Pump support for Rennes Line B construction 1 July 2015

A range of Tsurumi pumps is supporting construction operations on the new 14km metro line in Rennes, France.

Tsurumi pumps are being deployed at the Rennes Line B construction site

Six Tsurumi pumps are being used to clear water and sediment from the underground construction site, while a further eight machines are being employed to dewater a mobile concrete facility designed to supply concrete to the project.

Rennes Line B construction is being partially funded by the European Union, as well as by regional and national government bodies. It is currently the largest French civil engineering project to receive funding from a local authority.

Underground works – including 8km of TBM bored tunnel, nine stations and four emergency and ventilation shafts – are being carried out by a number of Vinci subsidiary companies as well as Spie Batignolles TPCI, Spie Fondations and Legendre Génie Civil. The underground contract is worth €320 million, and the Herrenknecht TBM selected for the project launched earlier this year (2015). It is expected to achieve final breakthrough in 2017.

Herrenknecht TBM for Rennes Metro Line B

The Line B project began in September 2014 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019. It will connect the southwest and northeast of the city, serving 15 stations and intersecting with the existing Line A in the city centre. The alignment includes an 8km TBM bored tunnel, covered galleries, ventilation shafts and relief wells.

“This is a major project that represents an important opportunity for Tsurumi in France,” said Christophe Eginer, General Manager of CE2A-TSURUMI France, Tsurumi Europe’s French subsidiary. “We have provided six Tsurumi pumps to meet a variety of pumping requirements on site. Due to the nature of the site, these pumps must be robust and effective to ensure the project meets strict deadlines.”

A single-phase LB480 light duty drainage pump is working in conjunction with a HS3.75S submersible contractor’s pump to move water loaded with sand and earth. These pumps are easily transportable and can be quickly put to work in a variety of applications. A single-phase NK3-22L compact contractor’s pump is also working at the site to pump sand and earth to 20m, at a flow of up to 50m³/h. A three-phase KTZ35.5 is also providing a tough, durable performance across a variety of dewatering activities at the site.

Certain operations on the project require pumps that trigger automatically when groundwater rises. CE2A-TSURUMI France is providing two cast iron autonomous pumps (the KTZE23.7 and the KTZE43.7), equipped with an Electrode Auto Control System that detects when water levels are rising to automatically activate the pumping mechanism without the need for constant supervision.

CE2A-TSURUMI France is also providing a number of pumps to assist with concrete production at the site. A mobile concrete production facility has been installed close to the project in order to deliver the vast quantity of concrete required – an estimated 30,000m³/yr. Eight KTZ-series contractor pumps are being used at this concrete facility, which is an essential part of operations at the site.

Tsurumi’s KTZ range of robust, cast iron pumps are designed for superior operations in civil engineering projects. These dewatering pumps are capable of pumping to a maximum depth of 25m, offering a variety of heads ranging up to 48.5m with flow of up to 146m³/h.