North AmericaThe importance of correct construction methods

TBMsLessons learned in EPB tunnelling

VentilationA lifeline on the deepest undersea tunnel

ISSN 1756-4107 November 2014 www.world-tunnelling.com

CovI_WT1411.indd 1 17/10/2014 09:31

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November 2014

1CONTENTS

V ia a tunnel that he built himself. It is something reminiscent of the world’s favourite film – The Shawshank Redemption. You know the scene where Andy Dufresne acquires a rock hammer and

scratches his way from his prison cell to freedom in a tunnel concealed behind the giant poster of actress Rita Hayworth and later Raquel Welch. It took him 20 years.

Last month Omagh County Court in Northern Ireland heard how a man spent 15 years tunnelling from his bedroom to the local pub 800ft (244m) away. He was only caught when his activity caused the collapse of a sewage pipe from a neighbouring house.

The man, Patsy Kerr, explained his reason to the court: “The wife has a bad snore and after watching The Shawshank Redemption one night in 1994, I decided to do something about it. I waited until she was in a deep sleep and then set about digging a hole under the bed in the direction of the pub.”

Kerr was a man on a mission. “I used all manner of tools from spoons to a heavy-duty tunnel boring machine I managed to sneak down there when she was at the shops. It wasn’t until 2009 that I hit the jackpot and came up through the women’s toilet mop-and-bucket room.”

Kerr had spent the last five years heading to the pub via his tunnel at 11pm before returning at 1am without his wife any the wiser.

Despite explaining the smell of alcohol as a ‘natural odour’, Kerr said it was his singing that almost got him caught.

“I was singing rebel songs coming back up the tunnel and it was only a matter of time before I was caught. The landlord [of the pub] also wondered how I just appeared out of nowhere at the same time every night and disappeared from the women’s toilets.”

The tunnel was discovered after the Department of the Environment performed a survey on a sewage issue, which was later

identified to have been caused by a pipe Kerr had hit, causing sewage to leak into his tunnel for five years.

So if your husband goes missing in the middle of the night, look no further than under the bed.

LUKE BUXTON, EDITOR luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com

Man walks into a bar…

News 2

Features North America 4 TBMs 8 Ventilation 14 Immersed tunnels 16 Contacts 17

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“The landlord also wondered how I just appeared out of nowhere at the same time every night and disappeared from the women’s toilets”

Next month North America – focus on Canada Segments Grouting

…

01WT1411.indd 1 17/10/2014 09:35

2 NEWS

Morgan Advanced Materi-als has supplied a fire-pro-tection system to the 1,300m Serralunga Tunnel in Italy.

The tunnel has two escape routes, which take the form of suspended paths. The challenge that faced the design team working on this project was lining those escape paths with a material that could withstand high

temperatures, protecting both the tunnel’s structure and the people within from the ravages of fire and the effects of smoke.

The team chose FireMas-ter FireBarrier 135, supplied through specialist installer Kapyfract.

The product can be applied either in the form of pre-cast sheets, or by spraying to a substrate attached to the tunnel.

In the Serralunga Tunnel, the product has been applied over a galvanised wire mesh, allowing it to reach every part of the tunnel surface.

“Installation of approxi-mately 6,500 square feet (600m²) of [36mm thick] protection has been achieved in under 40 days,” Francesco Ferrari, specialist fire-protection consultant, commented.

Commercial explosives player Dyno Nobel and its joint-venture partner DetNet have released an electronic initiation system for underground develop-ment blasting.

DriftShot provides the underground blaster with electronic initiation while retaining the tie-in charac-teristics similar to the company’s NONEL initia-tion system.

DriftShot’s electronic accuracy can help deliver better advance rates and improved wall stability, the company said.

DriftShot has flexible timing options that assist in providing more consistent fragmentation and reduced overbreak as part of optimising underground

development blasting.The DriftShot initiation

system was designed with easy-to-use timing tem-plates for the blaster, which can also be customised for specific applications.

The Blast Control Unit allows for up to 200 detonators per channel to be fired.

DriftShot also offers minimal components at the face – the electronic DriftShot detonator in the borehole and a two-wire busline.

The DriftShot Tagger is a handheld device that communicates with detonators and collects data.

The Tagger identifies and tests each detonator contained in the blast.

Fire-protection lining system makes escape route safer at Serralunga

COWI buys Donaldson Associates

DriftShot promises better blasting

Engineering consultancy group COWI has acquired geotechnical design, tunnel and underground engineering firm Donald-son Associates.

“The acquisition is in line with our growth strategy,” Lars-Peter Søbye, CEO of COWI, said. “We have comple-mentary market cover-age, and together we will be one of the world’s leading engineering consultancies with a large, highly qualified pool of specialists who are able to bring signifi-cant strength and expert skills to our customers around the globe.”

Based in Denmark, COWI has a strong presence in the Scandina-vian and international transport market. The acquisition strengthens underground engineering in COWI and widens the skill set to include caverns, hard rock, leading edge spray concrete lining and microtunnelling.

Donaldsons employs 143 staff in five UK offices and one in Hong Kong. Continuing to operate as Donaldsons, the team will work with COWI centres in Denmark, Qatar, India and the US.

Renishaw has launched new 3-D laser scanning software to speed under-ground mapping and mod-elling operations.

Cavity Profiler allows customers to progress projects faster, by enabling quicker deployment, more efficient scanning and rapid data visualisation, editing and processing, the company said.

The software is available in two versions, to support either the Renishaw Void Scanner – a boom-deploy-able underground laser scanner – or the Renishaw C-ALS – a slimline, borehole-deployable laser scanner. The Cavity Profiler software replaces earlier versions.

The company is making both variants available to all existing customers free of charge, it announced.

Speedy scanner

1 mm

02WT1411.indd 2 17/10/2014 09:34

www.nicholsonconstruction.com

Your challenge. Our specialty.A massive grouting operation performed in the country’s busiest port requires a one-of-a-kind solution that is as innovative as it is flexible. Nicholson is performing onshore and offshore grouting ahead of the TBM for the new twin-bored Port of Miami tunnels — working around an active cruise ship schedule and strict environmental restrictions.

Geotechnical challenges come in all shapes and sizes. Fortunately, so do specialized solutions.

Nicholson with border.indd 1 14/10/2014 15:37

November 2014

4 North america

T he list of construction methods to build vertically supported excavation in the

ground is endless. A non-exclusive list of the techniques that could be used for that purpose would include, from most to least com-monly used: soldier beam and lagging; sheet piles; shaft cais-sons; diaphragm wall; secant piles; vertical boring machine; jet grout-ing; and ground freezing.

Before discussing techniques, a detailed analysis of the site has to be done to understand the limitations. Three of the most important considerations are: hydrogeology and site environ-ment (external project con-straints); the shape, depth and use of the shaft (internal project constraints); and cost and schedule (both internal and external project constraints).

In shaft construction for a tunnel project, all these param-eters are also linked to the tunnel construction itself. None of the techniques outlined above fits all circumstances, and there is no magic solution – usually more than one technique can be used.

This article will discuss two of the main techniques that are most common for access shafts or launch pits on tunnel projects when typical challenges have to be overcome, such as a high water table in an urban or semi-urban environment.

It will also discuss the main

application of each technique on several recent or ongoing projects: construction shafts using different techniques – the Columbus OARS deep sewer tunnel (Ohio); circular access shaft using secant pile wall – the Norris Cut Tunnel in Miami (Florida); and low-headroom access shaft constraints – Central Subway in San Francisco (California).

circular access shaftsWhen it comes to the shape of a shaft, the most structurally efficient type is the cylinder. The nature of the compression forces and hoop forces that develop when external radial pressure is applied make a circular-shaped shaft work in “pure” compres-sion.

Provided that the compression strength is enough in the mate-rial, combined with the absence of tension forces, the circular

shaft will not require any bracing or tying to the ground. Also, the vertical bending moments will be less than in any other shaft shape. This is what makes circular shafts so attractive, despite the fact that the use of space is generally not optimal given the footprint of a tunnelling machine. For this reason, circular shafts are mainly used for small-diameter tunnel access shafts and are more typical on combined sewer overflow projects.

Diaphragm-wall equipment cannot excavate a perfect cylindrical shaft. The equipment (mechanical or hydraulic clamshell Hydrofraise) leaves an oblong footprint in the ground for each panel. The smaller the shaft, the more difficult it is to include a circle with rectangular-shaped panels (see Figure 2).

Also, the deviation of the excavation has to be taken into consideration to account for the worst-case scenario, especially for deep shafts – although recent improvements make it possible to build a shaft with 0.3% vertical deviation or better.

Secant-pile walls can also be used to build a cylinder-shaped access shaft and are used in similar conditions, such as the diaphragm wall (high water table in non-cohesive soils). Secant-pile

the strongest solutionsWhat to consider when constructing tunnel launch pits or access shafts in challenging conditions

Fig 1: view of the excavated

OARS shaft

Fig 2: building circular shafts from flat panels

becomes harder as the diameter decreases

Fig 3: alternative shaft shape requiring less bracing

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5

Nov 2014

North america

walls have technical limitations due to the type of equipment used, with the current limitation being around 120ft in depth and the multiple joint locations; however, in similar geology, secant-pile walls can be more effective since the equipment is more versatile.

columbus oars The three tunnel access shafts were respectively 58ft, 48ft and 54ft in internal diameter, 3ft thick and 108ft, 110ft and 103ft deep. The Hydrofraise had to be used to anchor the wall 5ft into the limestone bedrock and to achieve the verticality requirements given the depth of each shaft.

In addition to the embedment into bedrock, three grouting phases were completed to ensure the complete watertightness of the shaft before excavation. The first phase of grouting was installed ahead of shaft construc-tion; the second phase was performed through pipes installed in the wall to seal the contact zones.

The temporary outer wall (97ft id) at the ODS Shaft 1 was constructed using the cutter soil mixing (CSM) method and a mechanical grabber for the construction of a digester. Shafts 1 and 2 were first drilled and grouted in the outer area of the shaft walls before D-wall con-struction. On completion of the first drill and grouting, the CSM was installed in Shaft 1. Subse-quently, the D-wall for both shafts was installed and the second phase of the drilling and grouting (through pre-installed PVC pipes into the rock formation) was completed.

