In-house Journal of L&T Construction

Volume - 39, Issue - 2 April - June 2016

Transforming cities into METROS From the EDITOR’S DESK CONTENTS

In the age of specialization, this issue of ECC Concord reveals our specialization across varied business segments. Metro

As the government’s grand vision of creating 100 smart Setting a world record cities begins to realize, it is a matter of pride for all of us in tunneling 4 at L&T Construction that we are partners in creating ’s first smart city – . Working closely with the forward- looking Jaipur Development Authority, our colleagues from Smart World Communications have transformed the Pink City into a Smart, Connected City. Wide swathes of the city have been wifi-enabled and several historical monuments, India’s Pink City is also hospitals and gardens are equipped with interactive, India’s first smart city information kiosks while surveillance cameras have paved 12 the way for more efficient governance. But more than Jaipur becoming a smart city what should cheers us is that we are helping to make the citizens of Jaipur smarter!

In the same city, we proved our engineering expertise by constructing the state-of-the-art Centre of Innovation and Hero Moto Corp Ltd, Jaipur Technology for Hero Motors. We achieved the distinction A giant stride in technology of being perhaps the only company in the country and 22 amongst the very few globally to construct a high speed parabolic test track using in-house equipment.

As cities struggle with the unbridled population growth of both people and vehicles, metro rail systems are increasingly being adopted by city after Indian city to ease traffic woes. It is not without reason that some of the toughest and most challenging stretches of the Delhi Metro have been awarded Zip, zap and zoom on the Metro 30 to us – true recognition of our preeminent status as the foremost builder of metro systems in the country. Perhaps, we are helping the people of Delhi to be more mobile! Editor Overseas, too, we are expressing our expertise in building Vinod Jacob Chacko metros as we, along with a host of other global construction Transmission Line, Kudgi giants, are burrowing into the depths under the city of Doha Associate Editor to build the system, and setting a world record Integrating the arteries of power Gopi Kannan. S in tunneling along the way. evacuation systems 36 Editorial team Our Water team has set another record by constructing V. Ramesh Kumar Asia’s first and largest Micro Filtration (MF) plant of 158 Ashwin Chand | Mayura. K MLD for river water treatment as a part of the design-built 2X800 MW Yermarus Thermal Power Station near Raichur Plant water system for 2X800 MW Photography and by executing the complex long-span multi-voltage Yermarus thermal power station V. S. Natanavelu | R. Vijay Kumar transmission line to evacuate power from NTPC’s Kudgi Optimizing technology for Thermal Power Plant, our colleagues from PT&D continue 42 Design & layout to create corridors of power! recovering resources Global Print Design, Chennai

2 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 3 Doha Metro Setting a world record in tunneling

4 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 5 ot many pronounce as network of road infrastructure with Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain which was The master plan ‘Kah-ter’, the way it ought to be over 1230 kilometers of roads linking a significant step. This long distance Nor are aware that this small gulf the capital city of Doha to the major passenger and freight rail will connect Touted to be one of the most advanced country that was virtually nonexistent industrial and oil producing hubs of cities in the north and west of Qatar mass rail transit systems, Doha expects on the global economic map has started the country. The Hamad International with Doha. Their second area of focus to have its Phase – 1 Metro operational making heads turn with its fast paced Airport and four seaports are the is a Light Rail Transit or a tram network by the end of 2019 and Phase - 2 by growth and infrastructural investments. country’s gateways to the world. that aims to provide a comfortable and 2026. Originally, the plan was to have Qatar enjoys a long coastline, thanks to However, what the country sorely convenient travel within the new city of it in place to host the 2016 Summer its peninsular location in the Persian lacked was a rail network. A master . The third and the most significant Olympics which was subsequently Gulf, which is why fishing and pearl plan was recently drawn up to develop of all is the Doha Metro - a largely shifted to Rio de Janeiro. Doha, however, gathering were its traditional sources a comprehensive railway network in the underground rail network which will won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World of revenue until petroleum and natural Greater Doha area and across the state. connect communities within Doha and Cup for which the country is gearing up gas reserves were identified and Consequently, was given the its suburbs. Driven by the Qatar National in full throttle. exploited to give the country’s economy mandate to design, develop and manage Vision 2030, a guiding blueprint that a major fillip. Most of Qatar’s natural the country’s rail network to enable a aims to take the country from its current The Doha Metro will serve both the gas reserves that constitutes over 5% of sustainable and efficient way of moving status quo as a hydrocarbon-dependent capital region and suburbs through the entire world’s reserves are located in both people and freight around the country to a diversified, pluralistic, and a predominantly underground its offshore Northfield, an area almost country. knowledge-based economy by 2030, the network. Built in two phases, the as large as the nation itself. Therefore, rail networks are expected to contribute first will cover the commissioning of not surprisingly, Qatar enjoys one of the The Sultanate therefore went ahead full strongly towards this projected growth. three out of the four planned lines - highest per capita GDP globally. steam in building rail infrastructure. Once commissioned, all these three rail Red, Gold, and Green measuring 75 Investing in the ambitious 1940 km networks will be an integrated system, km including 37 stations while the Over the past few decades, the face of GCC rail network to connect with the allowing passengers to easily transfer futuristic fourth, will cover Qatar has transformed by an impressive six member states of Oman, UAE, Saudi between them. 130 km with 72 stations. Concreting in progress

