Rehabilitation at an altitude of 2,300 m at Amertaler See – Sewer rehabilitation blog

Sophisticated renovation at 2,300 meters above sea level at Amertaler See

In cooperation with Diringer & Scheidel Austria GmbH, Bodenbender GmbH has mastered a special job at Amertaler See in Austria: a pressure pipeline with a diameter of 460 mm and a length of 60 m had to be rehabilitated at an altitude of 2,300 m. This was a particularly challenging job in terms of technology and logistics. The high altitude and difficult accessibility in particular placed high demands on technology and logistics.

The pipeline, which has been in operation for over 50 years, is used to divert water into a neighboring reservoir in order to relieve the dam wall. As the inflow from the lake was completely rebuilt, the existing pipeline had to be repaired.

The reservoir was not directly accessible by vehicle, so all the equipment, including the liner, the special resin and the technical equipment, had to be transported up the mountain by helicopter. In order to reliably control the curing of the liner under these extreme conditions, a special resin with an extended pot life of 8 to 12 hours was used. This long processing time was necessary to successfully complete the renovation despite the challenging weather conditions and logistical restrictions.

Two mobile “steam boxes” from Bodenbender were used to cure the liner. Due to their light weight, they could be easily transported to the construction site by helicopter – a decisive advantage given the limited payload capacity. Their compact design also made them ideal for the demanding conditions on site. To ensure efficient heat transfer, the steam hoses were specially insulated so that even after several hours of operation, neither snow nor ice melted around the hoses. Within 30 minutes, the liner reached a temperature of 65 °C along the entire route, and after a further 30 minutes the internal temperature had risen to 75 °C. This temperature was maintained for six hours. This temperature was kept constant for six hours to ensure complete and even curing.