Euroflo Keep It Cool at Crossrail
The cross rail route will pass through 37 stations and run 118km from Maidenhead running east, through new twin-bore 21km tunnels below central London to Abbey wood.
When Cross rail opens it will increase London’s rail based transport capacity by 10% supporting regeneration and cutting Journey times across the city. London Crossrail services are due to commence in Central London in 2018.
London Cross rail is a world class project and as such the standards of the works required by its contractors are very high. EuroFlo was selected not only because of its experience in Industrial pumps but also because it has the procedures and management culture to match the Cross rail contractor’s expectation.
The EuroFlo Industrial Pump system keeps Tunnel boring machine (TBM) cool by a continuous water supply. The Industrial pumps and the tanks are located at the surface; the water is pumped from there down to the shaft and all along the tunnel up to the TBM. Once the water has passed through the TBM system the remaining water comes back via a filtration system to the tanks on the surface, out of the tunnel. The water circuit provides 20 l/s to each TBM. 8 litres/second is used in the TBM for different works and 12 litres/second returns to the tanks. The inlet pressure needed ranges between 4 and 10 bar. On one site 3 TBM’s are operating and the pump system delivers 60 liters/second, with the equipment consisting of one single tank (3200m3) and one Industrial pump used per tunnel. On another site, the installation support’s the excavation with just one TBM with 20 litres/second and the water storage tank capacity of 1100m³.
EuroFlo use 37kW vertical multistage Industrial pumps for the cooling system while the TBM excavates through a major underground section of the Cross rail project. EuroFlo’s Industrial pump system complete with low level cut off electrodes located in the pipework will shut down when low water level is detected thus protecting the Industrial pump system and maintaining TBM productivity. EuroFlo has employed an integrated system of Industrial pumps, pipework, transducers, valves and inverter controls to maintain the constant flow and pressures required by each of the TBM’s during there 3 years of operation.
The whole system is mounted on heavy galvanized steel skids for mobility complete with lifting points, so it can be delivered to site as packages with ‘Plug and Go’ modular construction.
Source: EuroFlo Fluid Handling Ltd.
