Scheffer Krantechnik GmbH and STAHL CraneSystems are jointly modernising a crane system in the Marl Chemical Park.

The Marl Chemical Park is one of the largest chemical sites in Germany and also the largest product site of Evonik Industries. The huge site covers an area of more than six square kilometers and provides around 10,000 jobs. Petrochemical raw materials, which can be found in a wide variety of everyday products, are used here. Whether wallpaper or hygiene products, wall paint, pharmaceuticals, or food products such as yogurt and margarine – it is very likely that a household product was produced using the powerful chemicals from Marl.

The chemical park’s large energy requirement is covered by the production of electricity and steam in environmentally friendly combined heat and power generation. For this purpose, two own gas and steam turbines and a coal-fired power plant are operated. The site also has its own hazardous waste incineration plant (for residues from production). The crane system is to be replaced for this. The challenge: the new plant must fit seamlessly into the existing building.

Scheffer Krantechnik GmbH has been a certified partner of STAHL CraneSystems for five years, and cooperation always functions smoothly even for special solutions and erection under difficult conditions. The Marl Chemical Park has been one of STAHL CraneSystems’ existing customers for several decades. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the site has been working with explosion-protected versions of crane technology from Künzelsau; the predecessor crane in the hazardous waste incineration plant was also manufactured by STAHL CraneSystems and has always performed its service reliably from October 1996 until its current replacement.

The new crane has been in operation since April 2019: the double girder bridge crane with a S.W.L. of 6.3 t and a span of 14 m is designed for grab operation and has gangways along the crane bridge, including a completely accessible double rail crab. The SHW 8 winch is used as rail crab. The exact positioning query for the on-site PLC is carried out via a newly installed WCS position sensor of the latest generation along the crane runway and crane bridge.
All power, control and data lines of the external control system were also renewed via an elaborate trailing cable system. With its own basic research and development, STAHL Crane Systems has built up a wealth of experience which gives it a significant lead and ensures safety from injury to persons, damage to property and environmental damage.

Kai Faber of Evonik Industries is looking forward to further joint projects: “Particularly in the case of the existing installations, some of which are now 40 years old, renewals can be expected in the next few years. We have enjoyed working with STAHL CraneSystems because the technology works consistently over many years and guarantees us the reliability we need here in the Marl Chemical Park”.

For more information, please visit: https://www.stahlcranes.com/