For a major EPC company operating in the oil and gas sector, Morello has designed and produced a series of electric omnidirectional explosion proof trolleys.
These battery powered explosion proof trolleys have been designed taking into account very special requirements of the customer, who needed to move extremely heavy materials on special ships used for collecting and storing oil and natural gas, called FPSO and FLNG.
In order to be able to operate under such a demanding environment, the explosion proof trolleys had to conform to extremely rigid technical specifications.
First of all the machine had to be suitable for working in an offshore environment, which can be extremely corrosive for all of the onboard components. There is also the risk of water spouts, some very violent. For this reason stainless steel components are used with a minimum IP65 protection.
Another very complex challenge that has to be faced is the fact that these explosion proof trolleys have to operate on a ship. A ship presents three main problems for trolleys carrying heavy loads: it is in constant motion, has pitch and also roll. In the first place it is therefore necessary to calculate how the forces deriving from this movement influence the structure of the trolley and of the ship’s floor, which is not suited to support extremely high peak loads. Moreover it is necessary to calculate the power requirements needed to operate these explosion proof trolleys, taking into account the the fact that the pitch and roll involve even higher gradients that need to be overcome (over 16%!). Finally, it was necessary to carefully consider safety factors, guaranteeing a coefficient of friction suitable for avoiding slippage in cases of sudden movements of the ship and overturning of the trolley from a shift in the center of gravity of the transported load.
In addition to the above mentioned issued, perhaps the most critical is the environment at risk of explosion typical of ships used for the extraction and storage of fossil fuels. For this reason these explosion proof
trolleys are fitted exclusively with ATEX components and are ATEX certified by a certifying body that has inspected the design and production.
One very special feature of these explosion proof trolleys is that they have been provided with a battery charging station that is also ATEX certified. Consequently, it is possible to recharge the trolleys’ batteries even in ATEX classified, danger zones.
Given the restricted spaces of a ship these explosion proof trolleys are completely omnidirectional, and can therefore move in any direction, optimizing the maneuvering space.
Morello produces ATEX and IECEx trolleys for explosive environments with different designs and each electric trolley can be customized on the customer’s request in each detail. Check out some examples here: Exposion proof trolleys
OMNI DR
12 t – 3,800 x 2,500 mm
Main features:
Capacity: 12 t (up to over 500 tons)
Steering: omnidirectional
Power: ATEX certified gel battery (lithium, lead-acid and others on request)
Traction motors: ATEX certified brushless AC
Steering motors: ATEX certified brushless AC
Size: 3,800 x 2,500 mm
Speed: 30 m/min
Battery range: 5 km
Control: pendant push button station