Industry News, trenchless products
Project: C470 Managed Lanes
Owner: CDOT
General Contractor: Flatiron / AECOM Joint Venture
Tunneling Subcontractor: BTrenchless (A Division of BT Construction, Inc.)
BTrenchless is the tunneling subcontractor for Flatiron/AECOM Joint Venture for the expansion of the C470 corridor on the South side of the Denver Metro area.
BTrenchless has completed the following drives on this project:
- 362 LF of 42” RCP was installed using the Akkerman 420 Tunnel Boring Machine.
- 324 LF of 48” RCP was installed using the Akkerman 480 Tunnel Boring Machine.
- 387 LF of 72” RCP was installed using the Akkerman 720 Tunnel Boring Machine.
- 355 LF of 72” RCP. This storm sewer line is in a redesign phase and will be installed using the Akkerman 720 Tunnel Boring Machine.
- 267 LF of 66” RCP. This tunnel is in the final design phase and will be installed using the Akkerman 660 Tunnel Boring Machine.
The main challenges encountered during this project were an abandoned 48” steel waterline and an abandoned 12” AC waterline that were found during our 72” RCP tunnel drive. We first encountered the 48” steel waterline and had to remove a section of the waterline through the head of the 720 TBM, as we continued the drive another 30 LF, we encountered a 12” AC waterline that had to be abated and removed through the head of the 720 TBM, as well.
Overall, this tunneling project has been a success for all parties involved, despite the challenges that we have encountered.
As always, Morty the Tunnel Rat is on hand to supervise the project!
Industry News
The Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA), was established in 2009 and has more than 500 individual members and more than 100 water/wastewater utilities from 18 Arab countries.
ACWUA will host the Trenchless Arabia Conference and Exhibition on 3-5 March 2019 at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, Dead Sea, Jordan in conjunction with the 5th Arab Water Week. For details, please visit www.trenchlessarabia.com and https://aww.acwua.org
Trenchless Arabia is an international conference and exhibition promoting condition assessment (cctv inspection and leak detection), ground penetrating radar (gpr), cured in place pipe (cipp) lining, close-fit sliplining, horizontal directional drilling (hdd), pipejacking, pipe bursting, auger boring, microtunnelling and several other trenchless techniques. Rehabilitation or new installation of underground utilities is possible with trenchless techniques which bring crucial advantages such as minimum surface excavation, less environmental damage, shorter construction period and less social cost.
International experts from several institutions, companies and universities will present their best practices and new solutions to the participants from Arab countries. Representatives of ministries, municipalities and utilities from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah), Kuwait, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Qatar, Iran and Turkey will be the key participants. A unique platform will be created among the decision makers, contractors, manufacturers and consultants during the sessions and exhibition.
All NASTT and ISTT members are invited to participate in Trenchless Arabia Conference and Exhibition.
Industry News, trenchless people
To mark their 45th anniversary, Akkerman is commemorating their years of providing the industry’s best guided boring, microtunneling, pipe jacking and tunneling equipment with valuable educational sessions, equipment displays, factory tours and entertainment.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 18-19
Two days of educational sessions featuring in-depth Factory Certified Hands-On Equipment Training and a Trenchless Technical Seminar on the latest trends, technologies and issues given by industry experts to earn CEU/PDHs.
Hands-On Equipment Training will be offered for GBM, MTBM and TBM System Operation and Maintenance Tracks Schedule
Trenchless Technical Seminar Schedule
- Overview of the ASCE Manual of Practice No. 133: Pilot Tube and Other Guided Boring Methods with Jeff Boschert, P.E., NCPI
- Effective Site Investigation for Determination of Trenchless Technologies with Robert Martin, P.E., Jacobs
- Guided Auger Boring with Jim Weist, Michael Byrne Mfg.
