Turbine solution boosts handling safety

In what is still a relatively young industry, design innovation is high, meaning changes in turbine specifications are common. As manufacturers reach new heights they are also producing larger and heavier components.

Following a request from a prominent UK manufacturer, a new lifting hook was designed to be used in conjunction with high capacity reach stackers. The hooks are integral in the lifting of wind turbines towers, adding security and safety, while allowing manufacturers and installers to utilise existing materials handling equipment.

The 150-tonne J-Hooks have an indefinite lifespan, if inspections and maintenance are frequently carried out.

Certex renewables product manager, Joel Pollard explains how the international locations of Certex and its sister companies worked in collaboration on the project.

“The J-Hook was manufactured by our colleagues in Denmark, and was tested at our sister company, Peter Harbo. We obviously have a lot of expertise in-house, and our connection to the Scandinavian alternative energy sector helps enormously.”

For maximum safety, the 150,000kg J-Hooks were tested in a 1,200-tonne test bench. The bench enables pull tests of items up to 900 tonnes and is equipped with precise sensors that will reveal any elongation.

With the growth in alternative energy, and a number of prominent investments in wind farm technology, expertise in lifting, installing and inspecting is on the rise in the UK. With help from Joel and Certex (UK), the new J-Hooks are now also being considered for use by related businesses in Germany.

Joel continues: “We are extremely proud to be offering lifting products specifically for the renewables market. With the expertise to design bespoke solutions tailored to our customers’ needs, we are confident our products can help towards the world’s renewable energy goals.”

Certex also provides steel wire rope, lifting equipment and services to customers in the industrial, oil and gas, renewable and elevator markets. Part of Axel Johnson International, Certex has an extensive presence in the green energy sector, with business in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, the Baltics, Russia, Germany, as well as the UK. Its team is highly skilled in providing bespoke, high specification lifting products and services, with hi-tech facilities for the processing of steel wire rope assemblies.

Parent company, Axel Johnson, is a $13bn turnover business and employs more than 22,000 people worldwide. It can trace its roots back to 1873, when the 29-year old saddler’s son Axel Johnson, started his first trading business in Stockholm. Today it is run by fourth and fifth generations of the family and is highly respected for both its financial security and commitment to sustainable development.