Massive Crane Recruited for CC Project

Photos by Bill Branson

Quite A Stretch — This long-armed crane was recently brought into NIH to replace an air handler in the west penthouse of Bldg. 10 as part of a major renovation to the radiology department on the first floor. The work took place starting May 26 when the 450-ton crane was set; it is the second largest rubber-tired crane on the east coast and required another crane to help set up. On May 27, workmen started hoisting the new unit and all the ductwork that was made up ahead of time, said Fred Manuel of the CC Office of Facility Management. "The new unit was made up of 18 sections that had to fit in a tight space inside the existing mechanical room. The new unit weighed 25,700 lbs. and has a heating and cooling capacity of 22,500 cubic feet per minute of air." During crane operations, several passing thunderstorms interrupted work; when the wind tops 12 mph, the crane shuts down automatically because of a sensor on the top of the boom. By May 28, the crane was gone. Manuel said the air-handler replacement project was in the works for about a year. "A lot of coordination had to be in place to pull this off," he said. "The reason the (Memorial Day) holiday week was picked for the replacement was that it was less disruptive to the always busy radiology department."