Bulk handling AVR

Modernizing Bunker Cranes

TES Industrial Systems has been commissioned by AVR to modernize three bunker cranes and prepare them for more efficient and consistent material handling.

As the main contractor, TES Industrial Systems B.V. handled the complete electrical renovation and automation, including integration, testing, commissioning, and mechanical renovation. The mechanical renovation was carried out by a third party on behalf of TES.

The project experienced a significant delay due to unforeseen circumstances, but despite this impact, the project was successfully completed, and the cranes are once again operational and fully interchangeable.

Thanks to a pluggable design featuring three Motor Control Centers, the cranes can be quickly swapped out, which increases operational availability and flexibility.

The cranes are automated with features including:

• Elevation scanners (LiDAR) for mapping material and creating an elevation map

• Passive anti-sway system for smoother and safer movement of the load and grabber

• Gyroscope on the grabber for monitoring rotation and inclination

• Automatic loading routines that calculate the optimal pickup locations based on the elevation map

• Automatic spreading routine with a hydraulic polyp grab, controlled based on weight feedback

• Automatic (metered) dumping into hoppers or back into the bunker, including calculated dumping locations

Ignition SCADA is used for visualization and central intelligence. Data from the three crane PLCs is consolidated here for purposes including elevation mapping, path calculation for automatic positioning, alarm and tag analysis, hour counters per crane, and volume calculations per zone. Mixing zones are supported with average elevations and mixing ratios. Communication with the higher-level system takes place via a utility PLC. Operators can enter commands for each crane to enable semi-automatic control.