Grouse Mountain Turbine Erection (North Vancouver)
Project Dates: 22nd September 2009 through to 25th September 2009
Duration: 4 Days
Cranes: Liebherr LR1280 300ton Crawler 191′main and 95′ luffing jib; Link-belt ATC3130 130ton All-Terrain; Terex RT780 80ton Rough Terrain.
Loads: 126,000lb base tower section; 68,000lb hub & blade 215′ high.
Difficulties: severely limited space, all critical lifts, all tandem lifts
Probably one of the most challenging projects in recent years, the erection of the Grouse Mountain Turbine also went on to prove why DLB Cranes is the rental house of choice when you need an “impossible” project to go smoothly.
It took 4 days to move the 500,000lb crane up the Grouse Mountain access road – the final few hundred meters required a loaded rock-truck to pull the off-highway low-bed and truck while a D7 Cat pushed from behind. The final 30% grade over the last 50 meters was mastered, and then the erection of the crawler became the next big challenge: crane erection with only 100′ by 150′ pad for the crawler, the support crane, blades, tower sections, and 12 crew members! Once the crane was erect, this project continued to go smoothly from beginning to end.
Each and every load arrived on-site having been weighed incorrectly – nothing was accurate, so calculations had to be done in the field, with constant feedback and great support from our Engineering division [Infinity Engineering Group http://www.infinity-engineers.com/]. Last minute changes had to be made to the crane configuration when the base tower section weighed almost 20% heavier than designed after a test lift! DLB was back up and hoisting within the hour – the example of performance and service.
Piece after piece was hoisted and placed over the following 4 days, the final lift of the hub & blade complex was a challenge to compete with the remaining sunlight – it was decided to make it a “go” at 4:30pm with no more than an hour of sunlight remaining. The crane was shut down and the site closed up again well into the darkness – DLB will work whatever hours the client requires.
Conclusion: The erection crew from Leitwind in Europe had the highest accolades for the DLB operators and superintendent – of note was the fact that this particular style of turbine usually takes 2.5 to 3 days to erect when space is unlimited and all components are laid out for easy access in the wind farms of Europe – yet we completed the erection in less than 4 full days!
This project exemplifies the synergy of high quality equipment, highly skilled operators, leadership and management control in superintendents and executives, and the depth of expertise available to DLB Cranes, no matter how challenging and difficult your project may appear.
