Link-Belt 30-ton RTC modernizes aging Texas power plant

LaGrange, Texas (April, 2000) — Most electrical power plants, such as the Fayette Power Project in LaGrange, Texas, have been on-line for more than 20 years and must be constantly upgraded to comply with newer, more stringent anti-pollution requirements. This is a challenge for many plant operators. The old plants are often being asked to produce more and cheaper electricity at a time when they must frequently be off-line to perform vital preventive maintenance or rehabilitation procedures. Sometimes the equipment called upon to do this work is often as old as the power plants themselves.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which operates the Fayette Power Project, is working to maintain and modernize its plant by using a Link-Belt 30-ton capacity rough terrain crane. Such was the case at the Fayette Power Project where the new Link-Belt RTC-8030 Series II was recently acquired. It replaces both a 20- and a 40-ton capacity crane. The reason it was capable of replacing two older models is the advances in crane technology that Link-Belt has pioneered in recent years.

The LCRA is a conservation and reclamation district created by the Texas legislature in 1934. Its stated mission is to improve the quality of life in central Texas. LCRA receives no state tax money, can levy no taxes, and operates on revenues received from wholesale electric, water sales and other services. As such, the LCRA provides wholesale electricity to 11 cooperatives and 35 cities. They own Fayette Power Project, two natural gas plants and six hydroelectric dams on the Highland Lakes. They also own and operate more than 3,700 miles of transmission lines that carry electricity to 250 substations throughout LCRA’s vast service area.

Over one million people in a 53-county area of east-central Texas depend on the 1,630 megawatts of electricity generated by the three coal-fired power units of LCRA’s Fayette Power Project. Units 1 and 2 can each produce 590 megawatts or a combined total of 1,180 megawatts of power. Ownership of these is shared equally by the City of Austin and the LCRA. Unit 3 can produce an additional 450 megawatts and is fully owned by the LCRA.

The RTC-8030 Series II crane is owned by the LCRA. Operator Dan Neiser was quoted as saying that, “We needed all the boom and jib we had with the RTC-8030 Series II when we were replacing a 2,000 pound compressor at the top of the Turbine Building at Unit 3. We were working out at about a 68-foot radius. At another location, the Turbine Buildings of Units 1 & 2, we also needed the crane’s maximum reach when we were assisting in the replacement of siding and roofing materials. Here the boom angle was around 57 degrees and the individual load weights varied from 500 to 1,000 pounds. We also needed maximum reach when we were placing tool sheds and materials on our own maintenance building,” continued Neiser, who is also responsible for crane maintenance.

“We use the crane around the facility in a variety of applications. Probably the most important of these is that it always be ready to perform when we are. Since the plant operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, our crane must also. When it is needed, it is needed right then,” said Ken Brothers.

“As a planner, it is my responsibility to schedule the crane’s use for the routine maintenance tasks. This is easy; I’ve been here for over 20 years and know the routine. It’s the unexpected that is almost impossible to schedule. If an incident occurs in the middle of the night that requires an emergency response by a crew, there’s a good possibility that they might need a crane, too. That’s when we really depend on the reliability of a machine,” says Brothers.

“We were in a period of relative calm at the shop one day when the typical call for the crane came in. A crew working on the limestone conveyor belts needed assistance in replacing some worn roller units. We needed the boom fully extended but didn’t require the jib. The working radius was 57 feet with about a 49-degree boom angle to lift the 900-pound roller assemblies. It was a typical ‘in and out’ operation and we were back at the shop in a short time. One of the many reasons for having chosen a rough terrain version hydraulic crane is that the crew is often called upon to service areas around the Fayette Power Projects water intake and dam structures. These are off-road locations and require the additional handling capabilities provided by the RTC-8030 Series II.

The selection and purchase of their new Link-Belt RTC-8030 Series II hydraulic rough terrain crane only exemplifies the LCRA’s commitment to advanced technologies in advancement of their mission of improving the quality of life in central Texas.