Through our collaboration with Britcon, a leading construction and civil engineering company, Banelec designed a bespoke control solution to safely and efficiently load and unload rolling stock at the new rail stocking facility for British Steel.
The solution we designed allows the system to handle multiple length at one time – This is done through the use of 11 hoists, fitted with electro-magnets which are capable of lifting 4 lengths of rail during each lift. Operating in tandem, our system uses variables speed drives to reduce shock loading and to produce soft acceleration and deceleration.
Each of the hoist and traverse motions are monitored through a system which uses absolute encoders, which compare each of the hoists, allowing the PLC software to constantly monitor the positions and automatically reduces the speeds to re-align where necessary.
Not only did we design and manufacture the control panels and software on this project but Banelec engineers also spent several months on site, in Scunthorpe, installing the hoists, master control panel, magnet panels, energy chain systems, cabling and containment in all weathers to ensure the target date and budget were met.
Our design was meticulously planned and to such a high standard, that no drilling of steelworks was required on site.
Throughout the installation process, Banelec and Britcon maintained constant communication with British Steel to provide updates on the progress of the project and address any concerns that arose. This open and transparent approach was instrumental in ensuring that the project ran smoothly and that all parties were satisfied with the end result.
This new state-of-the-art £10-million rail stocking facility is the largest of its kind in the country; when full stocked it will hold around 25,000 tonnes of 108m finished rail.
Read more about British Steel’s rail stocking facility in Scunthorpe here.