- ASCE Standard 36-15 Standard Design and Construction Guidelines for Microtunneling with Dr. Glenn Boyce, Ph.D., McMillen Jacobs Associates
- Guided Pipe Ramming with Rick Melvin, TT Technologies
- Sliplining with Vince Paparozzi, HOBAS
- Guided Boring with Vitrified Clay Pipe with David Gill, The Logan Clay Products Company
- Lubrication Methods, AZ100 TGS Tunneling Navigation System for Extended and Curved Alignments and Secrets to Successful Long Distance Pilot Tube Installations with Akkerman staff.
Visit the Akkerman website for more info!
Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products
A strong dealer support network combined with a safe and reliable product are yielding satisfied customers and increased revenue for Texas First Rentals, sister company to Holt Cat®, one of the Largest Caterpillar Dealers in the US. At Texas First, you can rent the Cat® equipment you’ve always trusted for your toughest jobs – plus a whole lot more: equipment from Genie®, JLG®, Sullair®, Wacker®, LayMor®, Vermeer®, and other top-notch manufacturers including Vac-Tron Equipment.
Project Challenge
Finding the perfect vacuum excavator and industrial vacuum equipment to add to the rental fleet. “The most important factors in determining what fleet we bought was the relationship we have with our dealer support network and the fact that we can utilize one model and maintain a commonality of parts.” said Colin Martin, District Manager of Texas First.
Solution
Vac-Tron Equipment vacuum excavators and industrial vacs. “We started buying the Vac-Tron machine when we initially started the company back in 2015. It’s a product that appears across all our stores, we have about 15 stores across the state of Texas,” said Martin. Michael Rutledge, Outside Sales Rep added, “The best advantage for us to be carrying Vac-Tron is our competitors don’t, so we have the upper edge. So, for an outside sales rep, its an absolute gold winner. The hydro vac makes it simpler and safer to use than the conventional excavator.”
Results
Satisfied customers and satisfied company owners. “I hear probably weekly that our customers are very satisfied with the product. At this current location, there are three customers that currently use these Vac-Tron’s monthly, some even use them long term on a 3-6-month basis” says Rutledge. “I would recommend these machines to others just for the ease of use, ease of maintenance, service ability concerns, and the return on investment” says Martin. “The rental return on investment (ROI) is how we are opening our doors everyday and closing them at the end of the day. I think this product is really making that bottom line more effective” added Rutledge.
Check out the full video interview with Texas First Rentals here. For more information on Vac-Tron Equipment and its full fleet of vacuum excavators, please visit them online at www.vactron.com or call 1-352-728-2222.
Industry News, trenchless projects
Nepal’s First TBM bores 1,000 Meters in One Month
Nepal’s first tunnel boring machine, a 5.06 m (16.6 ft) diameter Robbins Double Shield, is living up to the nation’s high expectations. The TBM, supplied in summer 2017 for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP), recently bored over 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in one month and has been averaging an impressive 800 m (2,630 ft) per month. The project is owned by the Government of Nepal’s Department of Irrigation (DOI) and operated by contractor China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd. Nepal Branch (COVEC Nepal).
The decision to use a TBM for the BBDMP project—designated by the government as one of Nepal’s 11 National Pride Projects—was a departure for a nation where drill & blast has long been the preferred tunneling method. Early studies done on the tunnel path predicted that drill & blast excavation of the 12.2 km (7.5 mi) tunnel would take close to 12 years to complete. The tunnel is located in the Siwalik Range, part of the Southern Himalayan Mountains, where geology consists of mainly sandstone, mudstone, and conglomerate.
Mr. Wang Wu Shui, General Manager for COVEC Nepal, cited several factors that have contributed to the good advance rates so far, “In China, there is a proverb about TBM construction: ‘geology is the premise, equipment is the foundation, and talents are the key’. The great advance rates achieved at present mainly lie in preliminary planning, process control, and professional construction personnel.” Shui added that technical training and guidance are provided for each position so that all personnel can fully understand their job and team responsibilities. If unforeseen circumstances arise and there is no operator for a certain position, others have enough training to fill the role.
To ensure the best TBM performance and to prevent downtime, machine maintenance occurs daily at a fixed time. Geological engineers are sent to analyze the ground conditions twice daily so that construction personnel can adjust the tunneling parameters and prepare for auxiliary measures if geological changes are predicted.
