Nuclear Flask Handling Portal Crane at Capenhurst

These pictures show a large Portal Crane being erected on a concrete raft at Capenhurst. The crane is designed for handling flasks of low level waste . The crane is cab controlled and incorporates special features such as variable speeds on all motions, twin brakes on hoisting, load measurement and slack rope detection.

The long travel end carriages incorporate a hydraulically operated braking system which locks the crane to the rails. This brake is used for parking the crane but is also linked to an anonometer. If the wind speed increases during operation beyond a specified level the crane will automatically slow down, stop and apply the parking brake.