The Crane Maintenance Department of SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has successfully executed a major repair job of the Converter Charging Crane no. 2021(03), which is a critical 250 Tonne crane in the converter charging bay of Steel Melting Shop-II (SMS-II). This outstanding job has ensured equipment availability, reliability and efficiency of operations at SMS-II. The concerned crane is one of the three essential 250 Tonne hot metal handling cranes, playing a vital role in the smooth functioning of the plant.
On 18th October Mr. Alok Verma, ED (Mines) with additional charge of ED (Works) visited the site and congratulated the team. He was accompanied by Mr. R N Rajendran, CGM (Mechaniclal) and other senior officers.
It is worth mentioning here that during the routine maintenance, a structural issue was identified in the main girder of the crane, where cracks had formed at the connection between the main girder and the end tie. The damage, located near the main balancer bogie, presented a significant challenge due to its inaccessibility for repairs without removing the balancer.
Seizing the opportunity provided by a shutdown at Blast Furnace-5, the team scheduled a 12-shift crane shutdown starting 15th October, 2024, to execute the repairs. One 26 Ton jacking structure comprising three parts made out of 400 dia pipe measuring 4500mm square and 26 metre high was erected underneath the Main Girder. After carefully jacking up the main girder, the team successfully removed the main balancer, gaining access to the damaged area. The cracked section was repaired, reinforced, and the balancer was replaced with a new unit.
This complex and critical repair was successfully completed safely as per schedule. It was possible due to the dedication and technical expertise of the Crane Maintenance team, under the supervision of Mr. S Panka, GM In-charge (Crane Maintenance) and guidance of Mr. R N Rajendran. The other supporting agencies which helped achieve this feat were, SMS-II, FM(M), RCM, and Safety Engineering departments.