The stations will be designed on the areas located about 15 km from the lines of the traditional Bedouin tents, project command area. The scope mimicking a ‘vaulted space’ concept also includes MEP and architectural that reflects the regional heritage works. What marks the package as with abundance of open spaces and a unique is that despite being awarded typical ‘pearl-effect’ in their tones. The almost a year and half after other exterior however, will be dhow-inspired packages, the ALYSJ JV has managed reflecting the Qatari heritage. The largest to complete the tunneling scope on station, Msheireb, considered the heart time by deploying six state-of-the-art of the Doha Metro system, will be a TBMs the world has on offer! confluence of all the lines. A boring business, as ALYSJ - An integrated usual approach Doha Metro has already achieved the The ALYSJ or Aktor, (Greece) - L&T, unique status of being the largest metro (India) - Yapi Merkezi, (Turkey) - projects in the world by deploying STFA, (Turkey) - Al Jaber Engineering, 21 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) (Qatar), an integrated JV, bagged simultaneously across its lines. In fact the mandate to build a significant Qatar Rail has set a Guinness World section of the between the Record for operating the highest Ras Bu Abboud Station on the east number of tunnel boring machines (20 and Al Aziziyah station on the west. as per Qatar Rail award certificate) in a The scope includes 11.68 km of twin single city, all at the same time. bored tunnel passing through 10 underground stations with entry and As with any other underground exit structures, a couple of emergency metro, the lines will traverse under exit shafts, a stabling yard, structures the city and significant structures and for switchboxes and two logistics contractors had to deploy technology

6 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 7 that in no way disturbed life above. were lowered into position this way. The Another challenge the team faced The ALYSJ JV deployed six TBMs to process broke all conventions proving to was the process of TBM transfer at achieve its tunneling scope excavating be a safe and time saving method. intermediate stations. Since a value a whopping 1 million cu.m of muck engineering drive reduced the station before lining the path to perfection While the original plan was to complete width by almost a meter, the TBM team with precast tunnel segments. The the tunnel drive and later construct the had to grapple with the situation to 6.17 m diameter tunnel stretch built cross passages, delay in the award of the transfer it in a curved path. The team by the JV consumed 1.34 lakh cu.m project saw the team staring at a schedule used a specially fabricated travelling of concrete in the form of 15,555 rings with some unrealistic milestone trolley arrangement that overcame and 24 cross passages. deadlines. Accordingly, an innovative this hurdle successfully without any approach of building the cross passages impact on the interim milestones at the The first two TBMs were to be assembled in tandem with ongoing tunneling planning stage itself inside the launch shaft at Ras Bu Abboud works was drawn up. To enable the plan, station to its complete length of 120 m. eight 50 m long trolleys and California With no efforts barred, the assiduous Owing to the delay in constructing the ramps were imported from Malaysia tunneling team set their eyes with grit station’s base slab, the launching of these that made all the difference expediting and determination on progress and TBMs lay in abeyance. Not wanting to progress that more than made up for the started boring through the bowels delay progress, the JV team thought on initial time loss. of Doha city and achieved their first their feet and decided to assemble the breakthrough on August 30, 2015 entire TBM shield and back-up gantries The tunneling also witnessed other when TBM-3 a.k.a , reached above ground and truck it down to innovative methodologies that included the Joaan Station making its mark as the launch pit through a backfilled the use of steel fiber in precast segments the first among the six operational earth ramp. Thereby, the entire shield to increase productivity achieving three TBMs to achieve a breakthrough. It weighing 460 t along with the 8 back- sets per day, per mould apart from the took the team about fifteen months to up gantries and 1 bridge section were deployment of a flying bucket system to complete the entire tunneling scope at assembled above ground and brought to facilitate quick pour of concrete (only the Gold Line when the last of the six the launch shaft 24m below the ground 30-60 seconds from the time concrete TBMs made its final breakthrough on level. Totally, about 900 t of TBM parts leaves the batching plant). 19th May 2016 at the

One of the TBMs undergoing maintenance

The network

The , also called Coast Line, will run between city in the north and Mesaieed town in the south through Lusail and the Hamad International Airport. Divided into two major segments, the line will cover 40 km including 17 stations and is expected to reduce travel time from the airport through the heart of the city to Lusail by 36 minutes from the usual hour and a half during peak traffic. The , also known as the Education Line will link the with the heart of Doha. It will originate from the in the south and end at the Stadium, covering 31 stations on a 65.3km stretch. The Gold or Historic Line will connect Ras Bu Abboud on the east with Al Rayyan in the west covering 30.6 km with 20 stations. A large part of the network linking major parts of the city including the , Education City, Lusail, Doha Airport and the upcoming stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will run through underground tunnels though there will be a few stretches of at grade and on overhead corridors too. Contracts for the first phase of the project were awarded in August 2012, with the ground breaking ceremony taking place in October 2012. Being one of the largest and the most advanced of its nature, Doha Metro employs talent from over 45 countries across the world making it one of the most sought after mega project for any discerning engineer. Global majors in the construction industry have bid and won packages to bring to reality one of the world’s most advanced metro rail systems.

