Container cranes - fail-safe and future-proof thanks to smart energy chains

Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg is characterised by its high dynamics. Ever longer distances, higher dynamics, extreme loads, zero breakdowns: the demands on the crane systems are high. The almost 30-metre high rail-loading cranes at the intermodal rail terminal move containers weighing up to 40 tonnes - around the clock. To ensure that they work efficiently and fail-safe and can guarantee the high productivity rates, an energy chain system is required that safely guides the energy and data cables of the trolley on the crane bridges.

The chains not only have to withstand high loads on the travel of almost 70 metres, but also all weather conditions and UV rays, as they are located outside the crane. The team at Eurogate Technical Services GmbH, which is responsible for the constant and reliable availability of the entire harbour technology, was therefore looking for a solution to achieve long service life and prevent unplanned downtimes. The goal: an energy chain should only have to be replaced once in the life of the crane.

Long service life and short downtimes can also be achieved through regular maintenance. But this is a challenge here: because of the high crane utilisation, the energy chains are rarely accessible for manual inspections. Eurogate was therefore looking for a smart monitoring system that would provide early warning of malfunctions and make it easier to plan maintenance work.

The answer to this challenge is igus roller energy chains made from tribologically optimised plastic, which has been specially developed for heavy-duty applications with long travels. The first two cranes were equipped with the 4040RHD series, the others with the more recent P4.1 generation. The chains are resistant to seawater and UV radiation and can handle long travels of over 1,000 meters and speeds of more than 5m/s. The offset between the upper run and lower run allows the plastic rollers to move past each other, which enables exceptionally smooth operation and reduces the coefficient of friction and drive power. Additionally equipped with various highly flexible chainflex cables, the energy chain systems were supplied by the igus team and assembled and installed on site.

Another igus product ensures maximum reliability for the crane systems: smart plastics. These are intelligent sensor modules that enable real-time condition monitoring (i.Sense) and predictive maintenance (i.Cee) of the energy chain. Various systems are used in the rail-loading cranes, which are connected directly to the system control:

• i.Sense EC.P monitors the push/pull forces
• i.Sense EC.B identifies chain breakages at an early stage
• i.Sense CF.P monitors tensile forces on the cable

a defined remaining service life

Eurogate is pleased that the implementation of the monitoring systems in the crane control system was implemented quickly. In addition, igus organized a special e-chains and smart plastics training course for the company's maintenance team. The system has been running smoothly ever since.