Acrane safety monitor (CSM) from Piab Sweden is helping to safeguard crane operations in offshore fabrication yards and shipyards. Piab is a specialist in overload protection, weighing, and force measurement.
The CSM is an electronic control unit which gives warning when a crane is overloaded. Loading data is provided by force transducers installed at relevant points and evaluated by a processor in the control box. When pre-set loading levels are exceeded, an alarm sounds.
The unit helps to protect both personnel and property against hazards arising from an overloaded crane, says Bo Lundmark, head of sales. Through monitoring the crane’s operational conditions, it can also calculate the safe working period before the next service is required. Furthermore, the system is self-checking, with any functional faults detected resulting in an overload indication.
Versatile dynamometer
Another Piab product is the mechanical dynamometer for measuring mechanical forces. In the oil industry, it is often employed to check that the tensile load in stay wires applied to drilling rigs is equalized to within an accuracy of +/- 50 kg. One confirmed user is drilling contractor Deutsche Schachtbau-und Tiefbohrgesellschaft mbH (DST). After extensive comparative tests, DST decided that Piab’s instrument fulfilled its requirements best. Now it uses only Piab dynamometers, with more than 100 units in operation. Other German drilling contractors using Piab dynamometers for this purpose are KCA Deutag, Fagro, Itag, Prakla-Seimos, and Wellco Drill.
The instrument is of simple and robust design, consisting of a pull-rod, which when moved operates a scale drum through a square thread stem. Remote readings are possible using a built-in precision potentiometer, which is directly connected to the scale mechanism of the dynamometer. As a purely mechanical instrument, it can be used in hazardous environments without requiring explosion-proof certification. It is also suited for applications in very cold temperatures in which battery-operated devices would not function.
For more information, contact Bo Lundmark, Piab Sweden. Tel +46 8630 83900, fax +46 8540 213 64, [email protected], www.piab.net.