Due to unforeseen subsoil conditions consisting of a heavy presence of large boulders and cobbles noted during the installation of the first panels, Nicholson Construction Company proposed the use of a mechanical grabber and chisels fitted to a crawler-type excavation crane while the bentonite/cement mix was supplied into the trench at

ground level. Installation of the soldier piles and trench size and depth was kept in accordance with the original design.

miami Norris cut Sixty eight secant piles comprise the launch shaft for the Norris Cut Tunnel Project on Virginia Key, Miami, Florida. The overlapping piles are drilled to a depth of approximately 100ft below grade with the water table at 10ft below grade. The soil formation consists of 50ft of silty sand followed by 50ft of porous, vuggy limestone.

Drilling is performed with a

Fig 4: aerial view of the Norris Cut site

04-07 N-Amer_WT1411.indd 5 17/10/2014 09:34

6 North america

rotary drill rig by advancing 1,000mm sectional double-wall casing to tip elevation. After the casing has reached tip elevation, an oscillator is used to extract the casing during the concrete pour. 6,000psi concrete is placed using traditional tremie concrete methods.

After the piles are completed, the interior of the shaft will be predrilled using a continuous flight auger to loosen up the material followed by excavation of the shaft in the wet by use of a crane and clamshell. Once the shaft is excavated, an underwater tremie slab will be poured and finally dewatered before TBM launch.

saN fraNcisco subway shaftOn this project, alternative shapes have been used to limit the amount of bracing for shafts and to take advantage of the diagram of forces that develop in cylinders.

In many cases, though, the internal and external project constraints dictate the final shape of the shaft. The project environ-ment also often imposes limita-tions on the type of equipment that can be used. Low-headroom diaphragm-wall equipment is sometimes the only option to overcome constructability issues such as low room overhead.

A working platform could not be lowered because of the high water table (5ft below the ground level) in San Francisco for the construction of the launch shaft for the two TBMs, so a low-head-room clamshell (Figure 5) was the only available option to build a 61ft-deep shaft in wet silty sands and the Old Bay deposits with 17ft of headroom.

Every step of the diaphragm-wall construction takes more time (30% to 50% slower for the excavation on average) with these

methods than using standard equipment.Out of the three steps to building a diaphragm wall (excavation / reinforcement installation / concrete pouring), the most difficult under tight overhead conditions is the reinforcement placement.

Instead of installing standard steel rebar cages, it was decided that the wall would be reinforced with W30 wide-flange soldier beams instead to accelerate the whole process. This reinforcement limits the number of splices and lifting operations, so it is easier and safer.

This article was written by Boris Caro Vargas, director of business development, at Nicholson Construction Company

Fig 6: aerial view of the launch

shaft for Central Subway in San

Francisco

Fig 5: low-headroom

diaphragm-wall clamshell

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November 2014

North america

A quarter of an inch (6.4mm) – that is the meagre meas-urement of rainfall it would

take for sewers to reach capacity and overflow in many neighbour-hoods in Indianapolis, Indiana, US.

The Deep Rock Tunnel Connec-tor (DRTC) is phase one of Citizens Water’s plan to eradicate this overflow of raw sewage into rivers and streams. The US$1.6 billion Long Term Control Plan must be completed by 2025.

The DRTC will address three of those Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) locations: CSO 008 near Harding Street and the White River; CSO 117 near Southern Avenue and the White River; and CSO 118 near West Street and White River Parkway East Drive.

Construction on the $179.3 million DRTC began in December 2011, and it will be complete and in operation by late 2017.

GoiNG further dowNUnder the DRTC “storage and transport concept”, sewage captured at CSOs 008, 117 and 118 will be stored in the tunnel and then transported to the wastewater treatment plant. When complete, the tunnel will have the capacity to store sewage during large storms, and overflows into Indianapolis waterways will be significantly reduced.

AECOM is the project’s design engineer and construction inspector. Shea-Kiewit (joint venture) is the construction

contractor. Other construction companies include Nicholson Construction Company and Black & Veatch (B&V), which is on the construction management team.

Robbins supplied the 20ft 2in-diameter, open-face main-beam TBM. Tunnelling started on March 15, 2013, and the TBM holed through at the retrieval shaft on July 11 this year.

It was not plain boring. “The rock types are limestone and dolo-mite,” reports David Egger, senior vice president – heavy civil at B&V.

“Groundwater inflow has been greater than anticipated. How-ever, the contractor has effectively managed the additional inflows and all contractual matters have been resolved between CEG and the contractor.

“[As of the start of October] the TBM has been backed up through the main tunnel 11,000ft and is getting ready to mine another 9,000ft, a branch off to the west added onto the original tunnel contract. Following this, the tunnel will be concrete-lined.”

From the DRTC, additional storage tunnels will extend along White River, Fall Creek, Pleasant Run and Lower Pogues Run to create a collective, underground storage facility for sewage.

B&V is also the design engineer on the Fall Creek/White River Deep Storage Tunnel, construc-tion of which is expected to begin in 2017. Groundbreaking on one other tunnel is slated for the same year with boring expected to begin on the last two about 2021.

New design for deep rockAfter a concept change, construction on the Deep Rock Tunnel Connector project is at the halfway point. World Tunnelling reports

In the initial concept, the seven-mile (11.3km) DRTC would have been constructed in soft ground under high groundwater conditions at 35ft to 75ft (10.7m to 22.8m) below surface with an internal diameter of 12ft. Now, the DRTC will be constructed more than 250ft below ground in bedrock, with an internal diameter of 18ft.

The reason behind the change was lower risk and significant cost savings on the CSO programme, of the order of $100 million, Egger tells WT.

Change of plan

“When complete, the tunnel will have the capacity to store sewage during large storms, and overflows into Indianapolis waterways will be significantly reduced”

“Ground-water inflow has been greater than anticipated. However, the contrac-tor has effectively managed the additional inflows”

04-07 N-Amer_WT1411.indd 7 17/10/2014 09:34

November 2014

8 TBMs

In recent years tunnelling with earth pressure balance (EPB) TBMs has exploded, taking the

machines into new types of geol-ogy, from mixed ground condi-tions to sections of rock and high water pressure.

The versatile EPB machine can be adapted for many of these situations, but learning from past projects in difficult ground is key to keeping this machine type successful.

Shinichi Konda, chief EPB engineer at Robbins with over 30 years of experience in slurry and EPB tunnelling, advises planners to invest in a detailed and accurate geologic report. He also suggests trying newer technology such as dual-mode/hybrid-type machines.

Understanding the implications of these lessons requires looking at the projects that inspired them through both successes and struggles in difficult ground.

ExTrEME gEology“It may be time-consuming but an accurate geological report ultimately saves time and money when designing the machine and during tunnelling,” reiterates Konda of his first key point.

Knowing the geology may be at its most crucial in projects such as Emisor Oriente, a vast 62km-long wastewater tunnel being constructed in Mexico City, Mexico.

Six 8.93m-diameter EPB machines are currently at work deep below the capital, working towards an aggressive deadline of 2018. The machines are boring through a challenging combina-tion of watery lake clays, boulders and abrasive basalt rock with water pressures up to 6bar.

Comissa, a consortium of Mexican heavy civil contractors – ICA, CARSO, Lombardo, Estrella and Cotrisa – is managing the construction, which is divided

into six lots. 24 shafts up to 150m deep support the TBM opera-tions, which total about 10km for each.

The ground conditions of the pipeline are some of the most difficult in the world. Located in the Valley of Mexico, geology consists of a drained lake bed with clays interspersed with volcanic rock and boulders from long-dormant, buried volcanoes.

After five years of work, about 53% of the entire project has been completed including the shafts, and the owner of the project, CONAGUA, is rethinking its strategy based on the difficult and unforeseen ground condi-

tions encountered. The condi-tions require frequent hyperbaric interventions and multiple modifications to the existing machines.

During shaft excavation at Lots 3 to 5, it was discovered that the ground was significantly more complex than previously thought. Multiple borehole tests confirmed the results, and it was decided to redesign the machines before launch in order to cope with the severe conditions.

The machines were designed with robust, high-pressure screw conveyors and ribbon-type screws to deal with large boul-ders, as well as abrasion-resistant wear plating on the cutterheads to excavate rock. High-pressure man locks and sturdy scraper designs rounded out the improvements.

Even with those modifications, the machines have thus far encountered very challenging conditions, including full-face abrasive basalt rock. At Lots 3 and 4, impact loading and wear on the cutterhead has been beyond what was expected. Large amounts of fines are also being encountered, requiring significant quantities of foam to be used.

Because of these issues, when the machines break into interme-

Adjusting the parametersFrom India to Mexico: lessons learned in EPB tunnelling

Dual-mode EPB/rock machines

such as this Robbins design

used at Australia’s Grosvenor

Decline Tunnel may be the

answer in complex mixed-

face rock conditions

The Robbins EPB TBMs for Emisor Oriente needed

man locks because of the

high water pressure in the

ground

The machines at Lots 3 and 4 in

Mexico City have encountered

difficult conditions

including a full face of abrasive

basalt rock

“Learning from past

projects in difficult

ground is key to

keeping this machine

type successful”

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10 TBMs

diate shaft sites, they will be further modified. “The rock face encountered required them to bore in open mode with the EPB, resulting in high wear to the screw conveyor,” Konda explains.

To remedy the situation, Robbins developed a new, more robust version able to take on rock that will be installed in the intermediate shaft. “The screw has been designed with multiple replaceable flights. Access windows every few metres allow for easier replacement,” says Konda.

The bolt-on flights are addition-ally coated with an abrasion resistant, casted material and the inside of the screw conveyor casing has been reinforced with Trimay wear plating.

Despite the hardships, many lessons have been learned at Emisor Oriente. “If we could provide these machines knowing what we know now about the geology, a dual mode EPB/rock type TBM may have been the better choice,” reflects Konda.

Challenges in ChennaiIn India, Chennai’s Metro con-struction is another case of excavation in largely unknown ground conditions. A 6.65m-diameter Robbins EPB was designed to excavate granite, sand, silt and clay with boulders up to 300mm in diameter.

The 1,063m drive for contractor Afcons Infrastructure is part of Lot UAA-01 on Line 1 of the city’s metro, consisting of two parallel

1km tunnels running from the Washermanpet area towards Chennai International Airport.

