Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Trenchless technology

Definition: Trenchless technology, as the name implies, stands for subsurface construction works where less trenches or no continuous trenches are required to be dug. It is a rapidly growing sector of the construction and civil engineering industry. It can be defined as "A family of methods, materials, and equipment capable of being used for the installation of new or replacement or rehabilitation of existing underground infrastructure with minimal disruption to surface traffic, business, and other activities.

Trenchless technology, often referred to as "no dig", is a rapidly growing engineering industry that eliminates the need for surface excavation. Trenchless technology is also used to minimize environmental damage and to reduce the costs associated with underground work. In other words, trenchless technology provides cost-effective sewer asset management. It involves pipe and sewer inspection, rehabilitation, and cleaning services.

"No dig" is exactly what it sounds like. There is no digging up of roads to replace gas and water pipes. When there is a need for pipe rehabilitation in the middle of a busy intersection, trenchless technology allows you to repair the pipe without having to dig up the entire road. Not only does this eliminate traffic problems, but it saves money because you do not need to repair the road that you would normally have dug up.

One of the most recent developments in trenchless technology is the use of robotics. One of the core benefits of using robotics is the measurable data it provides that allows agencies to better understand the state of their current systems. Robots are also able to enter hazardous environments that are too dangerous for people to access.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Prague's utility tunnels

Otakar Capek says the utility tunnels underneath the Czech capital are unique on a global scale.

"Prague is the only capital city that has nearly completed a comprehensive network of tunnels which serve the most important parts of the city. The overall length is 90 kilometers. Compare it to Berlin - it has 25 kilometers, Paris has around 20 kilometers. It is not a problem to add any new wires or pipes - the system has been built to last for 200 years and to contain networks which don't yet exist today. Also, even before 2001 we implemented excellent security systems - of course, I'm not going to disclose any details. We have practically excluded the possibility of anyone getting into these systems. With gas pipes and so on, they could be potentially very vulnerable. It was an idea that no one else had had."

Visitors to the underground tunnels are equipped with overcoats and hard hats and a tour guide shows them round some of the most interesting parts. I asked Otakar Capek which utilities can be found there.

Photo: www.kolektory.cz "Everything from gas pipes, steam pipes, water mains, to pneumatic postal service, high and low voltage cables, data cables, telecommunications cables and also special networks connecting individual companies. We have even been asked to install pipes to draw beer from restaurants."

Otakar Capek says the utility tunnels or "kolektory" as they are called in Czech are a living organism which evolves constantly. In the deepest corridors, some 30-40 meters underground, a special train runs on five-kilometer routes transporting pipes, metal parts and other components. The tunnel is never complete; it is a never-ending process, says Otakar Capek and adds that this system, which he is so proud of, was mostly built during a historical period that tends to be looked down upon - the socialist era.

"Even in those days when there was a group of people who believed in something, who thought they were working on something meaningful, they could make it happen. The construction indeed had flaws of the socialist era. For example, after 1989 we had to renovate everything that did not meet safety standards. Such as fire doors made of cardboard, weak ventilators and so on."

Photo: www.kolektory.cz The Prague utility tunnels are looking forward to welcoming more tourists thanks to this new coordinated project, which is opening Prague's technological heritage to the public. And director Otakar Capek says there is more to see than wires and vaults.

"Prague is a tectonically stable area but the geology is very complex. You can find gravel sands here, clay, slate, etc., and all that poses many problems. When we were digging the big tunnel between the Municipal House and the bottom of Wenceslas Square, we basically followed the route of a 13th century ditch. It was full of objects discarded there and remnants of the old city walls which were later demolished. We worked with archaeologists and many of the objects that we found are on display right there in the tunnel."

Individual companies in Prague are now joining the venture which hopes to boost incoming tourism in the capital. When can visitors see the newly opened technological monuments? Jan Hauser of the Prague Chamber of Commerce.

