February 20th, 2023 saw Macau’s first small diameter EPBM “CREC 1076” breaking through, laying a solid foundation for the timely completion of the Macau New Port Area sewage interception pipe project.
Located on Macau Peninsula, the sewage interception pipe project is 2560m long, 2279m of which has been shield driven. The tunnel alignment includes S-shaped curves with a minimum curve radius of 50m and multiple riprap areas, permanent layers of large boulders used to protect against erosion. The machine mainly traverses silt and reclaimed ground. An extremely narrow launch shaft and strict settlement requirements due to tunnelling under an operating motorway furthered project challenges.
China Railway Engineering Equipment Group, Co. Ltd. (CREG) customized the 3.38m diameter EPBM to cope with these conditions, adopting a spherical articulation and pumping method to discharge muck through wholly sealed pipelines, to improve construction efficiency and prevent environmental issues.
Upon completion, the project will improve the capacity of the sewage discharge system in the area, effectively solving the problems associated with sewage overflows and marine pollution that have long plagued Macau citizens at the outer port wharf. The project aims to meet the needs of the region’s urban development, protect the local ecology, improve the overall living environment and promote regional economic development.
The performance of EPBM especially smaller diameters is extremely good. In India also the
excavation meant for sewage disposal tunnels
has been almost on time.
I am advocating the extensive use of EPBM TBMs
for the smaller diameters tunnels.