The specialised design utilises a combination of 17in-diameter disc cutters as well as soft-ground tools. Small grippers located around the circumference of the machine’s shield allow for cutterhead stabilisation in harder ground, and additionally react against the forces needed to pull the cutterhead back from the face in difficult conditions.

Launch of the machine took place in January 2012 from a 28m-deep starting pit, with the machine encountering obstacles from the outset.

“The TBM bored mixed-face conditions consisting of varying strengths of granite ranging from completely weathered and highly fractured through to hard granite with strengths estimated at 150MPa. This resulted in high cutter consumption due to impact damage as the cutter

The Emisor Oriente EPBs

were redesigned for challenging

conditions

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08-13 TBM_WT1411.indd 10 17/10/2014 09:33

11TBMs

discs rotated through relatively soft rock and encountered the much harder rock,” Jim Clark, Robbins projects manager – India, says.

“Robbins India provided a geologist who carried out face mapping for the whole of the first drive, in both hyperbaric and open-mode conditions on a daily basis.”

The data assisted the crew in operating the TBM, and provided a comprehensive geological record for the second drive. With the data gleaned from the geological investigation, Robbins was able to advise Afcons on the optimal operating parameters to get through the difficult condi-tions, including cutterhead RPM, thrust pressure, penetration rate and cutterhead torque.

The cutterhead RPM was reduced from 2.0 in soil to approximately 0.75 in mixed-face

conditions. Rate of penetration was also reduced to prevent impact damage to cutter discs. In a full face of rock the rate of penetration and RPM were increased. Ultimately, the bore was a success, with the TBM achieving rates of up to 44.8m per week.

This article was written by Desiree Willis, technical writer, The Robbins Company

Operational parameters including RPM and rate of penetration were altered on the Chennai TBM to aid in excavation of challenging rock

As a result of lessons learned on projects such as Emisor Oriente, more mixed-ground projects are being proposed as dual-mode EPB/rock tunnel projects.

Mexico City’s Tunel Emisor Poniente (TEP) II Project is such an example – a complex wastewater conduit that promises some challenging ground conditions during excavation. The 5.9km-long tunnel is expected to be more than 90% rock, but with some significant sections of softer ground.

Robbins is providing an 8m-diameter

hybrid EPB/single-shield TBM, optimised toward rock excavation, for the Aldesa/Proacon/Recsa joint venture. A canopy drill will be installed, providing another ring for probe drilling close to the cutterhead, or for forepoling if needed.

Overall, the lessons learned from mixed-ground tunnelling are constantly evolving. “We are always in the process – we are currently modifying our cutters for mixed ground conditions to make them even more efficient,” Konda concludes.

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08-13 TBM_WT1411.indd 11 17/10/2014 09:33

12 FEATURE NAME

November 2014

12 TBMs

The city of Kingston sits on the edge of Lake Ontario a few hours southwest of

Ottawa, Canada. Situated next to a large body of water and bor-dering the US, it has played a large role in creating the histori-cal and social fabric of the nation.

Kingston provides permanent and migratory homes for a wide range of flora and fauna. Project owners and contractors are careful to apply strict rules and processes to ensure that the city’s wildlife and sensitive ecosystems are protected when surface or subsurface work is planned.

General contractor Taggart Construction and tunnelling contractor Marathon Drilling executed the River Street Pump

Station Twin Forcemain Extension and the James Street Trunk Watermain project.

The project owner, the City of Kingston, evaluated multiple options for the water-main project but discounted traditional non-trenchless methods given the environmentally sensitive nature of the park and the potential traffic congestion issues.

TrouBlesoMe groundThe tunnelling portion of the project called for two separate tunnels 74in (1.88m) diameter to install 530ft and 140ft of fore-main and trunk water-main pipe in rock. The longest drive of 620ft was under an environmentally sensitive parkland area and the

shorter 140ft drive was under the regional highway.

From a tunnelling perspective, the scope of work was straight-forward but the geology was not. Kingston’s geology is often variable and unpredictable. Even with extensive geotechnical investigations at the design stage, the ground can often prove problematic when it comes to choice of TBMs and cutters.

The geotechnical information provided showed a competent limestone in an anticline fold along the projected path. Given this geology, the contractors chose to deploy a 72in double-shield Robbins rock TBM. As the project started, the excavated entrance shafts showed excellent rock competency and cover.

From the start, the drilling progressed well with the TBM, the contractor reports. It proved to be robust and powerful. The

on the edge of the lakeUnpredictable ground conditions called for flexible solutions in an area of environmental sensitivity

Overview of tunnel entrance

Spoil removal in action

“From a tunnelling perspective, the

scope of work was straightforward but the geology

was not”

NASTT’S TRENCHLESS TODAY | SUMMER 2014 NASTT.ORG NASTT’S TRENCHLESS TODAY | SUMMER 2014 NASTT.ORG

14

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Resse fir que quam non addum dertere scerris et pere pl. Vertemedo, nora num.

Es hae cus, nocchus et co inam nosto iam sin nem publici endeori tiestu vivid re con inem estribus iam quit, quemo huc tellestor quodium vis cerevid condacii prit, suntemque es sedo, untereh ebatur. Enitum perobsendius nontela ia invessime pernirmihil vid cus consulos vilis alesseriu quidestrus nertem

pulares Catum, sil veriam. Sulariumus itimorum porum horum mente actam publinirid prorus. Quid rectoraet, nos, cone paticas est ingulic venderehemus pultus, nonvere, nos ca in tescem pora quam. Soli pore conscerfir qui ses consis, quod serferc endaci tam nequide ffrehem sulistissis aucissu piorum aperum inatquos et; num et; et que dicidin vistra? Ita, consum nium locaeque terei pra dum iam ocatuis derioraelus et? Nos consignos, C. Us tatam Patuis opulto Catiferis. Solis viviri pulego vis, Patabes! Erbit; hum ommo publiisqua dii si patil tua nonte is. Sena, nos se patiem obsenat inpraci tum publingulem iumus hae inam movessensus pracipio conferi, cotastrora mius acrei sen neri, obus non se conloct aribus con patquit re cure, que noximpr idessus? int vese abem, teredeffre publi peceps, ses bonessultus, no. Cupio pertili civit. Sp. Ad renis ponsultior ubliissum intem sa egilina riurit? Ubit? Nostempl. Viviurniam iaciem etreo ensum inequis pules? Untis et cutemquam sendeferidet actum nihilis, fit aceris Mae, publincus sedo, quam la dit? Andessul vit perum esit; C. Arisulint.

Quiu erebefe ripteris etifecre, que teri senatus Marit grae quam ditea me tum nesimis quemoerus, nocut con ste es comnem ide et; hos re cum eo, C. Ad atquemplina, note, nictu it firis nequidepos, nonsid senitea ina consultiu mantium et Catuam practe etiam hos ocridem sendacr entiam taleger cerurni hilicaela is se nihintrae traessed numenam in sentere stiam, convoli cipior linterit, quod mei sentraet et; inceserum, efericae tat vit nicendu cerimil issinclus.

Nenihilin vium publissus, duc mus sestandem me rei scidientiam permis.

Ne pultus se comni scent. Omnicae tiaelis inat L. Asdam publiquas hocus, consum omne istari publi illem publiculla vit, consulius intrur. Maremulium factus confirmihi, nos at, cae egit dicultuidet que nihilic onvoculiciis cutus ex nos et dem ia terra in tuus audam Romne quita, quium ur. Epopora, clut vivit, nonere, vehebunum quo etil huconfere num sessultis aus fortum ia remus Cateret; Catiquam us co te non Etrum aut foratuusquod iam tem conte manum. eris.

Hen antra ne opoptil us ocurbi egernum in viris, opublia pos, Catrorum consu stis oma, ut venatero vidines modient ifecta cler in actante moraet; horterions id ad nos co mo vivilieniu quem incum, vermilica nox no. Ublicae toruro hici sede mentebem in inum serbem esiliu quem rem quost L. Catus, C. Entem esillartes caveres? Med demurbertiam unum essilicae rei stodiu comnihi licissici consupe sissign oximum in hi, pero ego viricauciam, sultora moverum sent.Muliuris. Vive, quitus senam consuntesi pra inat, unul ure poendam intus ad in Etre fit.

Pio etia rei senatus intractore, simanulius eorunt.Decienique noc, cepon sid maximan dacchum rem neme tur,

nocum prae, Ti. etravocupio, et vil hus essente conferum autes egit. Vere con is ad faciis notiquonsu estande nericon clernum eore que nos, ment in redo, que consisu ltorununtem et; nosta, cla iustam lisses! Sere, aucomne querid consule gerfit Catum etis simorente, facerdiem. Us. Onsus, nostem pro coenimis, conosti linamenat, ponsciem potiend uconosu lvidiculi perente dientea in haet, ere novenatu manum nius fit Cuperitister in ta menem.

Aper quitabit patam inatil hocrum diis catuit is lossa novir peri, quem pere co mis nihicau conlocuperis mius; nit, adhuius diero mo atilineque ninatus, side audefex nihicum sim tiem dem intis, Cupions upiocuppl. Dit. Saticior ad morum ubliisse pore estrarisul hem untesse ndacta, vent. Imor adhui co Cat, conerfessua perra, niam fur, nox num publibus publis; et vivereb aturbis. Gered nonsumena, sena, se nonsulego hosus; hostuiu quam, que coterit vis? Na, vituam interei sernihil hi, vius. Udacibuntem ves obse etio, num ina, nosulego es et; num revivis vir ipiocris, sesta re, occiam orte mus, no. Quitis et; Caticas Muliumust? Quitanum omnon vit; iam, sulabena maximus pesse oc, visulibus clabes bon prarbis aribus vocciemorei pat, esidem oponsim ilique pes C. M. It.

Quod pecum nihi, atuam tractus; egeroren sede rei sedit. Verbi pro trit, con resterei propulies fatus in tame nonferum test vit; nosterbis. Sp. Foreis.

Ximihicaede caet prae omnerfit venit. Niam la senducerit, utem, noratan detebatu vivit; nonvenisquam ta L. Habuntra? Udacieni consuss imissed nest rem intrideo manum postam ini senatus tanterissa L. Do, omnimil icepos nemorit. O teraeste nonsilicest Catumur. Verit; nostra sus? Quis culoctum, cre co verunih ilibultu meremquitiam orio por pra vidit.

