The bridge of the polar crane for unit 1 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in East China's Fujian province was lifted into place and installed as one whole piece on August 24. This is the first time the components of the bridge for a Hualong One unit have been hoisted as a whole, laying a solid foundation for the introduction of main equipment and the installation of the inner dome.

The bridge of a polar crane is an important part of the crane. As a significant piece of lifting equipment for nuclear power plants, a polar crane is located on top of the reactor building and is used to install heavy equipment in the reactor building as well as lighter loads. During the operation of the plant, it is used for reactor refueling and various lifting services required in equipment maintenance.

This hoisting is carried out using a 3,200-ton crawler crane. Components like electrical beams, non-electric beams, end beams, horizontal wheels and a rotating mechanism were assembled on the ground and then lifted and installed as a whole.

At present, in terms of the installation of polar cranes, most domestic nuclear power plants would assemble the components of the polar cranes on the ground, then disassemble them after data measurements, lift the components into targeted places separately and then re-assemble them. Although this installation technology is very mature, it has drawbacks, including requiring a large amount of demanding work high above ground. In order to optimize the installation process, the management team of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant adopted a new installation technique by analyzing other experiences in the installation of the components of polar cranes at home and aboard. The new technology simplifies the complex disassembly and assembly process of lifting and installing the components individually, which greatly improves installation efficiency.