Rolling instead of trailing

• What was needed: "Heavy Duty" roller energy chain, guide trough, floating moving end, "Easy Push/Pull Detection System 2.0" Condition Monitoring System
• Requirements: Heavy-duty energy supply system, reliable system despite heavy dust loads in the plant
• Industry: Waste incineration, cranes
• Success for the customer: Installation without interrupting ongoing operations, high flexibility of the energy chain thanks to simple insertion of additional cables as required

The incineration plant in Cologne, which opened in 1998, turns waste into energy and is particularly efficient in the process. This is because, unlike other residual waste incineration plants, the waste to be incinerated is first pre-sorted and mixed.
After metal separation, the various waste streams are thoroughly mixed and only then fed into the residual waste bunker. From there, grab cranes fill the hoppers of the four boilers. The four bunker cranes are subjected to heavy loads at AVG, which incinerates around 710,000 tonnes of residual waste. The moving parts, in particular, are subjected to heavy loads due to the large quantities of sticky dust that inevitably arise in such plants. 
Dipl.-Ing. Oliver M. Hamm, Plant Engineer for Electrical and Control Engineering: "In the course of preventive maintenance, we looked around for a new system for the power and signal supply. The existing trailing cables were and are still intact. But we have to be prepared in case a cable fails irreparably. This would be signalled by an interruption in the power or signal supply. Then we would still have time because we could repair the fault. But we would then have to put an alternative system into operation in the foreseeable future to ensure the availability of the cranes."

When selecting a new energy supply system, the energy chain quickly came to mind - more precisely, a "heavy duty" roller energy chain from igus®.
The encapsulated design of the rollers and the high tensile stability of the chain ensure problem-free operation even under adverse environmental conditions, as is undoubtedly the case in the RMVA Cologne. The torsional strength of the "roller-e-chain®" is also very high. In addition, the entire construction is designed to ensure a high degree of wear resistance even under unfavourable conditions. For example, the rolling resistance is consistently low even in applications with dirt. Another reason why the operator opted for the roller energy chain was the greater flexibility. If other control systems are used in the future, additional cables can simply be inserted into the chain. This is not possible with the trailing cable. This is why the chains are only around 75% equipped. Two reverse chains are accommodated in each trough; the feed is located in the centre. A floating moving end ensures horizontal and vertical equalisation
The range of solutions also includes an "Easy Push/Pull Detection System 2.0" condition monitoring system for energy chains, which is installed at each individual moving end. The system monitors the displacement force of the energy chain and immediately switches off the movement if a defined force is exceeded in order to prevent potential damage.