Large component transport for fertiliser factory

Due to ever growing population figures, the demand for fertilisers is also on the rise. This is a fact the Hungarian fertiliser manufacturer Nitrogénmüvek Zrt capitalises on through the extension of its production facilities. DB Schenker, a logistics company specialising in logistics services, commissioned the heavy cargo transport. Günter Kaspar from Felbermayr's heavy cargo transport department explains that it was this company the components were taken over from at the Belgian port of Antwerpen and transported to the Hungarian Danube port Gönyű by means of inland vessel. Another ship loaded with some smaller parts weighing up to 20 tonnes arrived at Gönyű via the Danube port Constanta in Romania.

32 tonnes of axle load

At a length of 26.17 metres, a diameter of some 6 metres and weighing 120 tons, the so-called dryer shell was not only the largest but also the heaviest of the three large components. A 14-axle flatbed trailer with special THP/ST axles was used for its transport. "This axle type features a solid construction which means that every axle can be loaded with up to 32 tons", Kaspar explains and adds that one tractor and one pusher truck were used for the task of transporting this component. This component was followed by the "scrubber", a part measuring some 20 metres in length and 7 metres in diameter weighing approx. 55 tons. At a length of some 20 metres and a diameter of approximately 6.5 metres the “filler bin” only weighed in at some 30 tonnes and was transported using a six-axle flatbed. Two mobile cranes with 400 and 300 tonnes of maximum lifting capacity respectively were used for the task of lifting the components onto the flatbed trailers. Lifting was executed by means of a tandem lift.

Four nights for 140 kilometres

“As we had reached a height of 8.5 metres, we had to cut many power lines as early as the first night,” Kaspar illustrates the time-consuming activities. The 50-km-section from Gönyű to Bakonysarkany parkolo alone took 8 hours. A railway crossing at Nagyszentjanos resulted in a major delay. This crossing could only be passed as late as 1:30 a.m. due to the fact that railway traffic needed to be diverted and all gates and power lines had to be removed. "However, thanks to BauTrans Hungary's meticulous planning, everything worked perfectly", Kaspar admiringly highlights his Hungarian colleagues' work and notes that it would not have been possible to execute this from Wels. In the second night, the 100-strong transport team ran into many gas lines that had to be covered using steel panels. But traffic lights, overhead signs and power lines also had to be temporarily removed. Prior to its arrival at the stage goal in Csor, the team had to reroute the transport around a country road whose bridges were too low. This resulted in tight corners on back roads that - due to insufficient width - had to be covered with steel plates. The third night once again presented the team with an insufficiently tall bridge which is why it had to leave the main road and link onto a temporary road that had been constructed previously. "On this five-kilometre-long gravel track, we were not allowed to exceed 20 kilometres per hour and had to keep a minimum distance of 200 metres between the vehicles", Kaspar describes the time-consuming conditions. Asked if he wasn't concerned about the structural integrity of the road, Kaspar replies with a clear "no". For the makeshift road had been inspected for its suitability in advance by means of strength drilling. Before the third leg could be completed at Ösi in Hungary, a last railway crossing with catenaries installed too low had to be passed. However, the passing of a bridge really made things thrilling again. "The access ramp was too steep; without constructional measures, we would have become grounded", Kaspar explains. The problem was solved by flattening the road surface using gravel and a special concrete mix. To aid load distribution, we laid down steel panels. "This worked perfectly", Kaspar happily sums up the measures that had been planned in advance. Apart from some tree-cutting that became necessary due to insufficient clearance, the fourth and last leg did not require any additional measures. Thus, the factory was reached on schedule after four night trips and some 140 covered kilometres. Subsequently, the components only needed to be placed on their foundations and integrated into the production process. After the planned commissioning in 2016, the components are supposed to increase the daily output of the 40-year-old ammoniac plant from 1,000 tons to 1,650 tons. However, the plant's modernisation is also planned to reduce its energy consumption.

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