New Moving Technology For Large Heat Exchanger

Air Products and Chemical's heavy heat exchanger manufacturing facility in Wilkes-Barrie, Pennsylvania use two 120 ton capacity Wheelift transporter s that operate in tandem to lift an carry natural gas heat exchanger who primary components typically weigh in the range of 210 ton, and consists of thousands of strands of 3/8" diameter aluminum tubing wrapped around a steel pipe core in a winding operation that takes up to 6 months to complete. The Wheelift transporters are used to lift the finished heat exchanger cores out of the winding machines and deliver to various pars to the plant where they are inserted into a heavy rolled plate outer shell, before finish assembly into a completed massive multi section heat exchanger.

The massive heat exchangers are assembled in a plant that has no crane capacity to lift and carry those types of loads. The massive components move freely throughout the many operating bays of APC's plant solely relying on the Wheelift transporters to move deftly in tight manufacturing spaces. Typical travel includes crossing multiple sets of abandoned in-floor rails.