Aximmo teritreo, contimus. Ignosum publicam vicia ma, Catatum pos, cen sente nihicus dempra corem in pro complis? Sa terfenicaet Catiaederura rei perfene vivid nos forudeor porum cultod porsules ius co eorunte mplicastre tem nox menatilicon vic vis? Tus hocriss imante nos es horunimprae et vo, utum sinverfirtem iame cori se effre immo vit. Patum nonerem dem int, ver ut novenes tiam culvid cae et grari publium tusque erferfe rficonsul cupientemque aciptilia Sat iderum

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08-13 TBM_WT1411.indd 12 17/10/2014 09:34

13TBMs

steering controls and guidance system is well developed and enabled the crews to drill to the projected advancement rate of 30 to 40 feet per shift.

The gripper system worked well until approximately 530ft into the 620ft drive under the parkland. Without any warning the TBM just stopped advancing. The contractors went through the standard mechanical checks and then pulled back to investigate what was happening at the face and head.

From examining the head, the team realised it had encountered a significant change in ground conditions. However, one can never tell the full extent of the change without pursuing a proper investigation of both equipment and ground condi-tions.

The TBM itself was found to be in perfect working order and its cutters showed little wear. The investigations shifted to focus on potential geotechnical anomalies in front of the TBM.

A focused geotechnical drilling programme was conducted and it was found that the rock had indeed sloped down and the TBM was now straddling a softer trench of mixed ground condi-tion.

The exact nature and cause of the trench is still under investiga-tion. Regardless of its origin, it was too soft for the TBM grippers to anchor into to pull the TBM forward.

assessing The opTionsWith the TBM stuck and unable to advance, choices had to be made. In discussions with all the

project stakeholders, the contrac-tors came up with several options to complete the last 90ft of tunnel.

If it was a short anomaly, one proposed solution was to install a liner plate system in conjunction with some hydraulic jacking stations to advance the TBM to a ‘potential’ rock zone.

Hand-mining would be too time-consuming and mobilising a new TBM system for 90ft was not going to be a cost-effective solution.

On the back of new geotechni-cal information, the contractors did a time/cost /environmental impact analysis and it was decided that since the remaining 90ft feet of the tunnel would have no significant impact on any parkland and environmentally sensitive areas, the best solution was to open-cut the remainder and intersect the tunnel.

The team backed the TBM out of the tunnel and readied it for the second shorter drive across the highway.

Andrew McPhedran is VP of business development for Marathon Drilling

Laser guidance in the tunnel

The cutter of the Robbins TBM at work

“The gripper system worked well until 530ft into the 620ft drive under the parkland. Without any warning the TBM just stopped advancing”

Maschinen Stahlbau

Branch of Herrenknecht AGDresden

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08-13 TBM_WT1411.indd 13 17/10/2014 09:34

November 2014

14 ventilation

Connecting Asia to Europe across the Bosphorus Strait has been an ambition dat-

ing back to the Ottoman Empire in 1860. Shifting tectonic plates and construction across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world has meant that until recently this dream could not become a reality.

On October 29, 2013, the Marmaray Tunnel officially opened, the deepest undersea tunnel and one of the largest transport projects in the world. The opening coincided with the 90th anniversary of the modern Turkish republic and is part of a national infrastructure plan that includes a third bridge across the Bosphorus and the creation of the largest airport in the world.

Once fully operational, the tracks underneath the Bosphorus are expected to connect more than 1.5 million people each day between Asia and Europe within approximately four minutes. The link will place Istanbul at the hub of travel between East and West, offering huge economic benefits, as well as forming the first tunnel connecting two continents.

The tunnel is 13.6km long and includes 1.5km of immersed tube on the ocean floor, accessed by twin-bore tunnels from Kazlıçes̨me on the European side and Ayrılıkçes̨me on the Asian side.

The route of the tunnel, incorporating three underground stations, Uskudar, Sirkeci and Yenikapi, passes under Istanbul’s old city centre, so careful planning was needed to protect ancient foundations.

Working in harmony This combination of cultural and engineering challenges meant that experience across multiple disciplines was essential.

Arup’s experience in other complex geotechnical and tunnelling projects, including High Speed 1 in the UK and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, enabled the company to provide a full peer review of all tunnel-venti-lation and smoke-control system design reports, drawings, specifi-cations, risk-analysis management system and test procedures, from preliminary design to installation, commissioning and handover.

A key challenge was providing the necessary ventilation for the tunnel while taking into considera-tion the precious artefacts and archaeological sites on the route.

The Marmaray Tunnel will provide seamless transport from Turkey to China for a large volume of freight. Freight trains typically have a much larger fire load (around 100MW) than passenger

trains (which might be closer to 20MW). This means that the ventilation fans must be much larger than for most tunnels.

a test of timeSoon after work began at the middle station, Sirkica, a 6,000-year-old archaeological site was uncovered 5m below ground. This revealed thousands of artefacts, and it was essential to excavate these, which delayed the build at Sirkeci for two years.

As a result, the fan plants at Sirkeci Station would be unable to operate on time, and engineers had to revise the tunnel-ventila-tion strategy to deliver a safe service during the initial operating phase, so that the building process could still progress.

A full analysis including station smoke-test procedures resulted in ventilation zones becoming longer and there was a restriction on the number of trains that could be in the tunnel at one time. This approach has meant that the project was not delayed further, and safety was not compromised.

Collaboration between Japa-nese and Turkish contractors, designers from Singapore, specialists from the US, rail-safety officers from Germany and design-verification engineers from UK makes the Marmaray crossing a truly international effort.

However, it was the flexibility and readjustment of ventilation plans that enabled such a success-ful and futuristic project to continue while protecting Turkey’s ancient heritage.

Connecting east and WestMohammed Tabarra, associate director of Arup, talks to World Tunnelling about uniting the future with the past on the Marmaray Tunnel project in Turkey

Render of transporting

immersed tube segments by sea

Tunnel crossover caverns between

Sirkeci and Yanikapi Stations

“The ventilation fans need

to be much larger than

for most tunnels”

From left: tunnel portals on the

European side; aerial view of

Bosphorus showing Uskudar

station site; digging at Sirkica

uncovered a 6,000-year-old historical site

All photos: TGN

Anemometry rig measuring

airflows in tunnel

14-15 Ventilation_WT1411.indd 14 17/10/2014 09:32

15

November 2014

ventilation

T he ambitious tunnels through the mountains ris-ing high above the Norwe-

gian fjords have always been a challenge to ventilate, partly because of their length (up to the 24.5km-long Lærdal Tunnel), the presence of bidirectional traffic and portal pressure differences.

Some of these tunnels, however, have just benefited from an innovation shown to reduce the number of fans required and to improve power consumption.

too muCh poWerWhen I wrote the original MoJet patent in 2008, my idea was to use convergent nozzles to accelerate the air through a jetfan, and to turn it away from the tunnel surfaces.

Turning the air minimises the Coanda Effect, where a reduction in static pressure – due to the high jet velocity – deflects the jet towards any solid surface, causing friction and loss of thrust.

The idea of turning the jet away from the tunnel walls had previ-ously been patented by Woods of Colchester in 1995 and by Witt & Sohn in 1999. However, the attraction of the MoJet is its compact size – the lower edge of the MoJet is parallel to the tunnel axis, and the nozzles do not protrude into the traffic space as was the case with the previous patented designs.

The MoJet fan diameter can therefore be maximised to fill the available equipment space, and this reduces the power consump-tion for a given required thrust.

Systemair, one of the largest manufacturers of tunnel-ventila-tion equipment in the world, is a licensee of the MoJet. In Septem-ber 2012, Systemair carried out tests in the Galleria Buttoli tunnel near Florence (Italy), the results of which were reported at the

International Symposium on Aerodynamics, Ventilation and Fire in Tunnels in September 2013.

The tests confirmed a significant enhancement in aerodynamic thrust, but also indicated an increase in power consumption. The pressure drop, particularly at the inlet side of the fan, had been increased by the presence of a convergent nozzle.

Although the fan was more efficient due to operating at a higher pressure drop, that was not sufficient to compensate for the increased aerodynamic resistance. The MoJet needed to go back to the drawing board.

moJet on the menuHow can we turn the airflow away from the tunnel surfaces without increasing the overall height of the jetfan, and without using converging nozzles?

I remember sketching the answer on a paper napkin at a cheap pizza restaurant after the tests in Galleria Buttoli; a fellow diner found the napkin and handed it back to me as I was walking out of the restaurant. The concept has just been published as a patent application by the Intellectual Property Office, and has formed the basis of Syste-mair’s supply for a number of tunnels in Norway.

The solution was to think in three dimensions. While the top edge of the discharge nozzle should point ‘down’, there was no reason why the outlet edge should not be inclined, in order to

increase the discharge flow area. The overall effect is to have an

undercut suction side. To reduce the inlet pressure drop further, the inlet edge has a circular shape, in order to use spun bellmouths.

The nozzle’s developed sheet-metal profile becomes a complex shape, but that is well within the capabilities of modern cutting and bending machinery.

The new MoJets have been installed in the Grimstad Port Tunnel in Norway. The fans will ventilate the tunnel to dilute CO and NO2 emissions, as well as to control smoke in case of fire.

Some of the existing jetfans had been damaged by vehicle strikes; the new MoJets will provide additional clearance. Tests on the MoJets have indicated a reduced sound pressure level as well as increased aerodynamic thrust.

While ‘horseshoe’-section tunnels benefit significantly from MoJets, it is in tunnels with rectangular sections and in short tunnels of 1km or less that the systems’ advantages are apparent.

This is because of spatial awareness in the design: the MoJets can be installed much closer together than conventional jetfans, because upstream jets can be arranged not to interfere with downstream MoJets.

With power consumption in a tunnel typically absorbing a few megawatts of power, the MoJet can provide a significant reduction in the operational cost, which can pay for the installation many times over within a few years.

