A major theme park in the southern United States built a new multi-launch steel roller coaster that pushed the boundaries of roller coaster design. The coaster's components were unconventional in the industry, making it more challenging and expensive to build, but the result would be an industry first and provide guests with a unique roller coaster experience: riders would stop at seven different locations to watch a 3D animation play as the coaster decelerates before launching riders farther down the coast.
Since the park owners did not purchase the electrical wiring for the roller coaster from the manufacturer, they relied on their electrician to determine how to install the wiring to connect all of the components of the roller coaster. The contractor contacted HELUKABEL because our wiring had already been used on two other rides the park had installed. After reviewing the materials list from the ride manufacturer, it was determined that the wiring needed was relatively simple and consisted of control cables such as TRAYCONTROL® 600, MEGAFLEX® 500, and TOPFLEX® 1000 motor cables. One major change that HELUKABEL USA recommended to the electrical contractor was to install the wiring in conduit instead of conduit to connect many of the ride’s electrical components.
Recent changes to NFPA 79, which prescribes safety measures for industrial machinery to protect controls, equipment, plant and work-in-progress from fire and electrical hazards, made it possible at the time to install a large portion of the cables in cable trays that were laid around the ride. This allowed contractors to install the cables more quickly and the park’s maintenance personnel to more easily replace the cables during routine inspections when necessary. In addition, HELUKABEL advised the contractor that the TRAYCONTROL® 600 and TOPFLEX® 1000 could be laid outside the cable tray due to their TC-ER (tray cable – exposed run) value, as long as the cable was properly supported.
At the time of construction, the coaster had the longest track length in roller coaster history and featured a “drop section” that was not as simple as many of the other electrical components in the coaster's wiring system.
The drop section was unique in that it had to support a section of track, the passenger car and the 12 motors with their controls while falling just under five metres at an acceleration rate of almost ten metres per second. During the installation of the hoist mechanism, HELUKABEL was asked by the electrical contractor to assist in the design and procurement of a vertical drag chain that could carry the 61 cables required for the power supply and control of the motors.
HELUKABEL engineers found a drag chain manufacturer that had developed a new product specifically designed to be very quiet and used in vertical drag chain applications, making it the perfect choice for this project. In addition to determining where and how to mount the drag chain, the placement of other components on the ride also had to be considered, as there was limited space to install it. The drag chain manufacturer provided 3D modeling software and integrated it into the customer’s plans to verify the functionality of the chain.
After the design was completed, the contractor began assembling the attraction. In total, the tow chain weighed almost 300 kilograms and was almost seven meters long. To make the installation process more manageable, the parts of the attraction were assembled and then the structure of the pavilion was built around it to house the parts.
Before testing began, it was discovered that special 40-meter long feedback cable assemblies were not available from the manufacturer within 20 weeks, but after consultation with HELUKABEL, delivery was realized within four weeks. After installation of these feedback cables, the drag chain and the roller coaster were tested with positive results.
The roller coaster has been running smoothly to the delight of the amusement park and its guests. This unique and fun attraction of the theme park has since earned the distinction of “The Best Coaster”.