Project Case Study 5
Remote Handling Hoist's Development
Project Overview
Role
Scope
Key Value
Status
Mechanical Engineering Lead
Design and development of 7 remote handling hoists and 21 specialist lifting attachments for handling irradiated monolith components.
Delivered an integrated lifting solution enabling the safe remote handling of irradiated components in a nuclear research environment.
Design completed and issued build-for-print following project reprioritisation.
Client
Sector
Location
Nuvia
Nuclear Research Infrastructure
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Summary
DSK Engineering led the development of seven true vertical lift hoists with twenty-one specialised lifting attachments designed for the remote handling of irradiated monolith components at the European Spallation Source.
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The hoists were designed to mount directly onto the top of transport and storage casks developed by NUVIA. This configuration enables the safe lifting and movement of activated components while maintaining the shielding and containment provided by the casks.
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Daniel Kelly served as Engineering Lead, responsible for coordinating mechanical and electrical system integration, managing interfaces with the cask designs, and ensuring the hoist systems met client specifications and applicable lifting standards.
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The project progressed through detailed design and was ultimately issued build-for-print, ready for manufacture.
CAD model of Hoist 7 with grapple and MCLD attachment
Key Contributions
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Led the end-to-end engineering design of seven vertical lift hoist systems and their associated lifting attachments.
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Integrated mechanical and electrical systems into a safety-critical remote handling solution.
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Managed interfaces with the NUVIA cask designs, resolving mounting arrangements, clashes, and tolerance stack-ups.
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Developed balancing mechanisms within the grapple assemblies to improve stability during lifting of irregular or off-centre loads.
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Produced and reviewed technical documentation including CAD models, detailed drawings, method statements, and risk assessments.
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Ensured compliance with client specifications and relevant lifting standards.
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Delivered the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing effective remote collaboration and communication methods with distributed engineering teams and the NUVIA design team.
Section through the Hoist 7 Grapple showing space constraints
Technical Highlight – Spring Pack Load Balancing
Some components handled by the hoists had centres of gravity offset from their lifting points, meaning variations in wire rope stretch could cause the lifting device to tilt outside the required ±0.5° level tolerance.
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To solve this, an adjustable spring-pack system was developed and integrated into the rope termination assemblies. As the load is lifted, the spring packs allow controlled vertical movement at each lifting point, compensating for differences in rope elongation and keeping the component level.
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The assemblies were analysed and verified against lifting loads, with displacement ranges designed to accommodate the expected rope stretch for each hoist configuration.
Section depicting the spring packs loaded and unloaded
Client Benefit
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Delivered a complete build-for-print hoist design package ready for manufacture.
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Provided a lifting solution capable of handling complex and asymmetric loads safely.
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Ensured alignment between hoist systems and NUVIA cask designs, reducing interface risks.
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Maintained compliance with safety-critical nuclear lifting requirements.
Continued Engineering Support
After the hoist programme was retendered and awarded to another supplier, Daniel was re-engaged to provide engineering support during the early manufacturing phase of the first hoist.
This work included:
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Updating CAD models and drawings during design development.
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Providing guidance on original design intent.
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Reviewing and approving key design changes.
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Responding to technical queries from manufacturing and engineering teams.
This support ensured the technical integrity of the original design was maintained as the project transitioned from design into manufacture.