For a very important company EPC, which operates in the Oil & Gas sector, Morello Giovanni, has designed and made a series of explosion proof transporter trucks that are electrical and omnidirectional.
These battery powered explosion proof transporter trucks have been designed taking into account the very special customer requirements, which needed to handle very heavy materials on particular ships used for collecting and storing oil and natural gas, also known as FPSO and FLNG.
In order to be able to operate in such a strict environment the explosion proof transporter trucks have to comply with extremely binding technical specifications.
First and foremost, the machines must be suitable for working in an offshore environment, which is extremely corrosive for all the components installed on board the machine; there is also the risk of jets of water, including very violent ones. For these reasons components made from STAINLESS steel and with minimum IP65 protection have been assembled.
Another very complex problem that was faced was the fact that these explosion proof transporter trucks had to operate on a ship. A ship presents three main problems for trucks that have to carry large loads, as it is an object in constant motion, which has pitching and rolling. Firstly, it was therefore necessary to calculate how the forces deriving from these movements influenced the structure of the trucks and the floor of the ship itself, which is not suitable for bearing peak loads that are too high. It was also necessary to calculate the power needed for these explosion proof transporter trucks to operate, considering that pitching and rolling involve overcoming gradients, even very high ones (over 16%!). Finally, it was necessary to consider the safety factor very carefully, guaranteeing a suitable friction coefficient to prevent slipping in the event of sudden movements of the ship, and the trucks overturning due to displacement of the centre of gravity of the loads being transported.
To the critical issues outlined above should be added perhaps the most important one: the environment at risk of explosion which is typical of these ships used for the extraction and storage of fossil fuels. For this reason these explosion proof transporter trucks are fitted exclusively with ATEX components and have been certified ATEX by a certified body that has checked the design and realization of them.
A very special feature of these explosion proof battery-powered trucks is that they have been supplied with a battery charging station that is also ATEX-certified. It is therefore possible to recharge the transporter truck batteries even in a dangerous area, classified as ATEX.
Given the restricted spaces of a ship, these explosion proof transporter trucks are completely omnidirectional, so they can therefore move in any direction thus optimising the manoeuvre spaces needed.
Morello also produces IECEx / ATEX trolleys for hazardous environments with different designs and each electric trolley can be customised on request by the customer in each of its details. Here some examples can be seen: IECEx / ATEX trolleys for hazardous environments
OMNI DR
12 t – 3,800 x 2,500 mm
Main features:
Capacity: 12 t (up to over 500 tons)
Steering: omnidirectional
Power supply: ATEX certified gel batteries (lithium, lead-acid and others on request)
Traction motors: ATEX certified AC brushless
Steering motors: ATEX certified AC brushless
Dimensions: 3,800 x 2,500 mm
Speed: 30 m/min
Battery autonomy: 5 km
Control: pendant push-button
