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SPOTCHECKSAFETY

Lifting: where two

is better than one
In the previous
article in this
series, Richard
Krabbendam
discussed the
lifting with two cranes of
horizontal pressure vessels or
beams. He continues with the
discussion of erecting a
pressure vessel from the
horizontal position into the
vertical by means of one main
lift crane and a tail crane.

T
he specific points that should be
considered and can be advantageous to
the lifting contractor include:
l Decreasing tail load due to offset of tail
lift point,
l Position of tail crane,
l Capacity of tail crane,
l Type of tail crane – for instance crawler
crane or truck crane,
l Type and capacity of main lift crane
(crawler or truck crane),
l Position and type of lifting points (lifting
lugs or lifting trunnions).
Figure 1 shows a pressure vessel of
150 tonnes in weight and an overall length of
Using two crawler cranes to
approximately 36.6 m. The lifting point ‘A’ at
erect a pressure vessel.
the base ring (skirt) of the vessel is positioned
three metres above the centre line of the vessel.

Case study
Let us look at the plot plan of the foundation
on which the pressure vessel must be
erected. The foundation is a concrete plinth
at ground level and we assume there is
ample room to position the main lift crane
and tail crane. In order to prepare the most
competitive bid, the rigging engineer should
study the most economic erection method.
It should be noted that there are a lot more Figure 1

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SPOTCHECKSAFETY

Figure 2 Figure 3

TABLE 1 complex. For tailing work, one usually selects

Load variation 0° 15° 30°
Lift crane ‘B’ 67.6 t 69.4 t 71.3 t
Tail crane ‘A’ 82.4 t 80.6 t 78.7 t
factors that determine the crane capacity and
type to be used, but to keep this case study
relatively simple, we will assume that the
truck crane solution offers the most
economic option.
Although the initial raising of this
column will be carried out by means of a
main lift crane and tail crane, at the end,
when the column reaches its vertical
position, the main lift crane must be
capable of lifting the complete column of
150 tonnes by itself, at the required radius,
onto the foundation.
The main lifting lugs ‘B’ are placed
20.1 m away from the centre of gravity
(CoG) and located on the centre line of the
vessel. It is this so-called offset of the tail
point (three metres) which could work to
our advantage, provided we plan it right.
In selecting the main lift crane, one has to
find a type with sufficient lifting capacity and
at the same time sufficient boom length to
reach the required lifting height. The type of
crane (crawler or truck crane) to be used is
in most cases determined by other factors
such as:
l Cost of mobilisation and demobilisation
of the complete crane in relation to the
work period on site.
l Other work that can be done with the
crane on that specific job site.
l Whether there is a need for the crane to
travel with load or not.
l The number of times the crane must be
Load variation 0° 15° 30°
Lift crane ‘B’ 119.6 t 120.7 t 121.9 t 123.4 t 125.7 t 128.2 t 133.3 t 138.5 t
Tail crane ‘A’ 30.4 t 29.3 t 28.1 t
45° 60° 70° 80° 85° 90° a crawler crane that can travel towards the
73.9 t 77.9 t 82.8 t 93.8 t 107.5 t 150 t main crane during the erection procedure.
76.1 t 72.1 t 67.2 t 56.2 t 42.5 t 0.0 t When a crawler crane is selected, the main
consideration is the required lifting capacity at
minimum boom length and a good travel
relocated on site. path for the crane. If a truck crane is selected,
The above points will help to evaluate the lifting capacity of the tailing truck crane
which crane type best suits the job. In greatly depends on the position of the tail
general, one could say that truck cranes are crane in relation to the main lift crane.
ideal for travelling between job sites for By selecting the most economic position
relatively short work periods on each site. of lifting lugs and main lift crane, as well as
The mobilisation and demobilisation costs tail crane, one can greatly influence the
for a crawler crane are in general higher than overall rigging cost for a particular pressure
a truck crane and therefore this crane type is vessel. For example some possible crane
usually used on job sites with longer work positions are shown in Figure 2:
periods. Another great advantage of the l Behind the vessel’s base ring (the same
crawler crane is that it can easily travel position as tailing crawler crane).
on-site from one location to another even l Both cranes at the side of the vessel are as
when loaded. close as possible to each other.
The best position for the tail crane is
Case study selected by calculating the decrease of the tail
load when the vessel is lifted from
Let us get back to our case study. It is the task horizontal into vertical position. This tail
of the rigging engineer to select the most load decrease is caused by the offset of the
economic cranes and positions of both tail point in relation to the centre line of the
cranes. We have already decided, that the column. By means of a mathematical
main lift crane (‘B’) will be a truck crane. For formula one can calculate the decrease of tail
the 150 tonne pressure vessel, a 1,200-tonne load in relation to the angle with the
capacity telescopic crane with a guided main horizontal, when the vessel is erected from a
boom will be sufficient (ie the Liebherr horizontal into a vertical position. If we
LTM11200 with Spanlift attachment could calculate the tail load and main lift load in
do the job). With a boom length of 47.5 m relation to the angle of the vessel’s centre
and guided main boom, the crane has a rated line with the horizontal, one gets results as
lifting capacity of 196 tonnes at 12 m radius, tabulated in Table 1.
which is more then sufficient to carry out the As can be seen from Table 1, the decrease
lift. However, you still need to add the in tail load becomes significant when the
weight of the main lift block and rigging gear vessel reaches an angle of approximately 70°
to the load. with the horizontal. This tail load decrease
The selection of the tail crane is a bit more can be used to our advantage and in some
cases could lead to a smaller tail crane
TABLE 2
compared with the one originally selected.
45° 60° 70° 80° 85° 90°
When the main lift crane and tail crane are as
150 t configured in position one of Figure 2, then
26.6 t 24.3 t 21.8 t 16.7 t 11.5 t 0.0 t crane ‘A’ as well as crane ‘B’ needs to luff out

