8 M Diameter 7 Km Long Beles Tailrace
Tunnel (Ethiopia) Bored And Lined In Basaltic
Formations In Less Than 12Months
Antonio Raschill S.E.L.I. SpA
Francesco Bartimoccia S.E.L.I. SpA
Abstract
On the 2nd of June 2007 SELI S.p.A. started the excavation of Beles Tailrace
Tunnel (Ethiopia). The new 8,07 m diameter DS Universal TBM utilized for the tunnel
excavation was manufactured by SELI S.p.A. and allowed the installation of 30 cm
thick concrete lining, contemporaneously with the excavation of 7,200 m of tunnel.
The greatest part of the tunnel alignment was excavated in hard and sound basaltic rocks.
The paper describes the main steps of the tunnelling operations which led to a
remarkably rapid excavation, with a peak production of 36 m/day and a final breakthrough achieved 46 days ahead of the contractual deadline.
Furthermore the paper describes the work and logistic organization that was set up
to efficiently perform the mechanized excavation in the very remote area of the project.
The PROJECT
Beles project is one the multi-purpose projects, currently underway, to develop the
resources in Ethiopia.
The project area is located in the Amhara Region (north western of Ethiopia),
about 150 Km to the Bahir Dar town (see Figure 1). The Beles Multipurpose Project,
committed to Salini Costruttori S.p.A., will be a single stage power plant with a total
installed capacity of 460 MW.
The project, located in the South-Western bank of the Lake Tana, develops completely underground for a total length of about 20 Km, and consists of mainly:
12 Km Headrace Tunnel (which will conveys water from Lake Tana into the
penstock of the underground powerhouse)
7,2 Km Tailrace Tunnel (which will discharges water into the Jehana River, a
small tributary of the Beles River)
Underground Powerhouse with n. 4 Francis type turbines of 115 MW each
and Transformer system
270 m Penstock shaft
90 m Surge Shaft
THE TRACING AND GEOLOGY
The SE-NW running tunnel is divided in a Tailrace Tunnel and Headrace Tunnel,
with a total excavation length of nearly 19 Km.
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Figure 1. General map of the project
The Tailrace Tunnel runs from the Powerhouse to the outlet portal for 7200 m with
a slope of 0,15%, conveying the discharge water to the Jehana River (see Figure 2).
Excavation started from the outlet towards the Power House. The geological conditions are described in TBM advance direction, as follows:
From chainage 7200 to 5000 the tunnel penetrated a brecciated Basalt formation, which was composed of plateau flow basalt and pyroclastica (agglomerates and
tuffites). The overburden in that range extended up to 120 m. Excavation conditions
was good to fair for most of this TBM section, depending on the fracture intensity.
From chainage 5000 to 0 the tunnel section contained a series of aphanitic Basalt
layers with some intercalations of brecciated basalt layers at an overburden from 250
370 m. The rock mass crossed was good and favourable tunnelling conditions (see
Figure 3).
The complete Tailrace tunnel was expected to intersect about 17 major lineaments; these zones were described with locally poor tunnelling conditions. The lineaments intersect the alignment most of the times at obtuse angle and almost vertically
(see Graph 1).
tHE WORK AND METHOD OF EXCAVATION
For the excavation and lining of the about 7,2 Km of Tailrace Tunnel was utilized
a Double Shield TBM system designed and built by SELI Tecnologie. The tunnelling
system executed all the following operations:
boring
erection of the precast lining
filling of the annular gap between the excavation and the precast lining by
pea-gravel.
grouting of the rock around the lining
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
Figure 2.Tracing of Tailrace Tunnel
Figure 3. Front face
Graph 1. Geologic profile
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TBM and Back-up System Description
TBM, back-up system and rolling stock were designed and manufactured by SELI
Tecnologie (see Figure 4) in the Italian factory of Aprilia (Rome) to ensure the maximum advance rates under variable ground condition through the complete mechanisation of all operations related to handling and installing precast segment, loading and
exchanging muck trains and servicing the various TBM power units mounted on the
rolling platforms. The following table resumes TBM specifications.
