Welding the penstock

Ensuring the lasting quality of the plants is a priority for the owners. It is in this context that HYDRO Exploitation SA often finds itself asked to carry out such work, as in the recent case with the penstock at the Tine plant, commissioned by CIMO.

Undulation and additional manhole

We were entrusted with the following assignments: 1) The annual and long-term inspection (since 2010) for monitoring the displacement of all undulations over time at the Tine plant (unstable terrain), 2) the research, manufacture and 3) installation at the site of an undulation and additional manhole; the first to replace the old undulation which had reached its acceptable limits in terms of deformations, and the latter to reduce distance between inspection points in the small diameter pipe.

First off, our team proposed to study the design, which included verifying the structure of the parts. Our welding coordination team supervised the manufacture of the new elements (document checks, dimensional testing, acceptances, etc.). The work on site then consisted of cutting and removing the section to be replaced, followed by welding the new elements in place. Our teams from the Martigny workshops took care of all this as per the welding procedure specifications (DMOS) laid out by our engineers.

A single point of contact for the client

Finally, non-destructive testing (NDT) was carried out to ensure the conformity of the welds before the new protective anti-corrosion coating was applied. In total, the plant was down for just two weeks to permit this work. A quick turnaround time, a turnkey service and a single point of contact, all culminating in a satisfied customer!