8 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 9 almost a month ahead of its projected structure at Ras bu Abboud station excavated a whopping 2.95 million cu.m master schedule! and a switchbox structure each at Bin of earth out of total scope of 3.5 million Mahmoud, Al Soudan and Sports City cu.m and has poured 4,50,000 cu.m of The team won the admiration of all, stations. With a generic station length of concrete of the total 10,04,332 cu.m including the client, by achieving timely 178 m, each station varies in its platform scope to create the imposing stations completion with the best of quality level from 18 to 28m from ground level. including the entry/exit structures. The and safety standards despite a delayed While the basic structure has 3 levels team is using the conventional bottom- start compared to the other lines. As covering under platform, platform and up construction methodology with if that was not enough, the team also ticketing levels, some stations feature an open excavation followed by shotcrete set several lofty records in the process intermediate floor for MEP sandwiched and soil anchoring for all station which includes: between the platform and ticketing buildings except for one which features yy Highest number of rings installed in levels. The station team has already a diaphragm wall. a day by one TBM - 39 nos. yy Highest weekly production by 6 The quickest century TBMs - 164 rings yy Highest monthly production by 6 The tunneling milestone from ALYSJ JV team incidentally coincided with QRail TBMs- 491 rings announcing its major milestone of having completed 100 km of tunneling. Presently, 41% of the Doha Metro has been completed. The client also announced Stationed as that 90 percent of the overall tunneling was completed with only 11km to achieve numero uno in the Red Line which is expected to be completed very soon. With the completion of tunneling, contractors will now shift focus to the The ALYSJ JV has 10 underground installation of tracks, power supply and signaling which will see milestone stations to construct along with completions by the end of 2018 to make Phase-1 operational by 2019. The final a stabling yard with switch box architectural touches of the stations are also expected to be completed in tandem.

Finishing works at one of the stations

The team has had many surprises, some unpleasant, during The best of the best excavation of the station boxes one of which was an aquifer. A bore hole installed for dewatering got connected to an The ALYSJ-JV has been regarded as one of the best performers aquifer due to soil movement and consequently water gushed at Doha where work is progressing at a mindboggling pace to out at enormous speeds inundated the entire station box to complete the infrastructure in time for the football fiesta. The about 3m. Acting on a war footing, the team quickly lifted all project command area handled by the JV has also set a record the excavation equipment to the surface avoiding material of having a clean slate in receiving no complaints of public damage. Precision drilling into the source and extensive grievances. They have also clocked an impressive 11 million cement grouting carried out for three days curbed the issue safe man hours till the end of March 2016. Cutting across but the station depth was consequently reduced by 3 m due to cultural differences, members of the ALYSJ JV have joined as this unforeseen natural challenge. This change in turn affected one to work with single-minded focus to achieve what was the vertical alignment between connecting tunnels at both seemingly impossible. This hardy team is now gearing up to ends of the station forcing the design team to make necessary face fresh challenges that will certainly crop up in the process alterations. of execution and finally make its mark as being the best of the best when it comes to metro rail construction.

10 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 11 India’s Pink City is also India’s first smart city

12 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 13 hough a late adaptor, India is been Jaipur, India’s most colorful and their credentials and past experience, of smart solutions such as provision leap-frogging ahead of others historically relevant metropolis. The they bagged the contract from Jaipur of WI-FI hotspots, interactive Tin the rapid implementation of Pink City’s slew of heritage monuments Development Authority (JDA) to information kiosks, surveillance intelligent infrastructure across some attract hordes of tourists every year and integrate a range of smart technology cameras, environmental sensors, of its major cities. To begin with, some hence the need was felt for enabling components which were relatively parking information systems of the earliest smart technologies were world-class digital facilities primarily new to the country in addition to and remote kiosks with facility integrated surveillance systems at targeted at the tourists. The Jaipur surveillance systems within stringent management services. The task called select regions. The advantage of 360 Development Authority (JDA), the timelines. The project was conceived for quick integration of highly sensitive degree command and control centers nodal agency of the government of to transform six major locations into information and communication- enabled administrators to monitor , was entrusted with the task smart zones within a span of one and based smart technology services. more effectively. Taking this cue, the to transform the city into a smart hub a half months with the remaining While working at sensitive locations government launched an ambitious that would ensure 24/7 surveillance locations to go smart in another 120 the team had to ensure that the legacy smart vision programme which and facilitate on-line access to wide- days. of the historic structures remained envisages building 100 smart cities in ranging information about the city, its intact as even a small damage could a phased manner with a range of real- rich culture, historic locations, utility Zoning information raise serious issues. Further, being time promises for a cross-section of centers and e-Governance formalities at an on-field project, there was always stake holders. the click of a button. technology the influx of locals and international tourists across locations which Smart zoning divided the city into two needed carefully handling without Pink City raises the A trailblazing venture distinct phases and the initial work hampering the progress of works. was around 6 heritage monuments smart vision L&T’s dedicated Smart World & There were also innumerable on-field - Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Albert Communication business are Master issues to be mitigated as the concept From the master list, 33 urban regions Hall, Ram Niwas Bagh, Jal Mahal System Integrators offering the whole was new to the region and team L&T have been earmarked under the and . Subsequent smart bouquet of smart offerings as security had to find ways to consider and phase I scheme and one of the first infrastructure works covered 9 metro systems, smart communication and address the concerns of the stake urban centers to take significant steps stations, 5 hospitals and 9 gardens. smart infrastructure. On the strength of holders by highlighting the overall towards realizing this smart vision has The scope of work comprised a host Remote Expert Government Services Kiosk

