Italian heavy logistics specialist SIMI Trasporti has used an Enerpac SBL1100 hydraulic gantry and LH400 skidding system to install a 190-tonne refinery reactor and 95-tonne condenser at a site in Sardinia.
The 54-metre-long reactor arrived at the Port of Sarroch by barge before being transported to the refinery by SPMT.
Access to the process building presented a major challenge, with the entrance limited to 4.5 x 4.5 metres while the reactor measured up to 5 metres at its widest point.
To overcome the restriction, SIMI used the SBL1100 gantry to lift the reactor from the SPMT before lowering it onto a pre-installed LH400 low-height skidding system.
The skidding arrangement allowed the load to remain close to ground level as it entered the building, reducing overall transport height and avoiding interference with the restricted doorway.
The reactor was then moved along the skid tracks to its final installation position. The same method was subsequently used for the 20-metre-long, 95-tonne condenser.
“Standard lifting methods would have exceeded the clearance limits of the building’s entrance,” said a SIMI Trasporti spokesperson.
The company added that combining the gantry and skidding systems allowed the team to achieve safe handling and millimetre-level positioning accuracy while avoiding additional lifting operations.
Enerpac’s SBL1100 is its highest-capacity hydraulic telescopic gantry, offering lifting heights of up to 12 metres and featuring Intelli-Lift wireless controls for synchronised lifting and travel.