But it is not all about costs: the reduction in carbon emissions should improve the environment and ensure that we can enjoy our journeys through tunnels with minimum carbon footprint.

a good wind blowingNew tunnel-ventilation technology in Norway has called for three-dimensional thinking. Dr Fathi Tarada, managing director of Mosen, reports

It is a challenge to ventilate the tunnels through the mountains above the Norwegian fjords

A MoJet with its inclined air outlet

“The MoJet can provide a significant reduction in the operational cost, which can pay for the installation many times over within a few years”

14-15 Ventilation_WT1411.indd 15 17/10/2014 09:32

16 immersed tunnels

Planned immersed tunnels

no longer in third placeFrom Doha to Denmark, the reputation of so-called ‘sunken tunnels’ is rising

In the pre-design phase there is commonly a choice to make between a bridge, bored tun-

nel or immersed tunnel.Immersed tube tunnels are

formed by connecting together prefabricated box segments in trenches excavated in waterways. Floating tunnel elements are towed into position before being

lowered to the seabed for assembly. The tolerances involved in the complex process are tiny – each element must line up exactly for the watertight gaskets to seal properly, Mott MacDonald senior civil engineer Jonathan Baber says.

There are only around 200 immersed tunnels in the world, used mainly for transport and utilities. It is typically an option for shallow water over short lengths, but new designs are varying from the book.

The main advantages of an immersed tunnel are the eco-nomic use of shape (cross-sec-tion), economic length, vertical clearance and ground condition and seismic conditions, consult-ing engineering group Ramboll states.

The cross-section of an immersed tunnel does not have to be circular as it does for a bored tunnel.

A wide variety of cross-section demands can be accommodated, making immersed tunnels attractive for housing wide highways and combined road/rail tunnels.

Immersed tunnels can be placed on the bed of a waterway or just below it, while a bored tunnel must normally be placed at least one diameter below the bed of the waterway. This allows immersed-tunnel approaches to be shorter and/or approach gradients to be flatter. This is of benefit to rail tunnels where gradients are low.

The immersed option eradi-cates the limited clearance that

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Name and location Immersed length

Expected opening

Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, Denmark to Germany

18km 2021

Sharq Crossing, Doha, Qatar

6km 2020

Santos -Guarujá Link, Brazil

500m+ 2018

16-17 Immersed_WT1411.indd 16 17/10/2014 11:41

November 2014

17

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Supplies & Services

immersed tunnels

bridges offer ships on a body of water.They can be laid in poor ground

conditions such as soft alluvial deposits that are found in large river estuaries that would cause major risks to building bridge foundations or driving through a tunnel boring machine. They can also be designed to withstand seismic activity.

Ramboll is involved in the planned Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, and has worked on the Øresund Link, a 3.7km-long immersed road and railway tunnel, opened in 2000.

On the US$1.6bn (3.2km) Busan-Geoje fixed-link project in South Korea, the contractor – a consortium of Korean companies led by Daewoo Engineering & Construction – used the innovative ‘external positioning system’ solution from Dutch specialist Strukton Immer-sion Projects, Mott MacDonald’s Baber adds. The tunnel opened in 2010.

two regional firstsDesign works on the first Middle East immersed tunnel, part of the Sharq Crossing in Doha, are under way. TEC, the permanent joint venture between Royal HaskoningDHV and Witteveen+Bos, is designing two immersed tunnels and three cut-and-cover tunnels that will connect the bridges to the mainland.

In April last year TEC won a €5 million (US$6.4 million) contract to lead the design process for the first immersed tube tunnel in Brazil, at the country’s

largest seaport, Santos. The 500m-long tunnel will directly link the cities of Santos and Guarujá.

In March 2014, 18 companies prequalified to construct the $800 million tunnel, which will run for 1.7km. 500m will be constructed by sinking six precast concrete elements to a depth of 21m below the water surface.

the long waitIn early September this year the Fehmarnbelt tunnel’s management body, Femern, pre-qualified the tunnel’s electrical and mechanical installations, as well as the establish-ment of the sub-station, which will supply the tunnel and electric trains with power.

The contract concerns the ventila-tion of the tunnel and buildings, emergency doors, fire-suppression systems, drainage, cabling and pipework, elevators, transformers, lighting, monitoring and control systems as well as communication systems in the tunnel.

The pre-qualified companies from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK will now prepare their technical bids for the contracts in line with the same tender model as for the four major tunnel contracts.

Femern expects to receive the final bids at the end of 2015. The company anticipates signing in 2016. The tunnel is slated for completion in 2021.

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North AmericaConsiderate construction at Arlington National Cemetery

HDDThermal grouting of electric utility underground bores

Suction excavatorsThe best way to negotiate the subsurface maze

CovITrench1411.indd 1 17/10/2014 12:28

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November 2014

1CONTENTS

R eviewing the recent headlines from the UK construction market is like sampling pieces from a Smörgåsbord, that Scandinavian buffet of hot and cold food.

Opportunities and challenges seem to run at a temperamental rate of flow. The skills shortage is the tempest of our time, but then you hear the one about the five employer-led project groups coming together to invent the hole-free net to attract the latest school of talent.

The quintet will receive a total of over £630,000 (US$1 million) in investment from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. They will improve collaboration and provide better training opportunities for both new and existing workers. Companies involved include Skanska, Laing O’Rourke and Steel Construction Institute.

In related news, 10 graduates, picked from 1,400 applications, are starting Wolseley UK’s management training programme within the group’s Plumb and Parts Center, Pipe Center, Drain Center, Integrated Services, Burdens and William Wilson businesses.

And market reports come in that planners and project managers’ salaries are breaching that £100,000 bubble. But set that against news that only one in 10 subcontractors is being paid within 30 days.

There is also a stirring current of resentment among British workers that the number of engineers coming to the UK from outside the European Union has risen by more than a third this year.

Worse still perhaps, on a larger scale, is the Office for National Statistics’ Construction Output figures for August 2014. UK figures fell 3.9% for the month compared with July.

“Infrastructure and Commercial [are] continuing to record declines in growth. It is vital for the industry that all of these sectors grow to ensure pre-recession levels of activity are achieved sooner,” Michael Dall, lead economist at construction intelligence specialist Barbour ABI, commented.

Speaking of fish… While people in the UK are looking to reel in work, fish in one city in Canada might be looking for a home due to an auger-boring job gone wrong. A subcontractor on the C$33.5 million (US$29.7 million) East Langley water-line project in British Columbia was using an auger-boring machine to push

pipe under Michael’s Brook, upstream from the Nicomekl Enhancement Society fish hatchery, when parts of the

ground in the area collapsed.The collapse muddied the waters before the salmon

run had started – a fitting analogy of the new entrants and opportunities in the UK construction market? Let’s

hope not.

LUKE BUXTON luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com

Plenty of fish in the sea?

News 2

Features North America 3 HDD 12 Suction excavation 20 Contacts 23

COVERNo-Dig United offers turnkey solutions for large-scale pipe replacement. The ability to supply hardware, software and consulting services, combined with the actual execution of the project, is the key to great success for the company powered by Scandinavian No-Dig Centre. Using pipe-bursting equipment with 400 tonnes of pulling power, all existing pipes with an internal diameter of up to 1,500mm can be replaced with new product pipes of the same or larger ID.

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“While people in the UK are looking to reel in work, fish in one city in Canada might be homeless due to an auger-boring job gone wrong”

Next month

Asia MicrotunnellingDrilling Fluids

01Trench1411.indd 1 17/10/2014 09:53

November 2014

2 NEWS

UK-based UIS has launched two new products aimed at the trenchless market.

The company has developed a solution to the replacement of breaking out cast mains with a podger bar.

The Click Stick is designed to be used with two options: a hydraulic pump (foot or hand); and a battery-powered pack system.

The battery-powered option offers operatives a safer and more controlled alternative to that of vertically mounted 14lb (6.4kg) hammers, which are used manually to strike metallic pipe.

UIS has also released the UIS Transmatic, which the company said is the first coil trailer to fully incorporate pipe-pushing technology.

It is designed to ensure a compliant and con-trolled dispensing operation of coiled PE pipes.

The Transmatic can transport coils up to 500m in length.

Visitors get hands-on trenchless experience

UIS hopes new products will click with users

Tracerco opens research and testing facility

UK-based Pipe Trailers debuted its HyPower 500 at No-Dig Live 2014 in the UK during September.

The coil-pipe trailer’s design transports and dispenses up to 500m of 90mm pipe. It also accom-modates pipe in other sizes and wall thicknesses up to 125mm. Pipe Trailers claimed the HyPower 500 has enhanced versatility, flexibil-ity and safety features.

Remote-controlled, powered hydraulics keep the operator at a safe distance from the trailer during the setting up and dispensing of the pipe.

The hydraulic arm lifts and encloses the coil in one operation, eliminating the risk of the coil springing outside the confines of the trailer.

The incorporated electric winch safely releases the end of the pipe, eradicating

the need for operators to place hands inside the trailer to perform a manual release. The HyPower 500 has been developed so as to ‘design out’ the risks and build safety into the coil-pipe handling operation.

The HyPower 500’s lifting mechanism means no pipe snagging and pipe jamming, unlike traditional trailers, which use pipe end clamps and ratchet straps, the company said.

Additionally, the auto-adjusting side rollers prevent pipe from straying from the coil, even when too many bands have been cut, which not only prevents kinking and damage to the pipe but also the need to rotate the pipe by hand, saving both time and money, the company added.

UIS Click Stick with battery power pack (right)

The HyPower 500 was shown at No-Dig Live 2014

Safer pipe trailer makes its debut

Technology company Tracerco has unveiled a £9 million (US$14.36 million) custom-built research, development and engineer-ing test centre for oil, gas and petrochemical measure-ment technology.

The new building includes a 30,000L underwater testing pool, designed specially for the company’s latest invention – the Discovery CT scanner, which allows operators to inspect subsea pipelines from the outside without having to remove protective coatings.

The company claimed that it is the world’s first CT scanner designed for pipeline inspection.

Fifty new jobs will be created at the site in Billingham in Teesside, UK, where Tracerco’s origins date back to 1958.

Tracto-Technik (TT) marked its 10th ‘Hands-on Days’ event at its headquarters in Lennestadt, Germany, from September 16 to 26.

The no-dig systems manufacturer demonstrated its machines to over 600 visitors from Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe, especially eastern Europe where there is a strong demand for underground pipe infrastructure.

