Electrification of rubber-tyred gantries

The E-RTG solution developed by the leading specialist in energy supply systems for mobile equipment will be used in the Express Yard in South Korea, the Nagoya United Container Terminal in Japan and the New Century Container Terminal in China.

These three orders have a combined value in excess of 2.5 million Euros.

At the South Korean site Conductix-Wampfler will install 17 drive-in units, with a total system length of 8km distributed over 22 blocks. The Chinese contract will involve installation of 28 drive-in units with a total system length of about 3.2km, and at Nagoya 10 blocks will be electrified, with a total length of 2.9km.

Here 32 RTGs will be equipped with conventional plugin units. The technology for Japan and South Korea will be delivered directly from Weil am Rhein, while the drive-in units for the Chinese ports will be manufactured by the Chinese production facilities of Conductix-Wampfler.

In another order from Japan placed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co Ltd in February, a total of 13 existing and four new RTGs in Hakata Port in Fukuoka will be equipped with the drive-in technology developed by the German company. This contract for the electrification of dieselpowered RTGs will receive state support in the framework of a Japanese government programme for carbon dioxide reduction.

Claus Burger of Conductix-Wampfler Deutschland explained that each of the 17 RTGs for Hakata Port will receive two drive-in units. This will permit the replacement of a crane in a parallel corridor without the need for a 180-degree turn. The arrangement will also save steel, since one steel framework between two container corridors can be supplied with conductor rail systems on the right and left sides of both corridors, he points out.

A total of 15 blocks will be equipped, with the total length of power transmission segments being 3.8km. The Conductix-Wampfler 0813 conductor rail system with 1000 amperes and four parallel phases will be used.

Last year in Shenzhen, China, Conductix-Wampfler successfully completed the pilot project for this forward-looking technology for 32 container corridors. “This order from Japan confirms that we are on the right track with our environmentally and resource friendly approach, and that our innovative technology will be received positively around the world,” commented Daniel Dörflinger, CEO of Conductix- Wampfler AG.

The company estimates that in some instances more than 50% of total energy consumption in a port can be due to diesel-powered RTGs which are essential for cargo handling. Many operators are therefore looking for suitable power supply alternatives for this type of crane.

With the retooling to E-RTG with Conductix- Wampfler’s drive-in unit, manual “plugging in” of the RTG crane into the connection trolley of the conductor rail system can be avoided. Instead the connection trolley is automatically steered to the guide rails of the steel frame when the RTG crane enters the corridor, and the connectors are safely guided into the contact lines.

This drive-in solution thus saves time and energy, increasing the efficiency of a terminal while reducing its environmental burden. There are currently more than 700 RTGs worldwide equipped with this innovative E RTG technology.