TERRATEC ’s tight r adius TBMs are enabling a
highly challenging project alignment for Bangkok ’s Metropolitan Electricity
Authority in one of the city’s busiest downtown areas.
At the end of
April, TERRATEC celebrated the successful Factory Acceptance Test of a new
4.27m diameter Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine (EPBM) destined for
the Chidlom Cable Tunnel Project in Bangkok, Thailand. The event was attended
by representatives of Bangkok’s Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) and
contractor Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD).
Designed to accommodate a new high-voltage cable system, the Chidlom
Cable Tunnel Project is one of a series of tunnelling projects being undertaken
by the MEA, which are being built to meet increased power demands in the Thai
capital. Running from the Central
Embassy mall and MEA’s Chidlom Electrical Facilities southwards to Lumphini
Park, the project is located in one of the busiest and most built up areas of
downtown Bangkok, and is subject to tight alignment constraints including the
need to carefully navigate the foundations of the Chit Lom BTS Skytrain
Station. To achieve this, the TERRATEC Earth Pressure Balance Machine has been designed with an
extreme X-type articulation system, which can accommodate very tight radius
curves. “We have worked closel y with TERRATEC on a number of projects in the
past and were keen to work with them again,” says S upak Khunviriya, Project
Manager for ITD. “ TERRATEC has past experience of similar projects with tight
radius curves in Bangkok and the TBM has been design ed to achieve a high level
performance in difficult circumstances. ”
The TBM’s soft ground cutterhead features an open spoke design with the
addition of knife bits to assist break-in and break-out of the concrete shaft
eyes. Universal tapered precast concrete segments will typically be installed
as the machine progresses, with shorter steel segments utilised during the
course of the sharp radius curves. Geological conditions along the 1.35km
tunnel alignment consist of stiff to very stiff clay with lenses of sand and a
groundwater head of about 2 bars. Due to heavy traffic and the physical
limitations of this built up area – which includes numerous high-rise buildings
and the skytrain viaduct – logistics during the launch and operation of the TBM
will be extremely challenging, especially during the transportation and
delivery of oversize TBM parts for assembly at site. TERRATEC’s
highly-experienced Field Service staff have therefore been working closely with
ITD from day one in order to ensure every aspect is planned in advance.
“We have great faith in TERRATEC’s staff, who
will assist us throughout the tunnel construction stage,” says Khunviriya.
“There has been a close collaboration and exchange of information with TERRATEC
since the tender stage.” Following the
successful factory acceptance test, the machine will be now shipped to Thailand
and is expected to arrive in early-May. The TBM will then be transported to the
project site and lowered down the main shaft in a carefully-planned operation
that will take place in a single night. –
For more information visit: www.terratec.co
and view their press release - http://terratec.co/NewsInfos/detail/55
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