As countries in South America are working to develop their rivers into an industrial waterway system, many companies are continuing to realize the benefits of the E-Crane, a proven solution for bulk handling applications. The development of these rivers would reduce the cost of export and benefit the economy there, which is currently mostly dependent on transport by land. As new ports are being developed, E-Crane continues to expand its fleet of machines across South America. The E-Crane is ideal for bulk handling, including heavy duty production cycles such as barge unloading, ship unloading, and midstream transfer. Specifically designed for bulk material handling processes, anything from coal to limestone to fertilizer to grain to scrap steel can be handled with the E-Crane. The E-Crane is a truly versatile machine in that it can easily switch between commodities and still offer the high production required at many ports and industrial facilities. Built for 24/7 duty cycle operation, E-Cranes have unprecedented life cycles, high efficiency, and low maintenance costs. Last year, we discussed two new E-Crane projects that were recently installed in Argentina. These highlighted projects were just two examples of many that are continuing to appear all across South America. Argentina in particular, is the location of many E-Crane projects. Let’s take a look at several E-Crane projects in Argentina:
Two 1500 Series/10290 PD-E cranes are in service with Cargill VGG in Rosario, Argentina.
Two 1500 Series E-Cranes have been operating in Argentina since 2008 at Cargill VGG. Cargill decided to upgrade its logistics system by installing an E-Crane system to handle barges, in addition to already being able to receive grain by trucks and rail. This added flexibility to the port, and provided the company the ability to receive grain by three different modes. This upgrade not only improved the logistics on site, but it was also a direct response to the increased use of the rivers as a transport method. Both E-Cranes unload barges simultaneously, and feed the material into two hoppers located between the E-Cranes on the dock. A conveyor system then moves the grain into a grain tower and scale room. From here it is either conveyed to the plant where it is stored, or it is directly loaded into ships. The E-Cranes are still in operation and are working successfully with close to 10,000 hours of operation on each crane.
SEPTEMBER 2016
CASE STUDY: CARGILL VGG Type: 1500 Series/10290 PD-E (x2) Location: Rosario, Argentina Application: Barge unloading Material: Grain Mount: Pedestal Duty cycle capacity: 14.0 metric tonnes/15.4 US tons Reach: 29m/95ft Attachment: 12.2m3/16.3yd3 hydraulic clamshell grab Power source: 200kW/300hp electric motor
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
E-Crane expands in Argentina with multiple grain handling contracts
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ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT SEPTEMBER 2016
The 1500 Series/11264 PD-E at CASE STUDY: TERMINAL 6 S.A. Terminal 6 S.A. in San Lorenzo, Type: 1500 Series/ Argentina. 11264 PD-E Location: San Lorenzo, Argentina Application: Barge unloading Material: Grain, soybeans Mount: Pedestal Duty cycle capacity: 16.5 metric tonnes/18.2 US tons Reach: 26.4m/86.5 ft Attachment: 12.2m3/16.3yd3 hydraulic clamshell grab Power source: 200kW/300hp electric motor In 2013, E-Crane installed and commissioned a 1500 Material: Grain, soybeans Series/Model 11264 PD-E pedestal mounted E-Crane to unload Mount: Pedestal soy beans and grain from Mississippi- and Paraná-sized barges at Duty cycle capacity: 16.5 metric tonnes/18.2 US tons Terminal 6 S.A. in Argentina. The E-Crane is dock mounted, and Reach: 26.4m/86.5ft has a 26.4m outreach and a duty cycle capacity of 16.5 metric Attachment: 14m3/18.3yd3 hydraulic clamshell grab tonnes. The E-Crane transfers the grain from the barges to a Power source: 200kW/300hp electric motor hopper and conveyor system on the dock with a 12.2m3 In 2014, a 1500 Series/Model 11264 E-Crane was installed for CHS in Zarate, Argentina. CHS is a leading company in hydraulic clamshell bucket. Terminal 6 S.A. chose the E-Crane agribusiness with locations all over the world. The E-Crane is after realizing the many benefits of the equilibrated crane's dock mounted, and is used to unload soybeans and grain from efficient design. Its goal was to increase the productivity and both Mississippi- and Paraná-sized barges. The E-Crane transfers capacity of the port. The material was originally unloaded using a the material from the barges to a hopper and conveyor system cable crane and a small material handler, with each machine located on the dock using a 14m3 (18.3yd3) hydraulic clamshell achieving a production rate of about 400tph (tonnes per hour). The new E-Crane replaced the both machines and achieves a bucket. much higher production rate than the previous setup. This was a greenfield project, with all new equipment, in order One of the big challenges of this project was the access to the to expand operations at CHS. CHS was looking for a solution to dock for installation of the new E-Crane. The main components offload grain barges while expanding its grain handling capacity of the crane were sub-assembled at a laydown area about 50m and E-Crane engineers worked closely with CHS to determine away and 