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much more – as shown in position two of
Figure 2. Even position two is not the best
position with regards to crane capacity.
Better main lifting lugs position
A more significant reduction in tail load (thus
crane capacity) can be achieved by a change of
position of the main lifting lugs. The shape of
this pressure vessel makes it relatively easy to
install the main lifting lugs in the conical
shaped transition zone approximately 4.2 m
above the CoG. See Figure 3.
Position one is not the ideal location for
both cranes. When both cranes are placed as
shown in position two, one gets the best
results. The optimal position can be
established by comparing the crane capacity
charts and decrease in tail load.
Due to the position of the main lifting
lugs we greatly reduce the tail load and
therefore the capacity of the tail crane. The
capacity of the main lift crane remains the
same as the total weight of the pressure
vessel does not change. In case the offset of
the tail point is increased, the decrease in tail
load during erection will be greater as well.
With main lifting lugs only 4.2 m above
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A 1,400-tonne heavy pressure vessel being erected at
Train 5 Qatar.
the CoG, the change in tail load and main
lift load during the erection procedure are as
tabulated in Table 2.
Instead of the required 200-tonne
capacity telescopic crane (such as a Liebherr
LTM-1200) for tailing, one can now do the
job with a 70-tonne telescopic crane such as
a Krupp KMK 4070, with significant cost
reductions in mobilisation and
demobilisation costs, as well as rental costs.
It should be emphasised that lifting jobs,
as described, allow a very small margin of
error and can only be carried out under
expert supervision and with detailed load
calculations and rigging studies. At all times
SPOTCHECKSAFETY
the lifting blocks should remain exactly
above the lifting points – and do not forget
to check the verticality of the lifting tackle.
The case study described is just an
example of how a lifting lug and tail lifting
lugs can influence the positions and sizes of
the cranes needed to execute the job. The
same principles can be used for larger and
longer columns.
In the next issue of HLPFI, we will look
at important points when lifting a heavy
pressure vessel in the 400 to 500-tonne
range, with two main lift cranes and one tail
crane. HLPFI
Please note, this article is intended for guidance only.
Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the
accuracy of the contents, no responsibility will be
accepted by the publishers for any errors.
Richard Krabbendam has been a heavy lift specialist
during his whole working career after which he formed
Krabbendam Advies Service. A Master of Mechanical
Engineering from Delft University of Technology, he has
worked with BigLift and Mammoet, and was a co-founder of
ITREC. He helped to set up Jumbo Offshore and was involved
in the development of its super heavy lift carrier fleet, the
J-Class, which uses two 900-tonne mast cranes for subsea
installation works. Since his retirement from Jumbo he has
been working as a freelance trainer/engineering consultant.
www.jumbo-offshore.com www.heavyliftspecialist.com
January/February 2013 73