Zoomlion ZCC13000 lifts turbines at minus 40C in Kazakhstan

Cold, wind and frozen ground

Astana is the second-coldest capital in the world, and the site presented three problems at once: extreme low temperature, operations from frozen ground and persistent wind interference during lifts. The wind farm is one of Kazakhstan’s key projects under its energy transition programme.

The ZCC13000 took the main lifting duties for tower sections and nacelles, rigged in a 105+7 m wind power configuration. Zoomlion says the crane’s wide crawler contact area and stability allowed it to work from the ice sheet where ground bearing capacity was liable to fluctuate.

Built for the temperature

The machine uses low-temperature-resistant special steel and a customised low-temperature hydraulic system, intended to keep power delivery consistent at minus 40 degrees. Cold-weather hydraulics are a real constraint on crane work in these conditions, as oil viscosity changes sharply and control response degrades with it.

“At such low temperatures, the viscosity of hydraulic oil changes dramatically, yet Zoomlion’s equipment still operates very smoothly.”

— Project manager on site, quoted by Zoomlion

Operators worked from a heated cab, monitoring the machine through high-definition cameras and sensors rather than relying on direct sightlines in the cold. Zoomlion reports millimetre-level alignment when landing turbine components weighing several hundred tonnes, achieved in single attempts despite gusting wind.

Sub-zero work also changes what the operator can safely do. Response times lengthen, structures behave differently, and the margin for correcting a swinging load narrows — which is why the camera and sensor setup, allowing the operator to stay in the cab and still see what the hook is doing, is more than a comfort feature.

A machine with a record in extremes

The ZCC13000 has form in difficult environments. The same model previously set lifting records at 3,400 metres altitude in the mountains of Liangshan, Sichuan province, before being deployed to the Eurasian interior.

With the first turbine erected, the Kazakh project is moving into its peak construction phase. Once complete it is expected to supply clean power to Astana and the surrounding region. For the crane market, the more interesting point is the widening envelope Chinese crawler cranes are now being asked to work in — from high-altitude plateaus to sub-arctic winter sites — and the specification changes, in steel grades and hydraulic systems, that follow from it.

Source: Zoomlion — Photos: Zoomlion