A Liebherr HS 8200 duty cycle crawler crane has been deployed in Greenland to help construct two new airports.
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Working in the harsh arctic climate, the duty cycle crane is having to endure temperatures that max out at eight degrees during summer and plunge to negative 35 degrees Celsius in winter. According to Construction Manager, Kevin van den Bos, the duty cycle crane has been completing dredging work to remove a thick layer of clay sediment from the seabed before it can be backfilled to make up new parts of the runway.
“In one day shift, our extraction rate can be up to 1000 cubic metres of excavated clay material,” he said. “It is very important for us to complete the dredging work before the ice spreads in the bay and makes our work impossible.”
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The 200-tonne duty cycle crawler crane is operating with a 35m-long boom and a clamshell grab with a capacity of 3.5 cubic metres. To achieve high productivity, the HS 8200 is equipped with Liebherr’s Dredging Assistant, which shows the operator the position and fill level of the grab, the number and duration of work cycles or the handling performance in real time. The system also makes it easier to calculate the amount of material needed to fill the area for the runway.
In addition to the icy conditions, the logistics are a major challenge for the project, as the region is only supplied by a ship once a week and also brings parts and equipment for the contractor. A large store and the ability to repair everything itself is therefore particularly important for the company in this remote region.
Operating the HS 8200 six days a week in ten-hour shifts, van den Bos is delighted with the performance of the duty cycle crawler crane.
“The machine runs really well and has exceeded our expectations,” he said. “We will finish even earlier than anticipated; that is really positive.”
The two new airports in Greenland are being delivered by Danish Company Munck Civil Engineering, with the project aiming to make it possible for larger aircraft to fly directly from Europe or America.