"This would obviously be a question for the owners and the people who are running these sites but we hope that this summer, meaning the summer of 2007, should be the time when the first doors are opened."

From:http://new.radio.cz/en/article/87856

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Utility Tunnel Alternatives

Note: In my last post I mentioned some of information included in this post but I had a plan to ask you a question with addressing these information, so stay with me.
Some advantages of utility tunnels are:

• Reduced road digging costs that involve traffic, road restoration difficulties and safety hazards.
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Reduced energy losses
• Utilization of public ground
• Better use of resources
• Knowledge about the utilities
• Monitoring and control
• Lower material and pipeline costs
• Encourage mid and long-range thinking
• Improved public safety
and perhaps more ....
but we know that this method have it's difficulties which are:
• Initial costs
• Coordination of authorities
• Complex design
• Tunnel management
• Security
I'm investigeting ot find new alternative methods for utility accommodation and transportation.
some conventional methods like Trenching & Joint Trenching are somehow possible to be alternative for utility tunnel.I know that Underground Utility Tunnels are an alternative and progressive measure that solves the problems that exist in the conventional method,but I want to ask you a question:
Is there any alternative for utility tunnels which can reduce digging and has lower initial costs?

The First International Conference on: Underground Multi-System Utility Tunnels


The conference will aim to cover a wide range of topics, while learning from their worldwide use, including town planning, transportation planning, various aspects of engineering, economic issues, organizational and judicial issues.

GENERAL
Town planners and sociologists see the "city" as a "service center" for the population. In the wide scope of services supplied by the city, those supplied through pipelines or ducts over and under the ground stand out in their importance. Conventionally, each utility is laid in the ground or on it usually within the statutory boundaries of the street or even under the road or pavement themselves. Underground Multi-System Utility Tunnels are an alternative and progressive measure that solves the problems that exist in the conventional method.

DEFINITION
A Multi-System Utility Tunnel (MUT) is an underground construction that serves several utilities, being a carrier of various materials, energy and data channels, through pipelines and cables that are designed and activated together. The tunnel includes service corridors that enable access, installation, monitoring, control, maintenance and connectivity to other sites.

POSSIBLE TUNNEL CAPACITY
• Water
• Sewage
• Rainwater drains
• Electric power (low voltage, high voltage, extra high voltage)
• Communications (several types)
• Street lighting
• Traffic control
• Pneumatic systems (home garbage disposals etc.)
• Fuel (and its various products)
• Hazardous material
• Gas

ADVANTAGES OF MUTs
• Reduced road digging costs that involve traffic, road restoration difficulties and safety hazards.
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Reduced energy losses
• Utilization of public ground
• Better use of resources
• Knowledge about the utilities
• Monitoring and control
• Lower material and pipeline costs
• Encourage mid and long-range thinking
• Improved public safety

DIFFICULTIES OF USAGE OF MUTs
• Initial costs
• Coordination of authorities
• Complex design
• Tunnel management
• Security

REASONS TO COMMENCE THE USE OF MUTs
Several reasons have led to the increasing of MUTs:

• Never stopping interference to traffic and its safety during repeated digging in city streets and no need to restore the original road quality.

• The immense growth in energy consumption (electric power, water), communications (telephone, cable TV and other lines), sanitation (sewage, drains and garbage disposal) in the big cities.

• Considerable reduction of available public ground, preventing conventional utility laying and density in the roads which would need more space than is available.

• A rise in public demand for quality of life and environment, the need for underground burial of power and telephone lines, addition of parking spaces, demand for green areas etc.
• Lack of control and monitoring of existing systems and difficulty in making repairs and improvements.

• Fear of terrorist damage to main and national utilities.

ALL THESE HAVE LED TO A WIDE-SCALE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION THAT THE
OPTIMUM SOLUTION IS THE USAGE OF UNDERGROUND MULTI-SYSTEM UTILITY TUNNELS.

