Konecranes Inc. unveiled a new transport unit recently that it said is compliant with regulations for moving machines used to store nuclear material.
The company said its Single Failure Proof Vertical Cask Transporter crane, also known as the NOG-1, features the company’s SUPERSAFE technology to serve the nuclear industry.
"The stackup pad is a recessed below-ground area, where the can is secured by walls so that it can't fall over," Matt Nemet, regions sales manager for Konecranes Nuclear Equipment and Services, said. "The biggest advantage of the new Konecranes design, with patent-pending concepts, is that we use quick-connecting, single-failure proof crane hoisting machinery to reach down and pick up the cask and canister. Older machines require workers to rig heavy slings to pick it up, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive and can potentially increase radiation 'dose' exposure."
The crane also falls in line with revisions to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) seismic guidelines, which aim to ensure that equipment utilized in lifting storage casks is protected against accidental tipping.
"After delivering the first of these machines, we have been able to document a lot of benefits," Nemet said. "The customer's first cask-loading operation had enormous success in keeping dose levels low, while maintaining the safety, efficiency and timetable of their storage campaign. It is now clear that Konecranes SUPERSAFE single failure proof technology was exactly what we needed to make the first NOG-1 compliant Vertical Cask Transporter a reality."
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