benefits of the project. The editorial see the team at the JDA control centre. team travelled to the smart zones of The O&M engineer briefs us that the city to understand the technology and facility is equipped with a document shares a vivid account of how team scanner which enables citizens to L&T integrated the various facets of scan documents and submit on-line high-end digital technology that is applications. An acknowledgment is now a benchmark in the annals of the generated once the process is done. country’s smart city projects. Interactive guidance is also available in case the user seeks clarifications on Remote expert issues while submitting. government services While our photographer positions himself to take shots of the control Our first smart sighting is at one of the centre team interfacing with the user remote kiosks in an upfront market end, Rahul steps outside the cabin area. “There are two such e-Governance and highlights, “It does look a simple facilities across the city and based on the installation, however, the concept was inputs from the citizens such models entirely new to the city and we had to will be installed across various strategic change the location a couple of times market areas,” informs Rahul Verma, as the locals were not convinced about O&M Engineer, who is taking us on a its utility and foresaw it as some sort of smart tour across the city. The compact government monitoring station. Finally prefabricated steel cabin is an elegant it was through the intervention of the silver coloured steel enclosure with a JDA that this location was allocated and sliding door. Taking us inside the kiosk, the facility was quickly installed and put Rahul quickly connects through the DX to test.” 80 interactive screen on which we could Amber Fort

14 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 15 to stay put for more than two days to crossover on earlier occasions due to find out the delay in connectivity due the confined below ground space and to a third party fibre which was resolved proximity of the water line. However at around 2 am at the office of the we solved this checkmate by drawing connectivity provider.” references from L&T’s track record of having executed the water pipeline Sharing some of the challenges faced at job a few years ago and arrived at a other locations, Rahul relates: “Close to breakthrough of maintaining a one foot 3 km of cable had to be routed across gap below the pipeline and crossed over the Ram Nivas park and as we were at the cable safely.” the threshold of commissioning the connectivity, the local stakeholders Towards mid-noon with the mercury hindered the provision of power supply inching close to 50 degrees centigrade, as a result of which the entire cabling we take a welcome break inside had to be reconfigured within 3 days and the air-conditioned ambience of an provisions were made to accommodate underground metro rail station. “L&T the UPS at an alternative location to did the entire networking/WIFI for ensure power backup.” 9 metro stations out of which one is an underground structure. Working We barely manage to cross the arterial on operational stations called for a road amidst peak traffic. Our guide then different time zone after the services Surveilance system and interactive kiosk installed at Albert hall draws a parallel, “There is fibre optic were concluded between 10 pm to 5 am. cable across this road which was laid with Cable laying was critical as we had to precision detailing below an existing 12 lay them over the existing covered racks the track. As most of the work was along In total, close to 200 outdoor access inch Bisalpur-Jaipur water pipe line that and for the underground section close to the high tension lines it was mandatory points and 50 indoor points have connects the central museum. Though 250 m of cable was pulled via the under to take up services only after the power been linked to the network which is the client had unsuccessfully tried this craft access way running right beneath was totally shutdown,” he adds. controlled by wireless controller. In Interactive kiosk at one of the hospitals association with JDA, L&T provides an hour’s/100 MB of free WIFI usage Digital facilities at was done by the government with much per person across locations which are care and the objective was to keep it as then converted to a paid premium public hospitals simple as possible so that it benefits both facility. the locals and the tourists. Language is A visit to any one of the major never a barrier while using such digital Internet ready government hospitals in Jaipur springs gizmos as navigation is predominately a pleasant surprise as the centre of driven through images and icons that interactive kiosks attraction across the modest lobbies are user friendly.” are the interactive kiosks that light up Alighting near the zoo, we are led the surrounding. Stepping through the to a compact cabin inside which is portals of Sawai Man Singh Hospital, A spread out WIFI positioned an interactive kiosk which one of the largest health care centres in canopy displays basic information about the Rajasthan, Rahul points the kiosk which location. As we dabble with the kiosk, is barely visible as it is surrounded by a One of the key factors that enliven our guide mentions that finalising the group of people. Nonchalantly he relates, smart zones is WIFI access and at location for this kiosk was a challenge “With so much of information on board Jaipur vast areas are covered under this and it was changed 5 times. “With this has become a virtual crowd puller ambit which includes public spaces, innumerable visitors to the zoo, it and doctors have acknowledged that hospitals, heritage centres and metro was felt that positioning the facility there is never a dull moment around rail stations. It is very evident that city at a distance would be ideal, however the kiosk.” Getting closer to the display, administrators have reposed a lot of when team L&T got into execution we see locals surfing for a range of trust in L&T’s digital integrating prowess mode it was decided to place the kiosk information with regard to health care, a as our guide leads us seamlessly across at the entrance.” Unlike the kiosks doctor’s availability and other amenities. the monumental hotspots with the tag at the hospitals, a compact cabin Amazed at their familiarity, I quiz on of ‘WIFI Maintenance’. Driving past the accommodates the kiosks in open areas how they could assimilate the facts as city’s largest garden, Rahul mentions as it needs protection from the vagaries the display are in English. He reassures that there were a lot of issues while of the weather. with a big smile, “The design of the kiosk routing the WIFI. “At Amber fort we had One of the outdoor wifi access points

16 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 17 panel was tested at site. Getting the sample frame to the Chief Minister’s Office was another challenge as the final approval was given only after seeing the complete fitting.” Third eye dynamics