The multi-lingual pro-gramme also included a factory tour, a choice of 30 lectures by speakers from TT and exhibiting partner companies Bagela, Bohrtec, Föckerperger, Hauff-Technik, Prime Drilling and RSP suction excavators.

In co-operation with Prime Drilling from Wenden, Germany, engineers oper-ated the complete range of HDD technology from

mini-bore rigs to large drilling rigs.

TT is finding more demand for its Grundomat soil-displacement hammer due to the growing number of fibre-to-the-home installations. One solution is the 45mm- or 55mm-diame-ter model, which bores out of the building while pulling in a 32mm-diameter PE protection pipe.

The bore through the brick wall is sealed to make it gas- and water-proof using a wall duct manufac-tured by TT’s partner company Hauff-Technik. All works can be carried out without trenches except for the connection to the main pipeline in the street.

The Grundopit Power mini-bore rig can handle longer service connections along varying elevation or curved bore paths.

02 News_Trench1411.indd 2 17/10/2014 09:53

3North AmericA

A rlington National Cem-etery in Virginia, the most famous cemetery in the

US, is the final resting place for many of the nation’s greatest vet-erans of every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Arlington National Cem-etery was founded 150 years ago in 1864. It has provided a solemn place to reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

Today the cemetery covers over 600 acres (2,428,000m2) and contains the remains of more than 300,000 veterans in 70 burial sections, and 38,500 remains in the eight columbariums.

The curvilinear pathways of the cemetery conform to the natural topography of the site, and much of the site is naturally landscaped, with immaculate pathways lined

with stately flower gardens and trees.

Throughout the hallowed grounds, monuments are placed atop prominent hills, many

considerate constructionPipe bursting at the historic Arlington National Cemetery called for a sensitive approach

The cemetery was founded 150 years ago

300,000 veterans in 70 burial sections

4 million visitors a year

60 years ago – water mains installed

Final resting place of John F. Kennedy

Cemetery facts

Centre of excellence...

www.no-dig.dk e-mail. no-dig@no-dig.dk YouTube channel: ulrich2761

Untitled-4 1 10/05/12 14.09

03-09 N-Amer_Trench1411.indd 3 17/10/2014 09:49

4 North AmericA

The industry’s largest selection of pre-owned utility installation equipment.

Services and resources for every aspect of the transaction.

Knowledgeable and experienced sales specialists.

All new website is easy-to-use, mobile-friendly and includes bigger equipment photos.

toll-free:international:

website:email:

+1.866.960.3331+1.250.474.6022www.hddbroker.cominfo@hddbroker.com

Ground Breakers in Used TrenchlessHDD Broker

providing visual and symbolic links to Washington, DC, located across the Potomac River.

Almost 4 million people a year visit the national cemetery. A con-stant vigil is maintained at the Tomb of the Unknowns, where the changing of a military guard occurs around the clock. On average, 28 burials occur each weekday, for a total of nearly 6,900 each year.

Naturally, as the cemetery and national park grew more sophisti-cated, an underground utility

system was constructed to support the needs of the ceme-tery. More than 60 years ago, a series of cast-iron water mains was installed for fire suppression and potable-water uses on the site. Today, most of the cast-iron water mains are in need for replacement.

Low-impAct soLutioNThe US Army Corp of Engineers Norfolk District was tasked with the challenge to find a construc-tion method that would not interfere with the 11,000 daily visitors, 28 daily burials, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and other ceremonies that take place.

In addition, the water-main replacement method needed to reduce the environmental impact on the landscaping and trees.

Pre-chlorinated pipe bursting was ultimately selected as the most advantageous technology that would reduce the impact of

construction on the surroundings and cemetery activity.

In total, five construction phases progressed replacing over 38,500ft of existing 6in cast-iron water main with new 6in high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Murphy Pipeline Contractors was awarded the phases through Patriot Construction, 8(A), SDVOSB, a full-services general contractor, headquartered in Maryland, US.

Murphy Pipeline Contractors is a North American trenchless contractor focused on the replacement of pressure pipeline systems. Established to bring the trenchless technologies of Europe to the US, its speciality is static pipe bursting and swagelining (HDPE pipe lining). The team is led by president Andy Mayer, who is a native of the UK and worked for British Gas at a time when it was first developing pipe-bursting and swagelining technologies.

HDPE pipe sections butt-

fused together in staging area

03-09 N-Amer_Trench1411.indd 4 17/10/2014 09:50

5

Nov 2014

North AmericA

Pre-chloriNAtioNThe method of pre-chlorinated pipe bursting has a history that extends many decades, as the process was first adapted by water companies in the UK. The method utilises HDPE pipe and entails the pre-assembly and testing of approximately 300ft to 600ft lengths of pipe above grade at a nearby staging location.

This work is completed in advance of pipe-bursting operations. Once the pipe string is proven to be sound by the testing and disinfection proce-dures, bursting operations can begin. In the area of water main being replaced, a series of small excavations are made and the new pipe is pulled into place by pipe bursting the existing main.

A post-chlorination and flushing of the main is then performed and the new line is connected into the distribution system. Ultimately, all services are connected into the new main and the surface area is backfilled to preconstruction grade. The entire process is completed within a single day, taking seven to 10 hours, thereby minimising the disruption to residents and businesses – and in the case of this project to park visitors and funeral processions.

The process starts in an isolated staging area located away from burst locations to minimise site impact. Forty-foot lengths of pipe are fused together using butt fusion. At Arlington National Cemetery, workers from Murphy Pipelines used a McElroy Rolling 28 fusion machine to fuse the 6in DIPS DR 11 Driscoplex HDPE pipe. The Rolling 28 is capable of fusing thermoplastic pipe from 2in IPS to 8in DIPS.

HDPE has become the pre-ferred pipe material to install with static pipe bursting as the material is lightweight and flexible, combining a high impact strength with ductility and toughness. Third-party research indicates that HDPE pipelines

can have a lifespan of over 100 years.

Murphy Pipelines has a large fleet of McElroy fusion machines, and for good reason. “Quality is most important, as any break-downs require an extensive amount of lost production time and expense,” Andy Mayer, president of Murphy Pipeline Contractors, says.

To protect its fusion machine

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November 2014

6 North AmericA

Todd Grafenauer is the educational director for Murphy Pipeline Contractors

fleet, Murphy Pipelines uses McElroy Pipe Stands. The Pipe Stands are set up on either side of the fusion machine, and help to bring the pipe into the fusion machine at a consistent level for a more efficient fusion process. Not using pipe stands can cause undue stresses on the pipe rollers and the machine itself.

Once the 300ft to 600ft lengths of pipeline were fused together, Murphy Pipelines personnel capped the pipe ends. Each pipe section is then bacteriologically disinfected and pressure tested in the staging area prior to installation.

Two consecutive days of samples are taken, 24 hours apart, and checked for bacterio-logical clearance. This step is critical, as it eliminates the alternative of temporary water services to be set up, which can slow production and cause an inconvenience due to the above-ground lines.

Because the pipe has been

properly pre-chlorinated, it is ready to be put into service immediately after installation.

The final component of the staging process is the addition of a manifest attached to each pipe section that identifies the testing results and that the steps have been taken. Records of testing are given to inspectors, project managers and project owners.

StAtic pipe burStiNgTo install the replacement piping, workers excavated small entry and exit pits in the cemetery. The original cast-iron main was decommissioned and readied for the pipe-bursting process as equipment was installed in the pits.

Metal rods travelled through the existing main to the launch pit, where a blade set, expander, tracing wire and HDPE piping were attached to the rods. By mid-morning, the pull back process began. In most cases, the new HDPE pipe was pulled back and burst through the old pipe by the early afternoon.

The static bursting process can also be used to replace existing mains made of AC, PVC, ductile iron and steel.

During the pull, the expander forced the existing cast iron mains to fracture and the pieces of the old pipes were pushed into

the surrounding soil. The new HDPE pipe was then pulled through the space created by the expander.

On the days spent pipe bursting, crews could often be found making connections in the early afternoon. All tools, connections and fittings were sprayed with a hypochlorite solution. After all connections were made, the main was then super-chlorinated with 300ppm chlorine, flushed and put back into service.

Site chAlleNgeSMurphy Pipelines personnel were challenged with working in an operational national landmark that would not be closing to tourists and visitors. Arlington National Cemetery holds, on average, about 25 to 30 funerals each day.

Inevitably, funeral processions and funerals would occur near and through construction areas. Out of respect to the deceased and the services, workers stopped work and shut down equipment.

Many of the burst locations also occurred at high-profile areas including the Welcome Center by the park’s entrance, former president John F Kennedy’s grave, the Memorial Amphi-theater and the Tomb of the Unknowns with the changing of the guard occurring every hour.

“The project progressed without incident and it is a true testimony to the pre-chlorinated pipe-bursting technology and the team atmosphere to replace the extensive water-main system with little to no impact on the ceme-tery and its daily activity,” Mayer says.

“Team work was vital to ensure a successful project. The Norfolk District US Army Corp of Engi-neers and Arlington National Cemetery personnel showed great resolve in working with our crews to properly plan, adapt and execute the project.”

Above: team meetings were vital to ensure

co-ordination of construction

activity in the high-profile areas

Above right: Murphy Pipelines

crews installing 520ft of HDPE by static pipe

bursting

Connections utilised ductile

iron fittings, mega lugs and stainless steel

inserts

03-09 N-Amer_Trench1411.indd 6 17/10/2014 09:52

Horizontal Technology.indd 1 22/01/2014 16:41

8 FEATURE NAME

November 2014

8 North AmericA

A s part of a pilot project with the City of Vancou-ver, Canada, a location

between 34th and 36th Street close to Prince Edward Street was selected in order to perform an internal pressurised inspection using the JD7 Investigator unit from UK-based JD7.

For the purpose of this project, nine access points were selected in the Vancouver area. The launch system utilised with the equipment was adapted in order to provide access into a vast majority of fire-hydrant models from the major manufacturing companies, including both slide-gate and compression-style hydrants.

Unlike the UK, in North America there are many different types of hydrant, and inspection

companies need to make modifications to their launch apparatus to accommodate the variances in design.

The JD7 Investigator water-main condition-assessment tool is used for in-service distribution systems. It has a high-definition camera system with hydrophone technology, as well as a high-powered sonde.

