Recently ArcelorMittal France has selected us to manufacture an innovative scrap loading crane for their plant located in Dunkerque.

The crane, which is now in the design phase, has a maximum load capacity of 300 tonnes and a span of 24.4 metres. It has a special configuration, consisting of three girders joined by an end carriage to provide the rigidity, robustness and durability necessary in iron and steel sector.

The crane will be equipped with 4 trolleys, allowing two baskets to be handled simultaneously. The front lifts will be carried out by two 115-tonne trolleys that have a crossbeam with two slat hooks for hooking the basket. And the rear lifting will be carried out by two 75-tonne trolleys with a slat hook for tilting the baskets and thus unloading the scrap inside the converter. On the other hand, the control of the motions will be by means of regenerative variators that allow the energy released during the lowering of the load or braking movements to be harnessed and returned to the grid.

The electrical equipment will be inside one of the side girders, which is perfectly conditioned, insulated, heat-insulated and equipped with industrial air conditioning with redundancy, including pressurization systems inside the enclosure to prevent the entry of steel dust when it is accessed.

In terms of safety, the crane will meet all the requirements of the PLD (performance level D) standard. At the same time, we will implement a degraded or emergency operation mode so that in case of failure of some of the equipment, the lifting and translation motions can continue to operate until the load is brought to a safe place. 

On the other hand, the crane will be equipped with the latest technology for data processing related to Maintenance 4.0. Control will be via a cab located at one end for good visibility of the working area. The cabin includes industrial air conditioning, insulation for steel mill conditions and an electrically operated front glass protection system before the converter is loaded to avoid the impact of projections generated during the process. 

In short, the crane has been designed to allow access to all areas and equipment subject to maintenance, while complying at all times with the customer's safety regulations in terms of crane entry permits and the movement of people.

This is one of the last large-scale projects we are working on, which we expect to complete in 2022 with the commissioning of the crane at the Dunkerque plant.

Once again, we thank our customer ArcelorMittal France for this new contract.

About ArcelorMittal 

ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company with 168,000 employees, a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 17 countries. In 2020, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $53.3 billion and crude steel production of 71.5 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 58.0 million metric tonnes. 

Our goal is to help build a better world with smarter steels. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future. 

In France, ArcelorMittal has 15,500 employees – including over 800 researchers – working on its 40 production sites, distribution and service centers, and 3 R&D sites. ArcelorMittal produced close to 8 million tonnes of liquid steel in 2020 in France. France accounts for approximately one third of ArcelorMittal’s flat products volumes in Europe.

For more information please visit: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com or https://france.arcelormittal.com