The inaugural lift for a Profi TI 100 tonne air operated hoist unit has been successfully accomplished at the St Fergus gas terminal located near Peterhead on the North East coast of Scotland.

This powerful hoist is one of the latest pieces of heavy duty lifting equipment recently added to the J D Neuhaus hire range, and is believed to be one of the largest air driven hoists available for hire in Europe. It complements an extensive range of fully Ex rated JDN hoists, with lift capacities from 250kg up to 100 tonnes, now available from the rapidly expanding hire fleet at the recently opened
J D Neuhaus service centre in Aberdeen.

The important operation of lifting a furnace from a dedicated low-loader unit within the live area of the St Fergus gas terminal was undertaken by Enermech Limited, a specialist lifting company who have headquarters in Aberdeen. The St Fergus terminal processes gas from over 20 North Sea fields and is responsible for transporting offshore gas to shore, receiving the gas onshore, processing the gas to National Grid specification, delivering the gas to shippers and ensuring a balance between supply and demand.

The lift site within the terminal was in close proximity to gas pipes which carry up to 20% of the daily gas supplies required for the UK. Mobile cranes were not permitted in the live area, so a pre-manufactured lifting frame was supplied to support both the hoist and the load. After suitable positioning within the plant, the lift, transfer and positioning of the furnace was safely and successfully carried out, providing a cost effective solution to the task in hand.
Arthur Hedley, Managing Director at J D Neuhaus UK commented “the Profi 100 TI hoist is proving to be a very desirable addition to our rental fleet which is now being utilised on a global basis and has also recently been strengthened by the addition of a further forty units, including four 50 tonne plus eight 25 tonne hoist units.”

The Profi TI air operated hoists available in the hire fleet are all fitted with top suspension hooks with optional manual, reel chain and motorised trolleys available for conversion to overhead rail mountings to accommodate lateral load transfer movements. Hoists with lift capacities from 250kg up to 100 tonnes can be supplied, all Ex rated for hazardous area operation. They incorporate sensitive, infinitely variable speed controls for the precise positioning of loads and are insensitive to dust and humidity in operating temperatures from -20°C up to +70°C.