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Pumped Storage Gilboa
NATM excavation tunnelling works in LP Clay
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Client: PSP Investments Ltd
Project designation: Pumped Storage Gilboa LP Clay Tunnel
Main Contractor: EPC, JV. By Electra Construction and Solel
Boneh
Start: February/2016
Duration: 12 months (9 months in a 24/7 Schedule)
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Activities and quantities done by TLG in this 215 meters length
tunnel:
- Forepoling steel pipe umbrellas (D73mm): 12300 meters
- Fiberglass rockbolts: 8200 meters
- Drains: 1000 meters
- Shotcrete (steel fiber reinforced): 1600 m3
- Soft soil excavation works: 7800 m3
- HEA180 Steel arch placement: 136 ton
- Tube-a-manchette grouting activity: 30000 kg of cement
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Project description:
The execution of this Low Pressure tunnel is included in a grid of 6,5 km of tunnels
and shafts connecting 2 water reservoirs (in a upper and lower elevation
respectively) with approximately 2,7 million m3 of capacity.
This pumped storage facility with power capacity of 300 MWH will store energy by
pumping water from the lower and higher reservoirs connected by a pressure
steel pipe installed in the grid of the tunnels excavated.
While most of these tunnels and shafts were excavated in rock, TLG was
requested to perform excavation in soil conditions of fat clay in order to complete
the ending part of the tunnel that connects to the Lower water reservoir intake.
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Short description of TLG:
During the year of 2016, Lipsker and Tecnasol integrated their combined
experience of over 100 years and formed an Israeli leading geotechnical
contractor: TLG - Tecnasol Lipsker Geotechnics LTD.
In just one year, TLG has successfully completed the execution of the Jet
Grouting works at the Ayalon River near Galei Gil Launching Shaft (which
enables the launching of TBM from the Galei Gilshaft of the Tel Aviv Metro
Red Line), a complicated and demanding anchoring job in Harmon
Hanatsiv Jerusalem and in this month TLG is completing another Jet-
Grouting job, Leon Tower in Tel-Aviv, and this very unique Clay Tunnel in
Gilboa.
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View of the overall Project in red, the clay tunnel
LP Clay tunnel NATM tunnelling
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Geology:
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Difficulties to surpass:
Tunnel in the critical path of the whole Project with a very
tight timetable
First activity of TLG in this project treatment of a collapse
occurred during excavation in the tunnel higher risk
Very poor clay as predominant geology found, with high
instability conditions once excavated and exposed
High water ingress in some areas of the excavation due to
presence of carbonate layer
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Difficulties to surpass:
Limited section size tunnel with only one access to perform all activities:
No possibility of parallel tasks;
Mandatory use of small equipment;
Need of high planning, concerning circulation of vehicles and access of
equipment
Lower average rates;
Limited ventilation conditions
Lack of batching plant on site for instant supply of concrete in shotcrete
activities
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Difficulties to surpass - Limited size of the tunnel
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Difficulties to surpass Limited size of the tunnel
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Difficulties to surpass Limited size of the tunnel
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Steel pipe umbrelas:
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Steel pipe umbrellas:
This advance support and protection for the excavation was the most effective method
to prevent the instabilities from progressing further than the umbrella height, limiting
the ground instabilities on the top to the boundary of these pipe roof umbrellas;
This method was proven to be the assurance of safety for excavation works and for the
workers;
Alongside the execution of the steel pipe umbrellas, the fiberglass bolts and drainage
pipes shown to be also effective in stabilizing the excavation face;
Due to the delay existing between excavation and shotcrete activities (limited access
and external supply of concrete), the steel pipe umbrella guaranteed safety during
these stoppage times with the clay exposed.
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Excavation method:
The first approach for excavation works was to perform full face excavation with
steel arch placement distanced of 1,2 meters;
This method, after 100 meters of excavation had to be changed to a more
conservative method - top heading + bench and invert due to the soil
conditions;
This change alongside with shifting to a conical section proved to be more safe in
poorer soil conditions, limiting the top heading instabilities and not
compromising the average rates and overall time table;
No solution is permanent in a tunnelObserve, monitor, evaluate and
adapt!
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Excavation works
methods:
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Excavation works
methods:
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Shotcrete activities:
Due to the permanent instability of the clay, once exposed, it was mandatory to
shotcrete the excavation face in order to safely install the steel arches;
In segments of the tunnel with high water ingress, the shotcrete activities proven to
be of extreme difficulty (high consumption of concrete to stay installed in the clay
face);
Also in the top heading area, the shotcrete was very difficult to install due to the
geometry and against gravity direction, with wire mesh to retain the shotcrete and
provide extra stiffness had to be applied.
And again
No solution is permanent in a tunnelObserve, monitor, evaluate and adapt!
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Shotcrete activities:
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Steel arch placement:
The designed steel arches HEA180, due to its size and weight was
also a demanding task to assemble, requiring high skills in the lifting
equipments operators and also in the manpower to quickly assemble
the arches to limit the time close to the excavation face;
Once shifting to conical shape and using the same shape arches, a
challenge also appeared in order to change the shape of the tunnel
with limited choices regarding the arches configuration.
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Steel arch placement:
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Steel arch placement:
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Technical solution and its benefits:
Drainage:
The water ingress was, at some stages of the excavation, significant
and brought extra difficulties in the stability of the excavation face;
Long drains were installed on every drilling treatment and sometimes
some of the fiberglass rockbolts were left without being grouted, due
to the high flow of water pouring out from some of the drill holes
made;
Due to the fact of the drains being installed in the clay, its efficiency
was decreasing very quickly as the excavation progressed.
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Conclusions: works
The tunnel, as TLGs initial project, in addition to its difficulties already
presented, also had the challenge of overcoming a multicultural (country and
company wise) and multi language working environment. With time, the
communication became more fluid and the work methods and routines more
unified;
The executing teams composed by foremen, specialized drilling, grouting and
shotcrete operators, safety foremen and general workers came from the
following countries:
Portugal and Israel;
Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Caucasia;
Morocco and Nigeria
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Conclusions:
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The following number of TLGs workers were involved in this project:
General supervisor foreman: 1 worker;
Foreman: 6 workers;
Specialized drillers and grouting operators: 20 workers;
Electrician / Mechanic: 3 workers;
General non-skilled workers: 18 workers.
These workers were lead by a team of Portuguese project manager and Israeli site
engineers;
The high levels of effort, working skills and sacrifice in these kind of works and in this
successful project in particular, lead to bring out the best in each person involved in the
Project and demonstrate the level of performance of the company, leaving a benchmark in
the quality of the works performed by TLG.
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THANK YOU!
OBRIGADO!
