The world’s largest crane installs a nuclear reactor

Theo Interesting EngineeringBig Carl, the world’s largest crane, lifted and placed the 500-ton nuclear reactor vessel into position at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, southwest England, during the construction of unit 2. The entire process was completed in two days, exceeding the schedule for unit 1 construction a year ago.

On May 27, engineers began lifting the reactor vessel (RPV) with a Big Carl crane. The furnace barrel was manufactured by construction engineering company Framatome’s Saint Marcel factory in France and shipped to site in January this year. Using the Big Carl, engineers lifted the 13 m high RPV to place it inside the reactor building, where the vessel was rotated vertically and lowered into the support ring with a 40 mm clearance on each side.

Although units 1 and 2 of Hinkley Point C are the same, the engineering team used a temporary lift system to install RPV for unit 1. Deploying Big Carl helps save space, time, and costs for the project.

Designed and manufactured by Sarens company in Belgium, the SGC-250 crane (nicknamed Big Carl) has a lifting capacity of up to 5,000 tons and a height of 0.25 km in its highest configuration. According to World SteelThe crane’s extremely strong lifting force comes from a 160 m main beam made from high-strength steel and a nearly 100 m horizontal arm. Big Carl moves on steel rails with 96 wheels that help the machine run between locations without needing to be reassembled. The design of 4 bogies running on toroidal beams makes the maximum pressure that Big Carl creates on the ground only 25 tons/m². The machine, which operates mainly at night, is also equipped with a collision avoidance system.

Engineers at Hinkley Point C used experience from installing unit 1 to accelerate construction of unit 2. Although construction of unit 1 began in December 2018 and unit 2 in December 2019, unit 2 is being completed at a rate up to 30% faster than unit 1. RPV is designed to generate steam and heat for the world’s largest turbines. Hinkley Point C uses a 3rd generation pressurized water reactor with a capacity of 1,630 MW from French energy group EDF.

Theo BBCthe estimated cost of the project increased from a projected $24.2 billion in 2017 to $61.8 billion in 2024. According to the plan, the two reactors will power 6 million homes when Hinkley Point C opens in 2031.