Team L&T installed the surveillance system comprising 100 fixed and 50 PTZ cameras across the major hubs of the city in a phased manner. This system is equipped with a leased line connectivity having minimum 2.1Mbps bandwidth per camera and is designed to pick up specific intrusions. Our colleague elaborates on the fundamentals of the execution, “We had to ensure that the walls and outer surfaces where the cables/cameras were earmarked for installation were carefully grooved as it was mandatory to match the patchwork with the existing archaic surface colour and in most cases we took the help of local masons as they were adept in such restoration works. The scale of the project called for an integrated safe work strategy which was put in place to carry out the critical tasks such as excavation Interactive kiosk at one of the underground metro stations Internet ready interactive kiosk installed near the zoo

Entering the portals of the central numbers, information on food and Customizing display museum which is popularly known beverages, travel and stay; there are as ‘Albert Hall’, we are drawn to the facilities to book hotels, airline and stands vibrant kiosk placed at the gateway. train tickets, access information The kiosks come in an array of sizes as Visitors are interfacing with the about different modes of transport, the fit varies according to the location digital appliance. The team engineer check PNR status, book cabs, recharge and LED screens. Briefing us about accompanying us briefs that such mobiles, shop on-line, get news and the customization, He says, “Doing the interactive kiosks have been installed current affairs and access google maps. framework for the kiosk is a story in itself across major heritage sites and metro Similarly the kiosks at the metro as we had to custom fit for each location rail stations. Drawing closer, we see stations are designed to focus on which called for precision work. Initially a couple of youngsters indulging in transit schedules in addition to a host it was intended to have a standard size a virtual tour of the ‘Jantar Mantar’. of other utilities. LED screen but later it was found that This is certainly a great advantage for our OEM provider could not deliver. tourists who are always short of time. The scenario at Amber fort showcased A reliable local vendor was roped in It also promotes virtual tourism which the many advantages of such a facility as tourists were seen getting to fabricate the frames with stainless could be transformed into real visits in steel. A single piece was installed at the the near future. familiar with the locale while the local guides lamented that this smart Amber fort but the look and feel was not good and JDA insisted on an alternative The kiosks here are very different from facility had reduced their relevance. model. Finally it was decided to opt for the ones installed at the hospitals as Similar scenes were witnessed aluminium composite panels which these are tuned to guide the tourists, across all the monumental sites were fabricated according to the sizes especially foreigners, to access utility where the interactive displays of the LED screens that ranged from details such as important phone were a huge draw. 40 inches to 47 inches while the touch Video surveillance through PTZ camera at Jantar Mantar

18 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 19 office. It was subsequently found that the camera-based counting of vehicles was not feasible and we convinced the client to go in for IR based sensors while assuring that the cameras would be retained for surveillance. The counting has been customized in such a way that even if a vehicle enters through an exit route it is considered in the counting. In addition, the information is also integrated with the city infrastructure management platform. Keeping track of the weather From any of the kiosks one can get real- time weather reports as environmental sensors have been installed across Environmental sensor key locations and integrated with the displays. Alighting at the Jal Mahal, we approach one of the sensors that resemble a miniature telecom tower programmed to measure temperature, humidity, noise, pressure, ambient light and particulate matter. Our guide informs us that that the output feed is integrated with the JDA control room and relayed back at the user interface Parking information system end. The system also has provision for CIM integration for analysing historical data over a period of time so that it can and pole erections during night time tasks as independent parking zones during a client visit, JDA insisted that be forecast in case of adverse weather. and workmen were given special on-job and went ahead with the works such it had to be an integrated facility which orientation about outdoor risks. ” as developing the VMS, installation of meant that we had to combine the feeds Network operation the sensors and cameras. Fortunately across the 5 locations including JDA’s Parking information centre system A state-of-the-art Network Operating Centre (NOC) established inside the An insight into the working of the JDA office smartly monitors the major Command and control centre smart parking systems at the upfront GT hubs of the city. Major components area and Crystal court showcased how installed at the centre include 2 IBM technology bridges gaps. Vehicles on servers which are designed to cater to monitoring from the control centre. It enables the operator to survey infringements course to the malls are guided through high availability and a range of storage such as zone intrusions, lifting of objects at monuments and line crossings by sending the Variable Message Signs (VMS) accessories, UPS, routers along with alarms and pop-ups on a regular basis. The data is stored for 30 days and in case of an deployed at strategic locations and power back-up equipment. The centre is incident it is passed on to the police officials for further scrutiny. based on the availability the driver can equipped with 2 four-frame LED screens access the nearest parking destination. which are linked to the monitoring Providing unstinted O&M support IR based sensors facilitate the counting desktops to view live feed. At any point Having accomplished the smart technology integration, team L&T has positioned a of vehicles and update the LED counters of time, the proportion of the display lean crew to manage the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) at the JDA office for a at the respective malls. Recounting the matric can be enhanced to include more period of 5 years. And with the client gung-ho on stepping up the smart make over rigours at work, our guide highlights windows. A fully integrated software across larger areas of the city, L&T is poised to integrate a range of futuristic solutions that this technology is entirely different application ‘CISCO SASDA Advanced and build the country’s next gen cities to enhance the quality of urban life across the when compared to the other smart Player’ provides easy-to-use and highly country. offerings. “Initially, we assimilated the flexible management tools for multi-site

20 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 21 Hero Moto Corp Ltd, Jaipur A giant stride in technology