26m above the dock area. The subassemblies were the best possible set-up. Along with the E-Crane, a brand new lowered down to the dock area using a 600-tonne lift crane. dock, hopper, and transfer tower were constructed to offload Similar to Cargill VGG, Terminal 6 now has the ability to barges and either transfer the grain into a warehouse or transfer receive grain and flour by trucks, rail and barges. This E-Crane directly through its existing shiploader into oceangoing vessels. has achieved an offloading rate of more than 800tph and is an important part of the ongoing expansion of grain shipments from CASE STUDY: UABL Argentina to the rest of the world. Type: 700 Series/Models 4264 PD-E, 4290 PD-E Location: Pueblo Esther, Argentina Application: Barge unloading CASE STUDY: CHS Material: Grain, soybeans Type: 1500B Series/Model 11264 PD-E Mount: Barge Location: Zarate, Argentina Duty cycle capacity: 5.5 metric tonnes/6 US tons Application: Barge unloading Reach: 4264: 26.4m/86.5ft 4290: 29m/95ft 1500B Series/Model 11264 Attachment: 4.5m3/5.9yd3 hydraulic PD-E at CHS’s facility in clamshell grab (×2) Zarate, Argentina. Power source: 110kW/150hp electric motor UABL, a subsidiary of Ultrapetrol, owns and operates river terminals and provides barge and terminal services across South America. In 2014, the order was placed for two E-Cranes mounted together on a single barge. This is a midstream transfer project, and the barge is completely self-contained. The entire midstream transfer system travels along the Paraná River as needed
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E-Crane 700 Series/Models 4264 PD-E, 4290 PD-E at UABL in Pueblo Esther, Argentina.
CASE STUDY: NOBLE Type: 1500B Series/Model 10290 PD-E Location: Timbúes, Argentina Application: Barge unloading Material: Grain, soybeans Mount: Pedestal Duty cycle capacity: 14 metric tonnes/15.4 US tons Reach: 29m/95ft Attachment: 12.2m3/16.3yd3 hydraulic clamshell grab Power source: 200kW/300hp Electric Motor In 2015, another E-Crane was ordered for handling grain in Argentina, this time by the Noble company located in Timbúes, Argentina. Noble operates several warehouses and elevators in South America in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and offer cutting edge solutions for the domestic and international trade and export of grains and oilseeds. This E-Crane was installed in 2016 in order to unload grain barges and load the material into a hopper, similar to the operations at Terminal 6 S.A. and CHS. The E-Crane was delivered on time and installed in 2016, however the crane is not yet in operation because of dock construction delays due to high water levels on the Paraná River. Operations are scheduled to begin at the end of the year when the new soybean harvest arrives on site.
CASE STUDY: CARGILL QUEBRACHO Type: 1500B Series/Model 10290 PD-E Location: Quebracho, Argentina Application: Barge unloading Material: Grain, soybeans Mount: Pedestal Duty cycle capacity: 14 metric tonnes/15.4 US tons Reach: 29m/95ft Attachment: 12.2m3/16.3yd3 hydraulic clamshell grab Power source: 200kW/300hp electric motor Also in 2015, Cargill ordered a 1500 Series/Model 10290 E-Crane for barge unloading at their facility in Quebracho, Argentina. This is the third E-Crane for Cargill in Argentina for grain handling. The machine will be installed in Quebracho in late 2016 to unload both Mississippi- and Paraná-sized barges. The new E-Crane will replace an obsolete cable crane which is currently used at the site, and will exceed the current unloading capacity. This will help Cargill keep up with the increasing volume of grain being handled on the Paraná River.
SEPTEMBER 2016
ABOUT E-CRANE E-Crane Worldwide is a modern, state-of-the-art engineering and heavy equipment construction company, based in Adegem, Belgium and with subsidiary companies for sales management, technical support and service in the Netherlands (E-Crane International Europe) and Ohio, USA (E-Crane International USA). E-Crane Worldwide develops turnkey material handling solutions with engineering services, equipment manufacturing, erection, operator/maintenance training and custom-tailored on-going service programmes for its clients. The standard E-Crane product line consists of five series of balanced hydraulic cranes (equilibrium cranes): 700 Series, 1000 Series, 1500 Series, 2000 Series, and 3000 Series. E-Cranes provide longer outreach and higher duty cycle capacities than typical material handlers. Outreach ranges from 24.8 to 47.8 metres (82 to 157 feet) and duty The 1500B Series/Model 10290 PD-E at Noble cycle capacity ranges from 5.5 to 39 in Timbúes, Argentina. metric tonnes (6 to 42.9 US tons).
ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT
to transfer grain. Both E-Cranes work together to unload grain from Paraná-sized barges into two separate hoppers also located on the barge. The hopper outputs the material onto a conveyor/shiploader system which transfers the material into Handymax-sized vessels on the other side of the crane barge. The E-Cranes were installed on schedule in 2014, and commissioning and training took place in the summer of 2015. Commissioning took place several months after installation due to delays with other grain handling equipment for the barge. The E-Cranes are now up and running successfully!
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