The ground conditions during the record-setting month consisted mainly of sandstone and mudstone, but that is set to change. At about the 5.8 km mark, the machine will encounter a major fault zone known as the Bheri Thrust. Clay and water ingress are expected throughout the fault, which is about 400 to 600 m wide.
COVEC Nepal are prepared for the conditions and have worked out efficient tunneling logistics to decrease downtime. “The two working procedures of tunneling and segment erection are carried out simultaneously under the double shield tunneling mode, and the time to erect a ring of segments is 15 minutes in general,” said Shui. “Under the single shield tunneling mode, segment erection comes after tunneling in a sequential process, but the segment erection time is still about 15 minutes.” To further reduce time, consolidation grouting is carried out in advance during daily maintenance to avoid the impact of downtime for grouting on the overall construction progress.
Once complete, the BBDMP will irrigate 60,000 hectares of land in the southern region of Nepal, and benefit an estimated 30,000 households. It will divert 40 cubic meters (1,400 cubic feet) of water per second from Bheri River to Babai River under a head of 150 m (490 ft) using a 15 m (49 ft) tall dam, providing year-round irrigation in the surrounding Banke and Bardia districts. The water will also be used for hydroelectricity, with a generating capacity of 48 MW benefiting the country with NPR 2 billion (20 million USD) annually. The initial success of the TBM operation has already inspired developers and contractors to opt for TBMs over conventional excavation methods on upcoming Nepalese tunnels.
Image 1: A 5.06 m (16.6 ft) Robbins Double Shield TBM has bored over 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in one month at Nepal’s Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP).
Image 2: The COVEC Nepal crew celebrate the record-setting month of over 1,000 m (3,280 ft) for the Robbins Double Shield TBM boring the BBDMP tunnel.
Image 3: An overhead view of the BBDMP jobsite, located in Bardia Wildlife Reserve, a sanctuary home to tigers, rhinos, elephants and many other types of vulnerable flora and fauna.
Image 4: Launched in summer 2017, the Robbins TBM is the first ever to operate in Nepal and has garnered much national attention for its successful operation.
Industry News
The North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) — the leading association serving and promoting the North American trenchless industry – is pleased to announce municipal and public utility scholarship opportunities to attend NASTT’s 2019 No-Dig Show, March 17-21 in Chicago, Illinois.
In 2013, NASTT established the No-Dig Show Municipal & Public Utility Scholarship Award Program to provide education and training for employees of North American municipalities, government agencies and utility owners who have limited or no training funds due to economic challenges. In past years, over 100 applicants were awarded the scholarship annually.
“NASTT’s Municipal & Public Utility Scholarships have gone to more than 750 people since the inception of the scholarship program, and it’s building momentum even still,” said Cindy Preuss, 2019 No-Dig Show Program Chair and a Principal with HydroScience Engineers. “With an entire show dedicated to trenchless technology, this scholarship offers public agencies the opportunity to participate, and experience, the world of trenchless. It’s an opportunity perhaps entirely missed were it not for the award directly impacting an agency’s bottom line. Submit your application today – this is a chance public agency representatives shouldn’t pass up!”
Selected scholarship winners will be awarded Full Conference and Exhibition registration to NASTT’s 2019 No-Dig Show. Also available are one day conference registrations which include full access to all exhibits and technical paper sessions. Selected applicants will also be eligible to receive complimentary overnight accommodations for three nights at the host hotel. The scholarship applications are reviewed by a committee of NASTT volunteers and awarded based upon the supplied responses.
To apply for the scholarship, complete the application online at nastt.org/no-dig-show/municipal-scholarships on or before November 1, 2018. Applicants are not required to be NASTT members.
NASTT’s Municipal & Public Utility Scholarships program is sponsored by Benjamin Media, Inc, award-winning publisher of the leading underground construction magazine, Trenchless Technology.
For more information about NASTT’s No-Dig Show visit www.nodigshow.com, email conferences@benjaminmedia.com or call 330-467-7588.
