By rosebell
In order to tackling obstacles like rivers and infrastructure during grid expansion projects in Germany, Herrenknecht has delivered an E-Power Pipe machine to Heitkamp Construction Swiss.
As Herrenknecht stated, fast and safe underground installation of cable protection pipes over distances exceeding 1km is enabled through this technology, whereas the E-Power Pipe eliminates the need for trenches.
Including the SuedLink extra-high voltage direct current transmission line commencing in April 2025, Heitkamp Construction Swiss will use it for grid expansion projects.
Considering that various construction lots and sections will be involved in this work, Heitkamp Construction Swiss has established a new subsidiary in Germany, Heitkamp Energy Infra for supporting these works.
The trenchless technologies protect nature reserves, recreational areas, groundwater zones, landscapes, as well as valuable agricultural land, as Germany-based Herrenknecht said.
With the aim of overcoming these challenges, the company provides a variety of tunneling, drilling, and laying solutions.
While enabling trenchless installation of protective pipes at shallow depths, the E-Power Pipe method allows for the quick, safe, and precise laying of both pressure-resistant and non-pressure-resistant product pipes over distances up to 2km.
Also, combining proven horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and pipe jacking techniques is another advantage of this two-phase process.
According to HEITKAMP Construction Swiss CEO Philipp Kohlschreiber: ” The planned bores must be very precise, with some very low and some very high overburden. The longest planned route is about 1,600m long and under difficult conditions.”
Being designed for lengths over 1,000m and a drilling diameter of 505mm, the centrepiece of the E-Power Pipe is the AVNS350XB jacking machine is a fully remote-controlled system.
While drilling at minimal distances of just 1-2m, ths machine allows multiple lines to be laid in parallel.
Equipped with a jet pump and integrated hydraulic unit, the AVNS350XB overcomes previous limitations in cramped spaces and the jet pump enables efficient excavated material removal, allowing for jacking distances up to 10 times longer than conventional methods.
In order to pushing the jacking pipes and machine along the predetermined alignment toward the target point, s thrust unit is positioned at the starting point and then the prefabricated cable protection pipe is attached to the jacking pipes and pulled back through the launch shaft using the thrust unit, completing the installation of the E-Power Pipe.
Herrenknecht E-Power Pipe product manager Maximilian Bischoff said: “E-Power Pipe combines the advantages of micro tunneling and HDD, thus complementing our product portfolio.”