The Investigator allows for the

inspection of assets ranging from 100 to 300mm in diameter while maintaining the lines in full service. Minimal preparation is required for an intervention as it utilises various existing entry points, such as fire hydrants and pressure fittings.

FiNdiNg the right solutioNsIn Canada slide-gate hydrants are considered to be antiquated in the water-distribution systems. It was therefore a surprise to see so many in good working order. It was concluded that, in order for the Investigator to work

The pressurised pipe-inspection and leak-detec-tion system is used for 3in-diameter pipework and larger with pressure up to 16 bar. The system is mounted onto pipework through a selection of fittings and/or ‘hot tappings’.

Monitoring the real-time data captured by the camera and hydrophone sensor head allows the operator to understand internal pipework condi-tions and leakage points.

The maximum distance for each insertion is 100m due to the length of the cable supplied with the system. During insertion, the maximum distance

achievable will be influ-enced by the pipe diameter, internal condi-tion and number of bends present.

The JD7 software is specific for the Investiga-tor technology and is used to control the sensor head and view both video and acoustic results from live surveys. The software displays video in a resizable window and also acoustic results in order of amplitude and frequency.

The software also operates the sonde, which is built into the camera sensor head. The system is compatible with JD7Live-Feed software for maxi-mum performance.

Focus on the equipment

investigating the linePipe-inspection and leak-detection system reveals need for rehab in Vancouver

A view of the software used to

control the sensor head and view both video

and acoustic results from live

surveys

Inspecting the water mains in Vancouver

03-09 N-Amer_Trench1411.indd 8 17/10/2014 09:52

9

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water & sewer pipe replacement up to Ø1500 mm. !

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Untitled-1 1 19/05/14 11.40

North AmericA

properly, JD7 would have to devise a way to simultaneously seal the single drain plug in the shoe as well as isolate the barrel, essentially transforming the barrel into that of a wet-barrel hydrant.

The team quickly developed a solution with the modifications completed on the launching device. Following this, only a rapid adjustment was required between hydrant mobilisations to accommodate the varying burial depths.

Throughout the inspection process of the various water mains, JD7 was able to identify sectors that had been rehabili-tated with cement mortar lining, as well as others that had not been examined yet.

The cast-iron lines, which had been lined, showed no signs of tuberculation throughout the

pipe other than at the tees and various bends or valves. The cast-iron lines, which were approximately of the same period, without having under-gone rehabilitation, were now showing signs of anywhere between 5% and 20% reduction due to tuberculation.

Despite encountering some areas with heavy tuberculation, no acoustic points of reference or anything that may have been perceived as a leak were

detected. The nine access points, which were utilised, allowed JD7 to cover over 300m of water main in the area.

Having identified zones where tuberculation was becoming an issue, the city now possessed the documentation validating the actual condition of the water mains in that area. As a result of the work performed, the unlined mains have been identified as rehabilitation candidates in the near future.

This article was written by Stuart Hamilton, managing director, JD7 and David Gosselin, project engineer, GAME Trenchless Consultants (JD7’s preferred partner for delivering projects in Canada)

JD7 equipment being used on an inspection project in the US

The Investigator unit on site

03-09 N-Amer_Trench1411.indd 9 17/10/2014 09:52

RIP

©2014 Digital Control Incorporated. All rights reserved.

The Mark Series, 1994-2014Mark Series, an innovator, accomplished traveler and trusted companion of thousands of contractors worldwide, passed in October 2014. Our beloved Mark was 20 years old at the time of passing, but was a hard-working tool that served customers worldwide well. A moment of silence please, before turning your attention to the next generation of DCI locating systems, the F Series.

Industry leaders. Passionate visionaries. And genuinely nice guys.

RIP_AD_2014_FINAL.indd 1 10/2/14 9:22 AMDigital Control.indd 2 15/10/2014 16:02

RIP

©2014 Digital Control Incorporated. All rights reserved.

The Mark Series, 1994-2014Mark Series, an innovator, accomplished traveler and trusted companion of thousands of contractors worldwide, passed in October 2014. Our beloved Mark was 20 years old at the time of passing, but was a hard-working tool that served customers worldwide well. A moment of silence please, before turning your attention to the next generation of DCI locating systems, the F Series.

Industry leaders. Passionate visionaries. And genuinely nice guys.

RIP_AD_2014_FINAL.indd 1 10/2/14 9:22 AMDigital Control.indd 3 15/10/2014 16:02

November 2014

12 HDD

T hermal grouting, in basic terms, is the process of injecting grout between

conduits and casings (or the ground in uncased bores) to reduce the heat generated by large amounts of electricity pass-ing through the cables.

In the US, long-bore thermal grouting became a reality in spring 2007, when the first two long horizontally directional drilled (HDD) casings were successfully thermally grouted.

This project was in Austin/Davenport (Texas) and has been written about in several technical and magazine articles. Two 2,000ft 30in-diameter conduits-in-casing bores were successfully grouted by Mears Group and Constellation Group.

Many shorter jack-and-bore casings have been installed and grouted for many years with varying degrees of success. Often the contractor is successful, but in the US only the disasters become well known. Crushed or melted conduits can ruin a contractor’s, and a utility company’s, day.

This article will highlight several long HDD projects successfully completed in the US, the longest being 1,869m (6,131ft) under Wolf Bay, Alabama.

Other projects discussed include electric utility BC Hydro

Canada’s Vancouver City Center Transmission (VCCT); energy-pro-ject developer Woodbridge Competitive Power Ventures’ (CPV) six bores totalling nearly 3,353m (11,000ft); the Public Service Electric and Gas Com-pany (PSE&G) New Jersey project, which is still under construction, with several shorter bores completed; and Platte River Power Authority’s (PRPA) jack-and-bore grouting opera-tions at Longmont, Colorado.

Step by StepThermal grouting is a process and needs to be considered during the engineering phase. Often, in the US, this is not the case, or is minimised. It is not uncommon to see ‘Fill the casing with thermal grout’ on the Plans and Specifica-tions page. Grouting needs to be engineered, planned and executed as part of the construc-tion process, much like HDD

drilling or microtunnelling or jack and bore.

The engineering team needs to determine the thermal character-istics of all the components of the system (such as cable design, ampacity, conduit material, casing material, electric load and ground properties).

The thermal grout should be designed and tested before installation to ensure that it meets/exceeds the electrical engineer’s requirements.

The casing and bundle (con-duits and spacers) need to be designed to accommodate the grouting. Often this step is missed. Other steps missed are grout-pipe installation points and flow paths or holes for the grout.

Thermal grouts have to have two primary characteristics – meet the thermal requirements of the project and be constructible. This sounds almost too easy, you say. Now consider that this grout

A case for the cool-headedA relatively new technique in North America, thermal grouting of long and short electric utility underground bores, should be seen as a key step in the engineering plan

“Thermal grouts need

to be pumpable,

flowable and stable”

Cable bundle in downtown

Vancouver on the VCCT

project. The line has come from

across False Creek and

Fairview Slopes, visible in the background

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 12 17/10/2014 09:47

13HDD

needs to be pumped 400m and then flow through spacers (think baffles) spaced every 1.6m for several hundred metres.

This is not so simple. Thermal grouts need to be pumpable,

flowable and stable. The use of chemical admixtures such as superplasticiser and stabilisers can be of immense value. On most projects, retarders are utilised as well.

first long-Distance projectThe Austin Energy project in Texas consisted of two 610m (2,000ft)-long, 813mm (32in)-diameter casings with two 12in and six 3in HDPE conduits. The

Example of cables badly grouted by another contractor

Grout being poured for a short-bore project

TWM@BITBROKERS.COM

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 13 17/10/2014 09:47

14 HDD

larger conduits were for force-main sewers and the smaller conduits were used for distribu-tion-voltage (13.5KV) cables. Grouting consisted of using a slightly modified grout originally designed by Geotherm.

The bores were drilled by Mears Group of Houston. The bores went under Lake Austin and the Austin Country Club. Grouting was performed in planned stages, primarily due to limitations in on-site grout mixing. Grout was first pumped into the lowest segments of each bore and allowed to harden. Subsequent upper sections were grouted.

first long uncaseD boreBC Hydro’s Vancouver City Center Transmission job in British Columbia, Canada, is a major project undertaken in downtown Vancouver – from David Lamb Park, under False Creek to the suburb of Fairview Slopes.

Ready-mix set-up for Vancouver’s

VCCT project

Grouting at David Lamb Park

in downtown Vancouver

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12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 14 17/10/2014 09:47

15HDD

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The HDD bore (1,100mm in diameter) was roughly 850m (2,800ft) long with drilling performed by Michels, Canada. Planned cabling was 1250A, 230kV XLPE.

This was the first and longest uncased bore to be successfully

thermally grouted in North America. Over 730m of bore went through sandstone, with conductor casing at either side.

Grouting was performed in planned stages by Michels’ personnel. Pressure and tempera-ture transducers were installed

during bundle installation to monitor grouting conditions in real time and temperatures during grout hydration.

This project, which was constructed in residential and urban environments, has been energised.

Grout being prepared for the VCCT job, and a bundle of cables going into the pipe

“This bore is 1,869m (6,131ft) and is the unofficial distance record for a thermal grouted casing”

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 15 17/10/2014 09:48

November 2014

16 HDD

THe longesT boreAnother major project conducted in the US was under Wolf Bay, Alabama, for PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. This bore is 1,869m (6,131ft) long and holds the unofficial distance record for a thermal grouted casing. South-east Directional Drilling (SEDD) executed this project on complet-ing grouting in two working days.

Nearly 700 cubic yards of highly fluid thermal grout was injected. This project has been energised at 115kV, XLPE cable.

FresH From THe FielDThe HDD portion of the Wood-bridge CPV Energy project in Edison, New Jersey, US, has just

been completed. Over 3,350m (11,000ft) of 32in fusible PVC were installed by Carson Corpo-ration in three pairs of bores.

Overhead transmission lines from a planned gas-powered generating station enter the ground near the Raritan River, New Jersey, and travel under-ground through both trenchless and trenched conduits to the distribution station. The trench-less portion is below environmen-tally sensitive wetlands. Planned cabling (already on site) is suitable for 230kV.

A mulTiTuDe oF sHorT boresThere have been numerous shorter bores completed in the US. Current federal regulations now prohibit new overhead lines above the Interstate Highway system. Individual states have

similar requirements when working in wetland areas and require trenchless installations.

