German tunnel boring giants Herrenknecht have delivered an innovative trenchless E-Power Pipe machine to company Heitkamp Construction Swiss to complete several projects.
The innovative Herrenknecht E-Power Pipe method is used for trenchless installation of protective pipes at shallow depths.
The centerpiece is the fully remote-controlled AVNS350XB jacking machine, which is designed for lengths of over 1000 metres with a drilling diameter of 505mm.
The machine can follow the planned route with a high degree of precision, safely passing under existing infrastructure such as pipelines, roads, railways or smaller bodies of water.
Equipped with a jet pump and integrated hydraulic unit, the AVNS350XB overcomes previous limitations in cramped spaces.
The jet pump enables efficient excavated material removal, allowing for jacking distances up to 10 times longer than conventional methods.
A thrust unit is installed at the starting point to push the jacking pipes and machine along the predetermined alignment toward the target point.
Herrenknecht product manager Maximilian Bischoff said the E-Power Pipe combines the advantages of microtunnelling and horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
“In the context of current grid expansion projects, we are seeing increased interest in this innovative technology, which has already proven itself in various projects,” Bischoff said.
“E-Power Pipe can particularly demonstrate its strengths in long sections, near-surface bore profiles and narrow pipe corridors.”
“The planned bores must be very precise, with some very low and some very high overburden,” Heitkamp Construction Swiss chief executive Philipp Kohlschreiber said.
“The longest planned route is about 1600m long and under difficult conditions.”
Heitkamp Construction Swiss will be laying cable protection pipes for the extra-high voltage direct current transmission line in various construction lots of SuedLink, each in a series of sections, starting in April 2025.
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