HYDRO
DUCTILE IRON PIPES PROVE THEIR WORTH IN ALPINE HYDROPOWER PROJECTS
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uctile iron piping forms the technical backbone of several modern hydro-electric power stations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Scandinavia. The long-standing Tyrolean manufacturer TRM has become an indispensable option for solutions suited to topographically tough terrain.
photo credits0: Pliessnig
LAUFENBERGERBACH HYDROPOWER PLANT Laufenbergerbach hydropower plant in Carinthia is a recent typical reference project. The station commenced operation at the close of last year. The Tyrolean piping specialists at TRM provided trusted DN400-format ductile iron pipes for the approximately 500 metres long penstock in Radenthein. The connections prevent lengthways pressure slippage and the new pipe conduit can transport up to 208 l/s to the machine room. Large sections of the routing for the penstock passed
The penstock at Röllbach hydropower plant in Switzerland is around 1.2 km long and built using ductile iron pipes made by the industry specialists TRM, and connector-secured to prevent lengthways sliding.
photo credits: EW Martin Zeller AG
More than ever before, hydropower plant operators are choosing sophisticated pipeline solutions for their penstock. Indeed, the ductile cast iron pipes made by Tiroler Rohre GmbH (TRM) have been a trusted solution for small-scale hydropower plants for almost 60 years. Over time the company has installed a total pipe conduit length of around 1,200 kilometres; or the equivalent of a pipeline from Milan to Hamburg. TRM’s ductile iron pipes have been installed at numerous power plants in recent years, guaranteeing durability, good commercial value and operational reliability.
through a densely-populated residential area, necessitating the installation of several elbow sections. Furthermore, the routing had to navigate multiple obstacles. It was necessary to core-drill through an approximately 2-metre-thick protection wall, 3.5 metres below the surface, right by the water collection basin. As the pipes were being installed it again became clear how essential simple pipe handling is for commercially viable installation. The patented restrained VRS®-T connections facilitate rapid installation, making it possible to complete whole sections of pipeline relatively quickly. In the case of the Laufenberger-
The penstock of Laufenbergerbach hydropower plant was rerouted through a densely populated residential area.
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bach station, the pipeline was completely installed in under four months – and the pressure test was passed at the first attempt. RÖLLBACH HYDROPOWER PLANT Another reference project of the past few months was completed several hundred kilometres further west in Röllbach, in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. The project to rebuild and modernise the small-scale hydropower plant was implemented using high-pressure DN400 and DN500 piping along a 1.2-km route in extremely difficult terrain. While most of the original welded steel pipe conduit ran above ground, the new ductile iron piping was devised to run underground all the way. Due to the extremely rocky nature of the material under the surface, it was necessary to blast open a channel along around 80% of the route. The decision-makers chose a solution involving an outer coating of cement mortar to ensure the pipes were installed safe and secure in the rocky ground, thus protecting the penstock from damage often caused by such underground conditions. The inaccessibility of the project site in Flums meant that in the summer of 2019 almost all the pipes had to be manoeuvred into place by helicopter. A transport helicopter was deployed to convey the individual pipe sections from May 2021
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07.05.2021 10:43:03