Thermal grouting in the US is becoming more commonplace, but is often left up to the contractor with little engineering performed in advance of con-struction. Grouting should be part of the overall construction plan.

In all of the major projects listed above, Constellation Group provided technical grouting services to allow each contractor to perform the necessary task itself.

The company has also worked with Golder Associates and Haley & Aldrich on the engineering aspects of their projects; as well as working on thermal-grouting national guidelines for the utility industry.

This article was written by Guy Dickes, president of Constellation Group. Constellation Group, of Baltimore, Maryland, US, has no relationship with Constellation Energy, Baltimore Gas and Electric or any other utility or construction company

Pumping grout on the Platte River Power

Authority project

Above: route of the Wolf Bay

bore

Top right: bundle of cables on

north side of Wolf Bay

Right: water discharge from

grouting on south side at

Wolf Bay

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 16 17/10/2014 09:48

If you need a HDD tooling solution, call us. We’ll get you the bits and subs you need – anytime, anywhere. We’re like a best friend,that doesn’t borrow things without asking.

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18 HDD

Together with its clients, A.Hak Drillcon is on a mission. The Netherlands-based full-

service provider for pipelines, cables and industrial services wants to make a significant con-tribution to a sustainable society.

The company’s direct-pipe drilling technique, which has significantly less impact on the environment, exemplifies this. Compared with other drilling methods, the direct-pipe method is characterised by minimal risk when it comes to difficult soil conditions and an unstable borehole.

Direct-pipe drilling technology combines microtunnelling with horizontal directional drilling (HDD). One advantage of this method is that a work area is only required on the entry side.

The direct-pipe technique is a newly developed drilling method, where the product pipe is pushed directly behind the tunnelling machine in front.

This pipe-mounted TBM is pushed forward by one or two pipe-thrusters, which grip the pipe and deliver a thrust force of more than 500t. However, in A.Hak Drillcon’s experience only

25% to 30% of the maximum thrust force is needed.

Twice THe THrusT forceA.Hak Drillcon claims to be the first company in the world to show that the direct-pipe method allows drills in excess of 1,400m. However, under the right circumstances, it is possible to drill even longer distances, the company states.

In the case of long drilling distances, two pipe thrusters can be deployed in order to double the thrust force.

As with HDD, the first part of direct-pipe drilling is imple-mented at a downward angle. When reaching the desired depth, the TBM is adjusted to horizontal drilling. When approaching the target site, the

Direct results by doubling upCombining different trenchless technologies can provide the best of both worlds

Direct-pipe drilling

technology on site at the Hauts

de France II project

The trenchless drive exceeded

1,000m

w

h CC-GRP Jacking Pipes

www.hobas.com

High Performance Solutions for Best Practice Trenchless Projects

O Longer Jacking DrivesO Fewer Necessary Shafts O Higher Installation RatesO Less Excavation MaterialO Higher Steering Precision

O Less MaintenanceO Longer LifetimeO Lower Necessary Jacking Forces O Optimal for Curved Alignments

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 18 17/10/2014 09:48

19HDD

TBM is adjusted upwards until it breaks out of the soil.

During the drilling process, the drilling line is continuously monitored and, where necessary, adjusted by the company’s gyroscope measurement system.

Similar to HDD, the entire pipe string can be laid out beforehand, and with continuous and uninter-rupted insertion. However, when necessary (for instance when the stringing space is restricted), the direct-pipe technique also allows insertion of the pipe section by section. Only the activities at the entry side require a large work area. This drilling technique renders route tracking (surveying) unnecessary and also minimises the need for site access permits.

Hauts De France II projectFrom August to October 2013 A. Hak Drillcon worked with main contractor Max Streicher France

on GRT Gaz’s Hauts de France II project in Corbie, France.

The new pipeline is part of the parallel expansion of GRT Gaz’s existing pipeline. The total pipeline connects Pitgam (Nord) to Cuvilly (Oise) with a length of approximately 174km, divided into several lots. The lot awarded to Max Streicher France com-prised the trenchless crossing, which was subcontracted to A. Hak Drillcon.

The soil conditions along the route and in the crossing section vary from clay to gravel, chalk, marl and flint. For this reason the direct-pipe technology was the ideal solution.

The trenchless drive totalled 1,072m of 48in carbon steel pipe. The wall thickness was 28.2 mm and the coating was dual-layer PP (14mm). The maximum push force was 270t. A.Hak Drillcon used a Herrenknecht AVN 1000 micro-

tunnelling machine, in combina-tion with an HK 500 PT Pipe-Thruster. After mobilisation on the jobsite, the drilling process took only a few weeks, including two days’ standby for welding the second 48in pipe section.

A.Hak Drillcon carries out trenchless crossings of pipelines for oil and gas, district heating and cooling, potable water and waste water, medium- and high-voltage cables and telecom-munication connections.

The company has a large fleet of HDD rigs with capacities ranging from 3t to 500t using seven maxi/mega rigs ranging from 150t to 500t. It also has pipe thrusters with capacities up to 750t, which, as a redundancy, can be deployed in support of pulling in or reversing the pipe if necessary.

The company also performs auger boring and pipe ramming.

Varied geology on the Hauts de France II project included clay, gravel, chalk, marl and flint

This article was written by Richard van Santen and Karin Vijverberg from A.Hak Drillcon

12-18 HDD_Trench1411.indd 19 17/10/2014 09:49

20 SUCTION exCavaTION

A large strategic partnership working for a national util-ity supplier was tasked to

expose and repair a collapsed sewer in an old cobbled street of King’s Lynn, UK.

The sewer was estimated to be 4m below ground level. When the client manually excavated down to 800mm, it quickly discovered a myriad of existing utilities.

At this point the client insisted on the use of non-invasive suction-excavator technology to eliminate the risk of service strikes and damages to the existing infrastructure.

UK-based Suction Excavator Solutions (SES) provides an alternative safe digging method to mechanical and manual excavation techniques. This method has been proven to help save millions of pounds across the UK.

The mission under the mazeWhen numerous utility pipes and cables crisscross their way under our city’s streets, conventional sewer-repair techniques can be too risky. Step in suction excavation…

On the King’s Lynn job, a mass of services were found under the surface. All were

secured to prevent any

movement or damage during

suction excavation

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19-23 Suction_Trench1411.indd 20 17/10/2014 09:45

21SUCTION exCavaTION

SES provided a full consultation service and site survey before the work was carried out. This ensured the best possible solution to the task providing maximum safety and minimum disruption to the general public. This was imperative as the section of sewer that needed to be exposed was directly outside the Civic Hall and cathedral where weddings and council meetings were taking place.

SES suction excavators use the latest RSP DV fan technology, which exhibits optimal perfor-mance characteristics, excellent running capacities and incorpo-rates many health-and-safety benefits. The fan assembly has an air-outlet silencer, which is designed to lower the working frequencies to ensure minimal noise and effect on the environ-ment.

Once the start date was confirmed, SES dispatched a suction excavator and operating

team to carry out the work. All the SES team of operators hold EUSR/CSCS cards, and SHEA Gas and Water Hygiene accreditations as a minimum. The members also attend the manufacturer’s specialist suction-excavator training courses that are held periodically.

All work permits, risk assess-ments and method statements

were completed and agreed with the client before the works started.

ON-SITe SOlUTIONSSES mobilised one of its ESE 26/8 suction excavators fully equipped with non-conductive air tooling, accessories and extension pipes to cope with the estimated 4m depth of the sewer.

Once on site, the suction excavator moved into position to allow traffic to flow continuously. All traffic management, lighting and guarding was supplied and put in place.

The suction-excavation team used compressed-air tooling to loosen the ground and rapidly remove all the material around the existing utilities such as gas, water, electric, British Telecom, fibre optic and cable TV. Many unknown services that were not present on any drawings or plans were also found and relocated safely. The company did not

Suction excavation under way at King’s Lynn

“SES managed the project safely, on time and within budget, much to the client’s satisfaction”

19-23 Suction_Trench1411.indd 21 17/10/2014 09:45

ISSN 1756-1407 September 2013 www.trenchlessworld.com

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23SUCTION exCavaTION

cause any damage to the utilities or services while employing the suction-excavation technique.

Suction excavators are designed and manufactured using special suction fans that create the negative pressure and air flow to transport material. The suction fans are driven via an engine-driven power take off (PTO).

The fans are capable of creating an airflow of up to 44,000m³/h, maximum vacuum of 55,000Pa. This air flow enables the operator to suck all kinds of materials, liquid or solid up to 250mm in diameter, through the air-intake suction nozzle.

The excavation was reduced and shuttering was put into place to maintain a safe working environment at all times.

The team continued to exca-vate down to 3.2m, where it exposed the collapsed clay-lined sewer. It was then apparent how fragile the sewer was, as even hand-digging could have caused further damage. All connection pieces were exposed for inspec-tion and repair.

All the material removed from the excavation travelled in the airflow through the extension pipes into the 8m3 container/tipping body. Once full, the container was tipped directly into

low-level skips ready for disposal and removal from site.

This allowed the suction excavator to remain on site at all times, ensuring continuous working and maintaining excel-lent productivity.

SES managed the project safely, on time and within budget, much to the client’s satisfaction. SES has since returned to carry out similar tasks for the same client and continues to receive positive feedback.

Suction Excavator Solutions (SES) provides safe, effective and trenchless techniques for all kinds of projects across many different sectors. Since the company’s formation, it has grown to be a successful nationwide provider for both large- and small-scale utilities, construction and specialist applications.

Gone are the days when suction excavators were used solely for utility works. The technol-ogy is evolving and rapidly growing. SES is continually shifting and adapting to its clients’ needs. The company often provides on-site consultation and problem-solving solutions.

SES has recruited and retained highly skilled and experienced operators who play a support-ive team role and provide tailored solutions and the highest level of customer satisfaction.

The company has a rapidly evolving fleet to meet the elevated demand for trenchless suction excavation.

Focus on the company

For more information: www.suctionexcavatorsolutions.co.uk

Far left: rear view of suction excavator showing extension arm and pipework on a different job

Above left: another sewer being exposed by suction for repair and cleaning

19-23 Suction_Trench1411.indd 23 17/10/2014 09:46