Bigge Crane & Rigging Co.

Since 1916, The Leader in Crane Sales & Heavy Rigging
for Industrial, Commercial and Governmental Applications

Bigge Power Constructors, as subcontractor to Westinghouse, performed the following nuclear reactor vessel head (RVH) replacement work involving heavy lift and heavy transportation.

• Engineered custom solutions for the plant’s head and Containment circumstances, with containment equipment hatch located at grade
• Fabricated lifting and skidding devices and runways to move the RVH heads
• Ensured devices account for RVH with CRDM’s attached
• Ensured devices account for extremely tight clearances through equipment hatches
• Moved Duratek transportation container into Containment, upended, and placed on RVH
• Removed the existing RVH from containment inside the Duratek container
• Installed specialized Bigge handling equipment in Containment including a through-hatch runway system
• Moved into Containment, upended, lifted and set replacement RVH with CRDM’s attached
• Transported RVH and Duratek container and trans-loaded for road travel to disposal

Bigge Constructors successfully dealt with the following challenges on this project.

• Engineering unique solution to RVH accounting for CRDM’s, tight clearances and the at grade equipment hatch access
• Handling, skidding and rotating the RVH with CRDM’s attached
• Handling and lifting RV heads with CRDM’s attached approximately 150 tons
• Beating the critical path schedule while achieving low dose and safety

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