Rapid Robbins Main Beam reaches Record Production in Mumbai
Dec 18, 2013
Deep Hard Rock Tunneling in India achieves a New High
Deep below Mumbai, a Robbins 6.25 m (20.5 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM is excavating for the 8.3 km (5.2 mi) Mumbai Water Tunnel. The hard rock machine, for the joint venture contractor Unity-IVRCL, has been reaching impressive advance rates, including a recent record-breaking rate for tunneling in India. In October 2013, the TBM turned in 870.16 m (2,855 ft) in one month. The rate overturned a previous record at Kishanganga for a SELI TBM that advanced 816 m (2,677 ft) in November 2012.
The Robbins machine achieved the impressive advance rate in the size class of 6-7 m (19.7-23.0 ft) TBMs. Robbins Field Service Site Manager Leif Schmidt felt that good cooperation played a large part in the project success: "We have a great machine and a great client that is making every effort to do daily maintenance and cutter inspection on the TBM, with a dedicated 4-hour shift per day."
The achievement is especially notable considering the 109 m (357 ft) depth of the launch shaft. At that depth, the sheer amount of cover, heat in the tunnel, and time to lower materials to the machine are all factors that could potentially affect advance rate. Despite these challenges, the machine has performed exceedingly well. "[The machine’s] performance is good; we would recommend Robbins machines for hard rock boring," said Mr. Pravin Titare, General Manager for Unity.
Difficult ground conditions have also been an added challenge, including hard basalt rock, fractured ground, and water inflows. Although the machine is currently working in stable ground, tough geology was encountered in early 2013. On this topic, IVRCL General Manager Mr. Bipin Arey said, "Our team has resolved the problem, and the [Robbins] crew helped us strengthen the affected portion of the tunnel."
The latest record isn’t the first set by the rapid Robbins TBM. In December 2012, the machine set an Indian record of 57.4 m (188.3 ft) per day. The machine has also had a best week of 252.6 m (828.7 ft). "High advance rates are expected to continue for the duration of the project," said Mr. Kapil Bhati, Managing Director of Robbins India.
Once the tunnel is completed, it will provide Mumbai’s approximately 20.5 million residents with a consistent flow of clean drinking water, even during the seasonal monsoons that contaminate the city's water resources.
More News and Articles
Aug 28, 2024
News
ITpipes Secures $20M to Transform Water Infrastructure Management
ITpipes announced it has secured $20 million in equity financing from Trilogy Search Partners and Miramar Equity Partners.
Known for its trusted and user-friendly platform, ITpipes …
Aug 26, 2024
News
Professor Dr.-Ing. Dietrich Stein
With deep sadness we announce the loss of our founder and partner Prof Dr Dietrich Stein at the age of 85.
Engineers around the globe are thankful for his dedication to the inventions in the fields of sewers, …
Aug 26, 2024
News
PPI Releases New Installation Guide for PE4710 Pipe
PPI’s MAB-11-2024 Covers HDPE Water Pipelines Up to 60-in. Diameter and 10,000-ft Long Pulls
Developed by the Municipal Advisory Board (MAB) – and published with the help of the members of the …
Aug 23, 2024
News
Faster wide-scale leak detection now within reach
Mass deployment of connected leak loggers is being made possible by the latest technology, writes Tony Gwynne, global leakage solutions director, Ovarro
Water companies in England and Wales are …
Aug 21, 2024
News
Kraken awakens customer service potential in water
The innovative customer service platform Kraken has made a successful transfer from energy to water. Ahead of their presentation at UKWIR’s annual conference, Portsmouth Water chief executive …
Aug 19, 2024
News
Predicting the toxicity of chemicals with AI
Researchers at Eawag and the Swiss Data Science Center have trained AI algorithms with a comprehensive ecotoxicological dataset. Now their machine learning models can predict how toxic chemicals are …
Aug 16, 2024
News
Goodbye water loss: Trenchless pipe renewal in Brazil
Pipe renewal in Brazil
How do you stop water loss through leaks in old pipe systems without major environmental impacts and restrictions? The answer: with trenchless technology, or more precisely …
Aug 14, 2024
Article
Impact of high-temperature heat storage on groundwater
In a recently launched project, the aquatic research institute Eawag is investigating how the use of borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) affects the surrounding soil, the groundwater …
Aug 12, 2024
News
Watercare completes East Coast Bays sewer link
Watercare has successfully finished the final connection on the East Coast Bays link sewer at Windsor Park in New Zealand.
Much of the East Coast Bays sewer link was installed using horizontal directional …
Aug 09, 2024
Article
Innovative water solutions for sustainable cities
Cities need to become more sustainable and use their water resources more efficiently. Managing water in local small-scale cycles is one possible solution. A new white paper by Eawag, the University …
Aug 07, 2024
Article
How digital technologies contribute to universal drinking water
Digital water technologies have an important role in ensuring universal access to safe drinking water by 2030, that is according to a new report from the World Health Organisation. …
Aug 05, 2024
News
Knowledge transfer on sustainable water infrastructure in India
India’s fast-growing cities need an efficient infrastructure for water supply and wastewater disposal. A research cooperation, is therefore supporting the development of a sustainable …
Contact
The Robbins Company
Desiree Willis
29100 Hall Street
44139 Solon, OH
United States