22 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 23 ‘We make things that make India proud’ infrastructure, a one-of-its-kind facility, Boulevard Area with three structural has been L&T’s mantra for over seven housing all aspects of Research and bridges connecting the labs with the decades and the world-class Global Development under one roof – R&D cafeteria and the Iconic Tower and The iconic tower - Centre of Innovation and Technology Labs, Administration buildings, Test a space frame structure of almost (CIT) constructed for Hero Moto Corp Tracks with 40 different types of surfaces 2000 sq.m area and 12 m height, 4 where designs are Ltd, the world’s largest two-wheeler including self-sufficient facilitiesUtility buildings of 8000 sq.m each, created manufacturer, is a true reflection of that for New Product Design, Prototype a combined basement of 18000 sq.m mantra. Manufacturing, Testing and Validation. and a one km long retaining wall. The main 11-story, 12000 sq.m building with raft foundation, radial According to SIAM (Society of Indian Inside Hero’s new The construction of the Test Tracks was beams, slabs with varying floor areas & Automobile Manufacturers) India saw crucial with its 40 different surfaces to alignment, brickwork and plastering, the influx of 4 million vehicles in 2015 247-acre R&D facility simulate real world road conditions, houses the brains behind the designs to add to the existing millions! Safety both Indian and global. The patterns and is aptly named the Iconic Tower. becomes a key area of concern and if the The Project Director Mr. Ch. Rajendra vary from concrete surfaces to Spider and structural glazing and Indian roads have to be safer, all these Prasad has a lot to say about this potholes, railway crossings to mud ACP cladding cover the façade sitting vehicles need to be tested and reliability project referring to it as “a milestone in roads. on top of which is a heat resistant checked for which controlled simulated the Indian construction industry” and ceiling. The tower accommodates tracks are imperative. This is why the that has exceeded client expectations. True to L&T’s commitment of creating a around 500 engineers, including 12 CIT is a landmark mark project both for Rajendra Prasad details L&T’s scope sustainable future, the CIT has advanced Hero Motors as well as L&T. of work: 9 R&D labs G + 1 floor with green technologies imbibed into its top professionals from across the 2000 sq.m each, an Administration design and construction, ensuring eco- world, who work on areas like engine Everything under one Building of G + 11 + Helipad with friendly operations. Testament of these development, vehicle development varying floor areas and orientation, a efforts is the Platinum rating granted and chassis design. The crowning piece roof Cafeteria Building (G + 2) with a 6m to the Centre by the Indian Green of the tower is a helipad. wide cantilever path around it and Building Council (IGBC) with a rating B&F IC has been involved in the the admin tower till the 4th floor of 91 points, making it the highest rated There are 9 state-of-the-art Lab construction of this world-class for vehicular movement. There is a facility in India’s manufacturing sector. Buildings (33600 sq.m) – G + 1 floor with isolated footings, brickwork, internal plastering, flooring and façade works with aluminum windows, structural glazing and ACP along with terrace waterproofing.

The 2400 sq.m Cafeteria Building provides an unwinding experience for the techies with its G + 2 floor structure. It involves a combined foundation, radial beams, slabs with varying floor areas & alignment, structural steel based skylight and façade works – structural glazing and ACP.

There are four G +1 floor Utility Buildings of 8000 sq.m each with isolated footings, VDF flooring, brickwork, plaster, puff panel cladding and aluminum windows.

The campus has an exclusive 2000 sq.m Boulevard area of structural steel space frame with 3 structural steel bridges that are piped with Special Flex underground, to reduce the load on the cooling systems.

Aerial view of the HMCL Innovation Design Centre Boulevard

24 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 25 Test track – where the yy High precision survey equipment yy Flexible approach towards actual spinning takes construction due to varying place geographical conditions yy Sustainable construction to reduce The test track spreads over 100 acres carbon footprint that comprises 15 main tracks with 40 yy Although the roads are designed for different surfaces and several micro movement of lightweight vehicles, testing tracks spanning a length of 16 km. during construction, 40 MT dumpers The various corners are inspired from also moved around. Hence special several famous tracks across the world care during preconstruction design and will soon be named accordingly. and execution phase was taken by The complexity of design, layout, the engineering team to avoid any gradient and different surfaces on the damage or undulation to the surface proving ground posed the team with Efficient project management and several construction challenges: close coordination with the architects, yy Requirement of excellent surface contractors and the client to specify the drainage system in conjunction with content and layout of multiple proving construction grounds played an important role in yy Traffic management all around the successful completion. proving ground during and after construction Types of test tracks yy Usage of highly specialized yy High Speed Track (Speed) equipment for minimized tolerances yy Steering Track (High speed steering) yy Usage of specialized materials yy Wet Braking Track (friction) of defined characteristics in pre- designed specifications with strict yy Test Hill (Traction) quality control measures yy External noise/ISO Track (Sound yy Technical coordination for planning, emission) execution and quality control yy Accelerated Fatigue Track (Fatigue) yy Highly skilled workmen yy Water Wade Track (Performance at yy Specialized construction equipment water surface) yy Specialized testing equipment yy Dirt Track (Village road condition) Handling tracks

