Charging Cranes for Steel Production: Safe and Reliable Solutions for Efficient Material Handling
Charging cranes are critical specialized equipment used in the metallurgical industry, primarily designed to load materials such as scrap steel and iron blocks into furnaces, such as electric arc furnaces. As a type of overhead crane, charging cranes are characterized by their robust load-bearing capacity and high-precision operation, ensuring stable performance even in harsh environments with high temperatures and significant dust. Their efficiency and reliability make them essential in steel production, significantly enhancing productivity and safety in the metallurgical industry.
- Lifting Capacity: 20+20t – 110+110t
- Span: 18m – 30m
- Lifting Height: 24m – 30m
- Working Class: A7 – A8
Functions and Applications
In converter steelmaking, charging cranes equipped with ladle boxes are primarily used for cold material addition. For electric furnace operations, charging cranes are used to load scrap steel. The main distinction between charging cranes and ladle handling cranes lies in the lifting mechanism, which for charging cranes does not typically account for independent machine operation scenarios.
Structural Forms
Charging cranes are commonly available in two structural forms: Double girder single trolley and Double girder double trolley. We can also design, develop, manufacture, and install customized scrap charging cranes based on customer requirements.
Advantages and Features
- The crane interfaces are equipped with high-precision metering devices, ensuring accurate material charging. Redundancy is considered in aspects like metal structure and fatigue calculations to meet high-duty cycle requirements.
- Double girder double trolley model: Balanced stress on the main girder and flexible charging. Two lifting mechanisms are placed on different trolleys, and their lifting and running functions can operate in tandem or independently.
- Double girder single trolley model: Lightweight, compact, and flexible in charging. Both lifting mechanisms are mounted on the same trolley, which runs along the tracks of the two main girders.
Case Study
This crane is primarily used for lifting scrap steel bins and transferring them to the electric arc furnace.
Basic Parameters:
- Load capacity: 50+50t (weight of load under hook)
- Duty cycle/lifting mechanism work level: A7
- Crane span: 21.5m
- Lifting height: Main hook: 22m, Auxiliary hook: 24m
- Lifting speed: Main/auxiliary hook: 1.2-12m/min
- Trolley running speed: 8-80m/min
- Working environment: -10 ≤ t ≤ 60°C
- Power supply: Three-phase AC 380V 50Hz
Features:
- The main girder should be designed with a double-layer thermal insulation system, and each trolley should have double-layer fireproof plates at both ends, filled with insulating materials.
- The lifting motor is a metallurgical-grade motor with an insulation class of H and protection class of IP54. It is equipped with temperature sensors to monitor motor temperature and a device to prevent motor overspeed.
- The lifting mechanism is equipped with dual brakes, mounted on both ends of the high-speed shaft of the gearbox, with electric hydraulic brakes that feature manual release.
- The lifting block uses a fully enclosed protective cover, and the hook is connected to the lifting device by a joint bearing. The pulley blocks are made from rolled pulleys.
- The lifting mechanism is equipped with dual upper limit switches and a lowering limit switch.
- The main hook and auxiliary hook must operate at the same speed and in sync.
- The driver's cabin is constructed with a layered thermal insulation structure, with internal noise not exceeding 78dB. An air conditioning system ensures a comfortable temperature inside.
- The crane is lubricated by a central electric grease pump for all lubrication points.
- The crane is equipped with a video surveillance system.
At DGCRANE, we provide high-quality, custom-designed charging cranes for the metallurgical industry. With expert engineering and a focus on safety and reliability, our cranes efficiently handle scrap steel and iron blocks, ensuring maximum performance in demanding environments. Trust DGCRANE for durable, tailored solutions that enhance your steel production efficiency.
