en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 10, a major milestone was achieved in the construction of the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project, a backbone project of the national water network. The No. 8 maintenance access tunnel, a key and challenging control work along the entire line constructed by China Railway 18th Bureau Group, was successfully completed, laying a solid foundation for accelerating the construction of the main tunnel.
Located in Maliang Town, Baokang County, Hubei Province, the No. 8 maintenance access tunnel has a total length of 2,959 meters. It serves core functions such as TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) entry, ventilation and drainage, material transfer, and later-stage maintenance. The construction traversed long downhill water-rich sections and fault fracture zones, with a maximum daily water inflow reaching tens of thousands of cubic meters. It also faced complex geological conditions such as karst development and fractured surrounding rock, presenting technical difficulties rarely seen in similar projects in China.
In response to the risk of water inflow, the project team adhered to the principle of "probe before excavation, excavate after probing," innovatively establishing a three-tier water control system of "blocking, intercepting, and draining." A task force was formed to monitor key processes around the clock, effectively controlling water inflow through advanced grouting and sealing.
It is understood that the project deployed the "Jianghan Pioneer," the largest single-shield TBM in the field of water diversion tunnels in China, with an excavation diameter of 12.23 meters, integrating intelligent monitoring systems such as advanced geological prediction. Relying on a digital twin system, the technical team dynamically adjusted tunneling parameters and innovatively applied synchronous tunneling and segment assembly technology, improving overall efficiency by 20% to 40%. The supporting large-diameter segment production base, the largest and most intelligent of its kind in China, has a maximum monthly production capacity of over 800 rings.
According to Long Gang, Project Manager of the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project Lot 4 of China Railway 18th Bureau Group, the breakthrough of the No. 8 maintenance access tunnel has created favorable conditions for TBM entry and efficient excavation of the main tunnel, and has also accumulated important experience for the construction of deep-buried long tunnels under complex geological conditions. Zhang Shaojia from the Construction Management Department II of the Jianghan Water Network Company stated that the main tunnel has been excavated a cumulative 27 kilometers, branch tunnels a cumulative 40 kilometers, and all nine TBMs along the entire line have been launched, with the project progressing efficiently as planned.
The water conveyance tunnel of the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project has a total length of 194.7 kilometers and is a landmark project in building the main framework of the national water network. Upon completion, the average annual water transfer volume of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route will increase from 9.5 billion cubic meters to 11.51 billion cubic meters, significantly enhancing the water supply guarantee capacity of the middle route. This holds great strategic significance for ensuring national water security and promoting the sustainable economic and social development of the Hanjiang River Basin and the water-receiving areas.
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