Case Study: Macquarie Generation achieves safer, standards-compliant crane upgrades with Rockwell Automation

Safety Inspection Prompts Upgrade to Aging Cranes at Bayswater Power

Macquarie Generation, operator of Bayswater Power Station in New South Wales, needed to upgrade two aging overhead cranes to meet current Australian safety standards and address obsolescence after a mandatory 25-year inspection. The existing crane structures also posed a challenge because the electrical system had to be redesigned to fit through small manholes in a cramped electrics house.

Rockwell Automation delivered a custom retrofit solution, providing project management, engineering, manufacture, installation and commissioning using GuardLogix® and PowerFlex® DC drives mounted on custom-built gear plates, plus data logging with FactoryTalk® Historian ME. The upgrade improved safety and certification compliance, added fault-tolerant protection, and gave Macquarie Generation reliable operating data and advanced diagnostics; the project was completed in about a year and the cranes have performed well since.

Macquarie Generation

Satish Busuapala

Acting Team Leader