SECONDARY SUBJECTS REGARDING MUTs
• Monitoring and control technology
• Maintenance
• Judicial aspects
• Financial aspects
• Safety

STUDY FIELDS
Dimensions and loads, life length, safety factors, construction methods (use of pre and pipeline materials, facing serious influences of earthquakes, influence of war and terrorism, pipeline utility joints, sealing, entrances and exits of the tunnels, sensoring, monitoring and control, tunnel service systems and internal handling and moving of equipment, implications in city planning, street layout, use of open grounds etc.

Friday, August 14, 2009

HVAC & UTILITY TUNNEL, Utah, USA


Located in Utah this project involved waterproofing a building where the foundation formed the exterior perimeter of a tunnel system that provided air return to a number of HVAC systems throughout the building. These tunnels were originally formed by casting a concrete trough; the perimeter being the building foundation with the floor and interior wall being separate components. The exterior perimeter foundation wall was waterproofed only on the inside by application of a tar-like coating. The finished foundational tunnels were approximately 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide and extended up to 175 feet. Water intrusions were present in several areas with standing water present. The contract involved cleaning, waterproofing and protecting the tunnel components from further water intrusion and water damage.
To start the actual repair process, steps were first taken to clean loose debris and then a cryogenic blasting was used to remove the previous bituminous coating and rust on the existing metal ceiling deck.

Once all non-concrete surfaces were treated, the concrete walls and floors were waterproofed with Penetron via spray application and all penetrations and non-moving joints packed with Penecrete Mortar.
This project proved a particular challenge because of the confined spaces, pumping distances and limited access. Not withstanding all of this, the tunnels are now waterproof. said Loran Hubbard of Lindhart Technical Services We were able to complete the project at a nice profit significantly under the next highest bidder. We applaud your fine product.

Source of this post:
http://www.penetron.com/newsletter/apr06/penetron_apr06.htm

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Pardis Technology Park & It’s Utility Tunnel (Iran's CS)

There is a utility tunnel in Pardis Technology Park, which is located in north-east of Tehran
(exact location of PTP 35°44′11″N 51°48′08″E).

This utility tunnel accommodates utility networks such as clean water, waste water and gas pipes and electric , telecommunication and fiber optic cables.The length of this tunnel is 3 km.

I have collected some pictures of this utility tunnel below:

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More information about Park's profile:

Introduction
Pardis Technology Park is located in Pardis area in the northeast of the capital city of Tehran at a distance of 20 km, with a panoramic view of Damavand Mountain, occupying a territory of 38 hectares.

Pardis Technology Park (PTP) was established in 2001, on government initiative, by Technology Cooperation Office (TCO) of I.R of Iran Presidency. The mission is to create an environment for researchers, educators and Companies with similar requirements and goals, in order to develop high-tech industries and to increase employments. PTP is run by board of directors whose members are designated by TCO and Sharif University of Technology. The management is focused on creating optimum conditions for business partners including domestic and international investors.

Mission

To encourage and support the technological companies to increase their ability to compete in international world market.

Objectives:

  1. To intensify High-tech industries development.
  2. To promote Cooperation between industries academic institutions and research centers.
  3. To create synergy between private and state sectors.
  4. To commercialize know-how and innovations generated by research centers.
  5. To promote research and development activities in private sector.


Structure:

  • Private Research & development Center
  • Incubator Center
  • Multi-tenant Building
  • Laboratories
  • Business Center
  • Administration

Services:
The Services below are planned to be established in near future:

  • Information & Communication technology Services
  • Training and education
  • Consulting, investing and marketing
  • Banking, financing and insurance
  • Laboratory and workshop
  • Exhibition
  • Housing and recreation
  • Public welfare and environmental protection

Activities:

  • Electronics and Information Technology
  • Mechanics and Automation
  • Chemistry and Biotechnology

Even more?
Pardis Technology Park
like to have a virtual tour to Pardis Technology Park?

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