TBM Type
Cutterhead excavation diameter
TBM Shield Length (Including tail shield)
TBM & Back-Up Length
Cutterhead and Cutters
Cutterhead structure
Number of cutting tools
Cutter type
Cutterhead Thrust
Thrust Cylinders
Auxiliary Thrust Cylinders
Maximum advance speed
Cutterhead Drive
Type
Cutterhead Power System
Maximum Torque
Cutterhead Speed
Segment Erector
Conveyor System
Width
Capacity
Machine Weight
Back-Up Components
Auxiliary Equipment
Double Shield Universal
8,070 mm (new cutters)
11,87 mt (TBM closed)
approx. 125 mt
No. 6 partsheavy structure bolted
52
17 inch discbackloading and recessed
n. 12345 bar max pressure
n. 14345 bar max pressure
6 m/h
Electric
8 315 kw Electric water cooled motors
5,250 kNm
0 to 6 rpm
6 movements radio controlled
1,000 mm
550 t/h
Approx. 600 t
ZED system
Gas monitoring and alarm system
Pea gravel storing and pumping system
cement grouting storing, mixing and grouting
system
emergency diesel generator
close circuit TV camera system
rock drilling equipment
PLC system (see Figure 5)
TBM was also equipped with a special Rock Drilling Equipment to probe in front
of the Cutterhead and from the Gripper shield, which has 18 different holes (internal
diameter 102 mm) where, by using a special support mounted on the erector, probe
drilling can be carried out.
An automatic recording device of the latest generation was installed on the TBM.
Excavation parameters were visualized on a monitor in the operator cabin. The computer mounted in the operator cabin recorded and stored all the data by means of
datalogging system.
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
Figure 4.TBM (called Hiwot) in Aprilia factory (Rome)
Figure 5. PLC system
The recorded parameters were:
TBM total thrust and pressure thrust on each thrust cylinder
Penetration rate
Cutterhead torque
Cutterhead revolution per minutes
Electric power consumption for each electric motor
Stroke advance
Steering parameters
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Figure 6.Tunnel portal
Tunnel Transport System
Tunnel excavation and segments installation, in DS Mode, are performed concurrently, except under unfavourable geological conditions.
The rolling stock followed SELI philosophy and design tradition, that has proved to
be successful in more than 500 Km of tunnels built.
The choice of muck cars (fix body type) allowed the highest ratio among the transported weight and the own weight of the muck car. Furthermore, all lateral internal
surface was smooth and didn't create any obstacle to the operations of unload of the
muck.
The wheels had large diameter and high capacity bearing for long life and low
rolling friction.
Each Tailrace tunnel trains included:
13 fixed-body muck cars for a total capacity of 156 m3 of muck (see Figure 6)
1 pea-gravel car transporting a silos of 5,3 m3 of capacity
3 flatbed cars for the transportation of precast segments
1 personnel car having 16 seats capacity
The number of trains utilized was 23 up to chainage 3500 and n 4 from chainage
3500 to the end of the tunnel.
A fully automatic hydraulic muck car tippler (able to unload one muck car each
2minutes and full train in 26 minutes) was located outside the tunnel portal. The tippler
was complete with pusher for the train shunting and therefore there was no need of the
locomotive to unload the train.
Lining
The lining was an open type parallel ring rhomboidal segmental system, with the
following characteristics:
External diam. 7800 mm
Internal diam. 7200 mm
Lining thickness 300 mm
Segment ring width 1500 m
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
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Figure 7. Lining system
N.6 segments + n.1 key stone
Invert with flat tracks and 3 central trenches
Dowel connectors in the circumferential joints
Grouting holes
For assembling of the segment ring, the invert was installed first with the opportune dowels of the circumferential joint. Next step, the both left and right bottom sidewall segments was installed and kept in position by means of the auxiliary thrust
cylinders. Afterward the both left and right top sidewall and as the last elements of the
ring the roof segment and key stone were installed (see Figure 7).
Dowel connectors (three for each segment made by extruded polyetilene) had no
structural function, but were installed just like simple connecting and centring devices.
Pea Gravel Injection
During excavation pea gravel was injected into the annular gap between rock
mass and the lining. The size range of the pea-gravel was 812 mm and it has been
dimensioned to allow its injection by using n 2 air pumps mounted on the deck n 3.
A dedicated line arrived to the deck n 1 where, using flexible pipes, pea-gravel was
injected behind the second-last completely assembled ring.
Immediately after the injection the grouting holes was plugged with suitable
wooden plugs to prevent escaping of pea-gravel.
Contact Grouting
Contact grouting was performed all along the tunnel (see figure 8) to grout the peagravel in the annular gap, following the excavation behind the back-up (see figure 9).
Grouting was filled up also the small space between segment and segment along
the joint where was present any opening.
Grouting plant was installed at the Tunnel Portal and the grout mixture was pumped
inside the tunnel by using n 2 lines of galvanized steel pipes.
