An industrial relocation project for the hydropower sector not only showcases the precision required in heavy load logistics, but also highlights the remarkable engineering that underpins hydropower technology itself. One of our recent assignments took us to Switzerland’s most powerful hydropower plant, where a 157-tonne spherical valve had to be overhauled and repositioned — deep inside the mountains of the canton of Valais.
To accomplish this, we installed a custom-built transfer steel track and mounted the spherical valve on a project-specific, in-house fabricated support frame.
Using electric cable winches, great precision, and well-maintained, freshly lubricated heavy-duty roller skates, we pulled the massive valve through the connecting tunnel. After successfully transporting it through the 20-metre-long passageway, the 157 tonnes of steel were lifted into position using an overhead crane and seamlessly integrated back into the system.
By the way
A spherical valve is a robust shut-off device used in hydropower plants to reliably regulate or completely stop the flow of water. The Bieudron power station is the most powerful hydropower facility in Switzerland. Located underground, it can feed the power of an entire nuclear plant into the grid within minutes! Bieudron holds three world records: the greatest hydraulic head (1,883 m), the highest output per Pelton turbine (3 x 423 MW), and the highest output per AC generator pole (35.7 MVA).
Equipment used
- 7t electric forklift
- Steel-plate transfer track
- Electric cable winches
- Special heavy-load transport system
- Assembly trolley
Team: Michael, Daniel, David
Pictures and film: Lukas Pitsch proimagehub.ch