Ain Dubai: VAHLE completes project on the world's largest and highest Ferris wheel
Work on the Ain Dubai, the world's largest and tallest Ferris wheel with a height of more than 250 meters, has been completed. The project team has installed around 15 kilometers of the U35/600 C conductor system, which were specially developed for this purpose, 100 double and single current collectors, and almost 100 control cabinets on the Ferris wheel. These supply power to the 48 luxury cabins and the approximately 65,000 LEDs on the spokes. Due to the increased risk of lightning strikes that prevails at such heights, VAHLE also supplied 1.5 kilometers of specially tested conductor systems as lightning conductors. Following the successful "Site Acceptance Test" in summer 2020, the order has now been completed. From October 21, the Ain Dubai will then also rotate for visitors.
"The work on the Ain Dubai was a mammoth task and presented exceptional challenges. In the process, the project demanded a very tight schedule from us for the design and manufacture and required almost half a year of round-the-clock installation. We are proud that we have now successfully completed the project," says a delighted Achim Dries, Managing Director of Paul Vahle GmbH & Co KG. The bidding phase started almost four years ago. In the course of this, the Kamen-based system provider for mobile industrial applications carried out several tenders and clarified the technical and other project details. "Now the electrification of the cabins is in place, the entire wheel is illuminated and the responsible authorities have accepted the systems. Our mission has thus been fulfilled," says Dries.
The project team has installed just under 15 kilometers, of conductor system encased in high-temperature-resistant special plastic, and almost 100 switch cabinets on the gigantic steel colossus. Achim Dries explains, "The innovative product was specially adapted to the environmental conditions of the Ain Dubai and is capable of transmitting current of up to 1,500 amperes."
On the highest and largest Ferris wheel in the world, however, VAHLE systems are not only responsible for the power supply, but also for the lightning discharge of electricity: "As in Germany, there are also legal regulations for personal protection in Dubai. Because at such heights, the risk of a lightning strike is naturally enormous," emphasizes Dries. That's why about 1.5 kilometers of open conductor system serve as lightning rods. In the event of a lightning strike, it is discharged into the ground via the spindle and supports. "The conductor system certified by the Dehn company meets the requirements of the highest lightning protection class," says Dries.
With a height of over 250 meters, the Ain Dubai is once again significantly larger than the 165-meter-high Singapore Flyer in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore or the 119-meter-high Ferris wheel at ICON Park in Orlando. In both rides, the amusement park experts from Kamen were also responsible for the energy supply to the cabins. And the next project is already in the starting blocks, as Managing Director Achim Dries reports: "With our expert knowledge, we have also convinced those responsible for the "Sun of Moscow"." Weather conditions also play a special role in the Russian capital, which is why VAHLE has already developed heatable conductor systems.
