Engineering firm tackles tricky installation
Gauteng engineering firm the Thuthuka group has assisted Rand Water with the installation of a large diameter pipe reticulation system to resolve water stagnation at one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the Southern hemisphere.
TGL project director John Coetzee says that the main challenge of the installation was the fact that the company had to feed all of its equipment, materials and labour through a 2,5 m by 2,5 m access aperture, 17 m above the working level.
The project entailed inserting a diffuser pipe into the 550 000 m 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.
The reservoir, being a confined space with very limited air ventilation, no petrol or diesel-driven equipment could be used. That meant all 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. TGL project manager Andrew Kuhn says the project was made more difficult because it was nearly 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 just been commissioned.
TGL is a multidisciplinary engineering company, active in the process, industrial water, hazardous waste and air pollution control sectors of the market. All aspects of projects in these fields are covered, from engineering, procurement, project and construction management to project finance. The company’s main industrial clients are the mining, metal processing, chemicals, paper and pulp and petro-chemicals industries.
From its African base, TGL provides professional services to the sub-Saharan industry in the execution of multi-disciplinary, turnkey projects. TGL has representation in Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia and Botswana.
In addition to the normal project engineering services, TGL offers a project financing solution. This service allows the client to focus on core services while TGL operates the plant on a contractual build, own, operate and maintain basis
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