An interesting challenge

April 2008 Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

When one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the southern hemisphere needed a solution to its water stagnation problem, Rand Water turned to Gauteng engineering firm Thuthuka Group Limited (TGL) to install a large diameter pipe reticulation system. TGL project director John Coetzee says, "The installation of the equipment was not the problem. The challenge was the fact that we had to feed all of our equipment, materials and labour through a 2,5 m x 2,5 m access aperture, 17 m above the working level!"

The project entailed inserting a diffuser pipe into the 550 000 m³ Klipriviersberg reservoir, situated in Meyersdal, south of Johannesburg. This distribution pipe would ensure that feed water was evenly distributed into the reservoir, preventing stagnation. The 400 m glass reinforced plastic pipe, which was supported on concrete plinths, has an initial diameter of 2 m, tapering down to a final diameter of 800 mm.

All equipment and personnel required for the installation had to pass through the 2,5 m by 2,5 m aperture to a floor level 17 m below. Coetzee explains: "This is basically like reconditioning a car engine through the sump plug! Just call us engineering gynaecologists."

The reservoir being a confined space with very limited air ventilation, no petrol or diesel-driven equipment could be used. All of the labour had to be done by hand. At any given time, there was a minimum of 30 people inside the reservoir.

It is the first time that such a project has been carried out for Rand Water. According to TGL project manager Andrew Kuhn, the project was made more difficult because it was nigh impossible to judge the degree of difficulty ahead of time as the reservoir was filled with water and could not be inspected in advance. Also, the reservoir is built on top of a hill, with restricted access.

The project took three months to complete and has recently been commissioned.

For more information contact Bill Pullen, Thuthuka Group, +27 (0)11 466 9788, [email protected], www.thuthukagroup.com

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