High speed track Over bridge Test hill Comfort surfaces

26 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 27 yy NVH Track (Noise, vibration and involved and the requirement of special visits and extensive research, the P&M harshness) equipment like paver with parabolic Team developed a Parabolic Profile yy Handling Track (Handling at sharp screed, specially designed static rollers Paver with parabolic screed and PLC curves) and holders for all the paving equipment. controlled. However, the challenge was Very few companies in the world possess not only the paver, but also the rollers yy Highway/sustainability Track the requisite capability to attempt such along with holding arrangements for (Highway performance) projects primarily because none of this all the paving chain. L&T Case 450 yy Endurance/Durability Track equipment are manufactured by any rollers were modified by reducing (Durability at extreme road OEM today and the contractors who do the drum width, so that the profile of conditions) have them do not share the technology pavement was not disturbed during yy Comfort tracks (Rider comfort) for modification. Hence, the construction compaction. The pipe layers that were yy Dust Tunnel (Performance in dusty cost is exorbitant. When B&F IC was idling with L&T’s Hydrocarbon Division condition) awarded the contract, the biggest at the yard were loaned and modified challenge was to scout for specialized with hydraulic controlled holding yy Rain Water Simulator Track equipment. While a Japanese contractor arrangement. After a lot of site trials, the (Performance in rainy conditions) matched spec expectations, the cost project was successfully completed on Dust tunnel did not. This is when the P&M team 9th November 2015. L&T thus emerged L&T, first in India and rose to the occasion with a decision to as the 5th company in the world and the supported the execution team with a fifth in the world to conceptualize and develop equipment first one in India to indigenously build number of initiatives to increase speed in-house. a parabolic profile road using in-house and productivity of construction. Right construct a high speed equipment. from installation and commissioning parabolic test track To realize the goal of developing the of the batching plant to the erection of equipment, a paver manufacturer Team P&M stands tall the tower crane, creating inroads and A high-speed parabolic track is one in Ahmedabad was roped in and the sourcing of construction equipment, of the most technically challenging of concept was detailed to the vendor. The P&M department played a major conceptualizing and developing the constructions due to the complexities With close monitoring, regular on-site role in the day to day functioning and Parabolic Profile Paver and optimizing the utilization of the existing equipment, the P&M team significantly value-added to the project.

Appreciating the efforts of Team L&T in the construction, technology usage, quality, safety and speed the CMD & CEO- Hero Moto Corp Ltd, Mr. Pawan Munjal stated that the testament of these efforts is the Platinum rating granted to the centre by Indian Green Building Council. “Designed by the International architects and design consortium, the CIT maintains Hero’s highest ecological standards. The 11 storey Iconic Tower or the green building is designed in a manner that each floor plate orientation is different to have maximum view and light. We have ensured water and energy optimization through design innovations. Moreover, the orientation of the buildings is aligned with the wind direction, thus ensuring natural ventilation and reduced load in cooling system. Thanks to L&T’s efforts in making our dream a reality.” Control tower

Truly world-class a research and development job at an automobile company. Though I was never able to have that privilege, it was surely a surreal experience to talk to the team and get an At some point during graduation years, exclusive sneak peek into this state-of-the-art R&D facility set up on the outskirts of Grand stand every engineer-to-be dreams of cracking Jaipur at Kukas.

28 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 29 Delhi Metro Zip, zap and zoom on the Metro

30 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 31 e it the elevated corridors its turnkey capabilities in overhead is presently under commissioning, L&T and smooth sail of the Metro rail despite snaking along the highway or catenary systems, traction substations is involved in three major packages, CE- its higher torques and speeds. DMRC Bthe inconspicuous underground and switching stations. The domain 07, CE-08 and CT-11. specifically included a design clause for tunnels traversing underneath modern of signalling and telecommunication the track structure and the fastening cities, the Metro rail systems never fail to services have seen several innovations Smooth and silent sail system to minimize noise and vibration awe as modern marvels of infrastructure. to provide state-of-the-art system generated by moving trains. Team L&T They stand testimony to the minds, engineering for automatic train control, Piggy could have never broken his bones therefore ingeniously developed the use money, machinery and muscle that supervision, protection and operation even if he tried to on a Metro track! of a mass spring system as a mitigation go into creating this fast, reliable and including electronic interlocking. Firstly, getting on to the tracks without methodology which worked wonders sustainable transit system that allow With the advent of the Metro and being noticed by the surveillance system and will soon become a standard of us to simply zip, zap and zoom across Monorail transit systems, L&T has been or not being stopped by the guards is methodology. crowded cities. While the concrete at the forefront as one of the leading impossible. Even if he did manage to structures and tunnels reveal telltale contractors for Ballastless Trackwork, get on to the tracks, there would be no The track work team at CT-11 package stories of the trials and tribulations the Traction and S&T packages in Urban stones to pick up! built and commissioned ballastless track team would have faced creating this Transit Systems as well of standard gauge along the additional infrastructure, the various systems such The ballast or more commonly, ‘stones’ corridors of Mundka – Bahadurgarh as Ballastless Trackwork, Traction and The association that L&T enjoys with as we know it, that cushion the (Line – 5 extn.) and between Dwarka – Signalling & Telecom (S&T) are actually the Delhi Metro is long and illustrious. conventional tracks have been replaced Najafgarh sections including elevated the lifeline of the Metro System. Being a significant part of every single with the ballastless track technology and underground sections along with Phase of DMRC, L&T has created some that uses specially designed concrete a combination of ballasted/ballastless L&T’s Railway Business holds the of the most challenging metro viaducts, plinths/slabs that don’t just bear the tracks. The scope also included tracks for unique distinction of having energized tunnels and stations including complete weight of the passing Metro rakes, but depots at Bahadurgarh and Najafgarh major trunk routes in the Indian and comprehensive solutions for also reduce consequent vibrations and regions. Railway network since 1981 with Traction and S&T. Under Phase 3 which noise levels which explain the silent Being one of the pioneers in the construction of Direct Fixation Resilient Track Systems (plinth/slab type) which is a cast in-situ, top-down method of construction and having been associated in Chennai, Hyderabad and recently in Riyadh ( &2) for metro rail construction, the team made great headway at Delhi Metro and took ballastless track work construction to a new high with speed and sophistication.

