Reliable winches from Pfaff-silberblau for sustainable energy production in biogas plants

Corrosion-resistant and ATEX-compliant hand wire rope winches and rack and pinion jacks for agitator adjustments

Kissing/Germany, 23 July 2012 - Energy production from renewable raw materials is in fashion, but at times however places high requirements in terms of operational safety – for instance in the production of biogas. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, has been equipping biogas plants for many years with specially designed products made by Pfaff-silberblau. For the adjustment of the agitators in the large fermentation tanks, otherwise known as fermenters, hand wire rope winches and rack and pinion jacks from Pfaff-silberblau are used for example. In this regard, depending on the application, the plant operators have the following choice: besides winches from stainless steel and featuring a special coating, ATEX-compliant versions are also available for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Stainless steel hand winch with sheathed core synthetic fibre rope For the vertical adjustment of the agitator, which stirs up the biomass at regular intervals, Pfaff-silberblau offers the hand wire rope winch LB. This high-performance wire rope winch with a stainless steel housing has been used for many years in biogas plants and, in the standard version equipped with a stainless steel rope, moves a load of up to 900 kg over a hoisting height of 26 m. The Kissing-based company has now replaced the conventional steel rope with an 8 mm thick corrosion-resistant sheathed core synthetic fibre rope. It carries loads of up to 430 kg over a lifting height of 9 m and is resistant to the aggressive environment besides being rust-proof. The new resistant rope has been developed in collaboration with biogas equipment suppliers and successfully tested in practice. Hand wire rope winch OMEGA ATEX for potentially explosive atmospheres Because, as in all gas-producing plants, safety-critical areas also exist in biogas plants in which no sparks are allowed to be produced, many plant operators opt for the OMEGA ATEX hand wire rope winch from Pfaff-silberblau as an alternative to the wire rope winch LB. Depending on the design, it lifts a load of 630 kg over a length of 22 m or 1,000 kg over 17 m. The OMEGA ATEX has been specially designed for use in potentially explosive applications and complies with protection class EX II GD ck IIB T3 195°C. The gearbox, which also houses the brake that runs in an oil bath, is fully encapsulated. Special materials and a special surface coating go to complete the safety features of the OMEGA ATEX. Wall-mounted rack and pinion jack: with explosion-proof coating In addition to hand wire rope winches, biogas plant operators also use wall-mounted rack and pinion jacks from Pfaff-silberblau. Their housings have been redesigned specifically for this application and provided with a special surface coating. As a result, these winches satisfy the increased requirements with regard to corrosion resistance, without sacrificing any power: The wall-mounted rack and pinion jacks can lift loads of 250 kg and are available in 300 mm and 550 mm hoisting heights. In addition to the rack and pinion jack with a special coating, Pfaff-silberblau also offers an ATEX version with protection class EX II GD ck IIB T3 195°C, which has also been developed specifically for use in biogas plants and similar potentially explosive atmospheres. This winch’s housing and the rack are both made from stainless steel. Electricity, gas and heat from renewable energies With these winches specially designed for use in biogas plants, Pfaff-silberblau is following the trend towards sustainable energy production. In Germany, the biogas produced from renewable raw materials is generally used for generating electricity and heat in combined heating and power stations. In other countries, biogas or bio-methane is used directly, as is the waste heat generated during the biogas production process.

About Columbus McKinnon and Pfaff-silberblau The company Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, has ranked with its brands Pfaff-silberblau and Alltec Antriebstechnik for many decades amongst the technology leaders in components and system solutions for mechanical motion and lifting technology. The portfolio ranges from sophisticated screw jack elements to innovative linear drives through to powerful lifting tables and wire rope winches. On the basis of these components, Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products also offers customised solutions for a wide range of different fields of application. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products is a subsidiary of the listed Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO), Amherst/USA, a leading supplier of lifting and materials handling equipment. Worldwide, the Group has around 2,600 employees at 18 production sites in seven countries and at 52 other company branches. Further information on Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products along with its brands Pfaff-silberblau and Alltec Antriebstechnik is available online at www.pfaff-silberblau.com.