Overhaul of the Kachlet double-chamber lock
Initial situation
The Kachlet barrage, consisting of a weir with six fields, a power station and the double-chamber lock, is located on the Danube and was built from 1922 to 1927. Structural stability issues were first identified in the solid construction in 2005. Meanwhile, the 90-year lifespan for steel hydraulic structures has also been significantly exceeded. To ensure safe use of the lock in the coming decades, an overhaul is being carried out.
Task
As a preliminary measure for the overhaul, the middle chamber wall was partially demolished and reconstructed as a self-supporting facing shell. These measures began in 2013 and were successfully completed in 2015. In the course of the overhaul, all steel hydraulic components including drives, complete electrical, communication and control technology, as well as the lighting system will be renewed in the coming years. We were commissioned to plan the required electrical engineering including the preparation of the draft execution document according to VV-WSV (Administrative Regulation of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration) 2017.
Services
Part of the contract is the planning of the power supply and distribution, the associated cable connections and cable trays, an emergency power supply and an uninterruptible power supply. As before, the lock's power supply comes from the low-voltage main distribution of the hydroelectric power plant. The lock's low-voltage main distribution will be newly planned and housed in the technical rooms of the drive houses. From there, all consumers in the lock chambers will be supplied with power. The renewal of the cable trays and the power supply in the adjacent outdoor area as well as the power supply for the planned new construction of a control centre were also considered.
The control technology housed in the drive houses for the control of the drives, ancillary facilities, rope impact protection and light signal systems, as well as for the evaluation of water level data, is being developed. In addition, the required operating and visualisation interfaces are being planned. The locks will also be equipped for standard remote operation. Furthermore, the systems for earthing, lightning protection and potential equalisation are being designed and lightning protection risk management is being developed. The telecommunications, light signal, loudspeaker, intercom and video systems are being designed and a risk assessment in accordance with the Machinery Directive is being carried out.
The contract also includes conducting a lighting calculation as well as designing and planning the interior lighting, emergency lighting and exterior lighting systems. The light signal system and the lighting system are not limited to the lock area but extend several hundred metres into the upstream and downstream areas. The telecommunications system with connection to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration's communication network is also taken into account. The operational water level measurement system with associated visualisation as well as a control and redundancy concept for the lock system are being developed.
Challenges and special features
During the refurbishment measures, one of the two lock chambers must always be operational in order to handle the incoming ship traffic. Therefore, during the navigation closure in 2015, a temporary solution for electrical and control cables was created above ground.
