Sarens has deployed its Demag CC2800-1 crawler crane to install two 220-tonne furnaces at a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Working on the Kamoa Copper Mining Complex, the global heavy lifting and transport solutions company was contracted to install the two furnaces and assist with another 220-tonne furnace and 196-tonne steam dryer. Sarens first became involved in the project in 2022, assisting the client with preliminary Front-End-Engineering-Design studies (FEED), involving site planning to budgeting support.
Deploying its Demag CC2800-1 for the job was the natural choice, according to Sarens, however transportation proved to be a major issue: travel along the chosen route from Angola to the DRC took two months and over 25 different truck and trailer configurations, as well as the occasional item arriving via rail.
To further prepare for the lifting, a concrete slab was constructed for the crane to operate from in order to distribute the high ground-bearing forces of up to 300kN/m2, thereby protecting the subsoil from sinking or displacement under the weight of the crane and 220-tonne anode drums.
To lift the items in question, Sarens configured the Demag crawler crane with 250 tonnes of counterweight and a maximum hook height of 23m to lift the objects at a 24m radius. The crane possesses a maximum lifting capacity of 650 tonnes that it can lift at a 10m radius, and a maximum hook height just under 175m.
To the crane in its conquests, Sarens utilised a six-metre S406 modular spreader beam with multiple high-capacity slings and shackles to evenly distribute the weight of the load from the lifting points and minimise deflection of the furnaces.
According to Sarens, the crane operated seamlessly under the skilled guidance of our on-site crew: it carefully lifted and then crawled forward approximately 15m with the load to reach the installation points. The anode drums were then meticulously placed in their predetermined positions, marking the successful completion of a high priority lifting operation at the mine site.
Watch the video of the lift:
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