been commissioned with the removal of the generator, which weighs 391 tonnes and has a diameter of 4.24 metres.
Cross-hire project with 18 axle lines
On site, the driver Ingo Wiggelinghoff assembles the 18-axle Cometto SPMT combination with a 202 kW power pack and a 25.2 metre loading platform. Gertzen's 6-axle unit is joined by 12 further axle lines from Autokrane Schares from Bocholt. Cross-hire renting at its best!
Today the generator, which initially ran in normal operation and was then stored on site as a spare part, has to be removed from the safety area of the nuclear power plant. In order to get around the bends with this voluminous combination, various passages in the works were laid out with steel plates. According to managing director Wolfgang Gertzen, such a project starts much earlier: "The pre-planning is the be-all and end-all with such a job. We don't leave anything to chance here."
Electronic steering of the SPMT with seven steering programs
And what was tested in theory is implemented without trouble in practice. Thanks to the electronic steering of the SPMT self-propelled vehicle with seven different steering programs, Ingo Wiggelinghoff guides the combination through even the narrowest bottleneck in the power plant.
The generator is set down on support beams outside the safety area. The Cometto SPMT then drives out from under it in its lowest driving position. And virtually at the same time, the cutting torch operators take command to chop the generator into small pieces and recycle it.