Manitowoc Crawler Makes 895-ton Lift in China

Enlarge Image This Model 21000 crawler crane was equipped with the MAX-ER attachment, raising the capacity to 1,000 tons.

January 18, 2007 •A Manitowoc Model 21000 crawler crane made an 895-ton (812 metric ton) lift as part of reconstruction work taking place at the Beijing Yansan Petrochemical Complex close to the city of Zhoukoudian in China. The crane, which belongs to oil giant Sinopec, positioned a large component used to process industrial oil called a hydrogenation cracking unit.

 

Sinopec made use of Manitowoc's capacity-enhancing MAX-ER attachment for the lift, boosting the crane's maximum capacity to 1,000 tons (907 metric tons). The main boom on the lift measured 177 feet (54 m). The whole process, from picking the vessel to final positioning, took less than 30 minutes.

 

Ma Zengtao, manager of Sinopec's crane fleet, said he was impressed with the ease of operation and extra capability the MAX-ER attachment offers. “The lift went ahead without a single glitch,” he said. “The Model 21000 worked so effortlessly it made lifting the cracking unit look easy and gave us great confidence.”

 

The hydrogenation cracking unit, which measures 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter and 115 feet (35 m) tall, processes industrial oil, turning it into gasoline and kerosene. It is capable of a throughput of some 11 million tons (10 million metric tons) of fuel per year and its installation is the single most important element of the reconstruction work.