Grout equipment was composed by:
turbomixer having capacity of 1500 lt and production rate of 15 mc/h
agitator having capacity of 4000 lt
automatic dosing system for additives
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Figure 8.Tunnel inside sight
Figure 9. Core drilling example
automatic dosing system for bentonite
n 2 pumps, maximum flow rate of 100 lt/min and maximum pressure of
200bar
During the normal activities (excavation and regripping), in the range of the backup decks, the chalking grooves was closed with mortar and all necessary repairs were
done.
LOGiSTIC AND WORK ORGANIZATION
Due to remote location of the project, it was necessary to overcome several logistic
difficulties.
The shipment of the TBM, back-up, rolling stock and all the other spare parts and
materials was carried on from Italy to Gibuti and from Gibuti to the job site (in Bahir
Dar area) through about 1000 Kms of difficult roads (see Figures 10, 11, 12), especially
during the rainy periods.
Particular attention was done in the Nile Bridge (see Figure 13) crossing where
all necessary checks of the structure took place before the passage of the main TBM
components.
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
Figure 10. Portal area
Figure 11. Road from Gibuti to site
Figure 12. Road from Gibuti to site
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Figure 13.Nile bridge crossing
The waiting to receive any shipment on site was about 45 months from purchase
order.
For this reason it was indispensable to plan possible spare parts as providently as
possible, with considerable advance.
It was also necessary to face low level of specialization of local manpower; a specialized SELI staff with adequate experience supervised all tunnel boring operations
training local workers to assure the level of reached quality and productivity.
Tunnelling operations was carried out 7 days/week in 3 shifts of 8 hours each,
with shift changing at the front and a scheduled maintenance shift inside the tunnel
of about 4 hours in the morning. The maintenance operations consisted mainly in cutterhead inspection and cutter changes as required, supply and extension of tunnel
services, eventual probe drilling operations, maintenance pea-gravel lines. When special maintenance, repairs or probe drilling was required, the maintenance duration was
extended beyond the normal 4 hours time.
TBM PERFORMANCE
The excavation of the tunnel started on the 2nd June 2007 and was completed the
31st May 2008, after less then one year at an average advance rate of about 20metres
per days.
The maximum daily advance rate of 36 metres (24 rings) was achieved in January
08, while the best weekly advance rate was 189 metres achieved on the 27th week of
excavation (see Graph 2).
The best month, as shown in the graph 3, was December 07 with 724 metres of
excavation during 29 days of work (excluding 25th and 31st of December) at an average rate of 25 metres per day.
Graph 2 shows the very short period of the learning phase.
Learning curve, usually long 23 months, was limited at less that one month. This
important target was obtained through an easy and rapid interaction expatriatelocal
personnel and an optimization of the necessary equipments.
The Graph 4 shows the constant advance of the excavation production (upper line)
related with the contractual production (lower line) calculated on the basis of the RMR
(Bieniawski) of the rock mass encountered. TBM completed the tunnel with 46 days of
advance on contractual time.
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
Graph 2. Weekly productions of the TBM DS 0807 114 SELI
Graph 3. Monthly productions of the TBM DS 0807 114 SELI
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Graph 4. Production lines of the TBM DS 0807 114 SELI
Graph 5. TBM DS 0807 114 SELItiming analysis
TIMING ANALYSIS
Graph 5 shows the good efficiency reached from the TBM (51,9 % included regripping time and ordinary waiting train).
It was the result of a punctual daily maintenance (23%).
In the Maintenance and Waiting items, particularly main point was time lost for
Pea-gravel injection lines. Substantial delays were imputable to the necessary daily
maintenance of the injection lines (to guarantee the good operation of the system) due
to the characteristics of the material. Non available fluvial gravel in situ has imposed a
sharpy material from quarry with consequent easy deterioration of the lines.
Other important parameter was TBM breakdown (3,5 %), a low value considering
the rock hardness (with the consequent problems relative to the vibrations) and TBM
adjustment during learning phase.
CONCLUSIONS
Main problems encountered during the project were difficult logistic situation,
especially for supplying materials and a local manpower with lack of specialization.
Beles Tailrace Tunnel (Ethiopia) In Basaltic Formations
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Figure 14. Breakthrough of the TBM
It was possible to obtain good results through a sharp design and planning of all
the activities, with the employment of specialized SELI human resources, who has
organized in the better way all the work and has instructed the local manpower.
Key factor was a careful planning and equipments employment, with consequent
optimization of the work phases during the whole work.