Typically, once the viaduct is done along with parapet walls, the track team conducts a detailed survey. Following this, the centre line is marked along with the plinth position on the alignment. Meanwhile, 18m long head hardened rails are stacked on the viaduct. Multiple such rails are welded together to form a Rail panel measuring up to 180m using a specialised welding technique called ‘Flash Butt Welding’. A pair of these rail panels are positioned over a ‘Gauge Supporting Frame’ (GSF) and secured into position using a push pull bar. Further to conducting a gross alignment using ‘Total Station’, anchor bolts are fastened to hold the resilient rail fasteners in place using temporary supports called ‘Dummy Plates’. Thereafter they are flanked by formwork Conductor Rail installation works in progress Completed ROCS in a tunnel section

32 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 33 which will enable a sandwich of dense reinforcement to get embedded in the concrete and give the plinth the desired flexural strength.

Following a regimented curing period, the tracks are removed from the concreted plinth and resilient rail fasteners get inserted on the anchor bolts that are now embedded securely in the plinth. The plinth is also cleaned thoroughly to enhance finish and is now ready for checking the final parameters using gadgets such as the ‘Track Master’ that compares the alignment vis-à-vis the design parameters to an accuracy of 1mm. The joints between the 180m rail panels are further welded to enable a seamless continuous track which is finally de-stressed before it becomes ready to handle the innumerable trips the metro rail rakes will make. Apart from the usual challenges that include lifting the heavy track sections to the heights of the viaduct or the lowering of equipment such as truck mounted Revenue operation started in Line 6 (Badarpur – YMCA Chauk, 28 tkm) on September 6, 2015 Flash Butt Welding of tracks in progress flash butt welding machines to the depths of a tunnel face, it was an uphill task for the team to interface not only The first process in the sequence of erected as per drawing using the trifor- overhead system that powers the rolling with different vendors, but also other commissioning the overhead catenary sling arrangement. stock) working at constrained spaces contractors who were going about system is to erect the heavy masts through tunnels and underground their unfinished jobs on the viaducts using derricks. With live traffic below, For the first time in DMRC, L&T stations. The scope was primarily and tunnel sections. the process was executed with care introduced aluminum based single divided into pre and post track activities. and caution. Thanks to a world-class insulator type cantilever which is Work such as centre line and template Powered with safety system, the team could breathe widely used for high-speed rail in marking along with fixing of anchor easy as every single risk was carefully Europe that offer the benefits of bolts (the fastners of which are tested determination analysed and mitigated. Using a ladder being lightweight, anti-corrosive and for a load of a whopping 1.2 t to assure and a rope pulley system the team maintenance free. Even the counter complete safety) are covered under the At the CE07 package, team, L&T fits the cantilever assembly following weights were designed to fit into a pre track scope. The fixing of brackets commissioned 25 kV overhead which the guy rod is fixed along with smaller area taking into consideration that will support the conductor also equipment including switching a turnbuckle adjustment to set right the expansion allowances owing to wide falls under the pre track scope. Once the equipment, cabling and auxiliary sub the sag as well as to prevent the mast variations in the Delhi temperatures. tracks are laid, all the cables including stations. The team had to work on five from leaning owing to the line tension. Other innovations included modifying the conductor, contact wire, RC, OPC different lines at various locations to Following the laying of the RC and the design of road cum rail vehicle to and TEW are installed and clamped cover about 150 track km (tkm) that OPC cables (ensuring a termination increase productivity and reduction securely to propel the metro rail. formed the scope of the project. While tension of 400 N & 500 N respectively) of human intervention both of which originally the project schedule was the catenary and contact stringing directly resulted in substantial savings. Being track and traction works, spread over seven months, delay in is done using a specially fabricated The team also introduced an extendable these projects mark the successful handing over the work front forced the road and rail vehicle to clamp in place and adjustable working platform which completion of this phase of Delhi Metro team to crash the timeline to only three the wires ensuring a 1200 N tension. was suitable for both pre and post wiring and this dedicated team can sit back months. Working against stiff deadlines, Tightness is taken care with the use activities. with satisfaction after having toiled the team even managed to complete of counterweights and a dropper is strenuously to put on tracks the Metro one of the lines in time for inauguration Under the CE 08 package, team L&T erected at all the marked positions. rail system that is already easing the by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, installed 49 tkm of ROCS (Rigid PSI equipment such as interrupters, city’s traffic woes and improving the air much to the client’s delight. Overhead Catenary System - a 25kV that the people of Delhi breathe. Control panels being installed at one of the stations isolators and voltage transformers are

34 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 35 Transmission Line, Kudgi Integrating the arteries of power evacuation systems

36 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 37 four store yards were set up at the it was the farming season. Moreover respective sites to facilitate seamless the alignment had a slew of critical access to resources and materials. crossovers over powerlines, river and highways. Two stringing teams were Fast-tracking from a formed to handle the works stage wise. Appropriate shutdown procedures delayed start were followed by seeking prior approvals from the power authorities To begin with, the first leg of the project and within a stringent timeframe the across the Hungund section involved segment of 90 km was completed by the construction of two transmission December 2015. lines of 400 kV over a short span of 18 km. However, the works were held up for nearly 10 months because of several Holding together the ROW issues. IDPL and PT&D IC joined mid-way section forces to resolve the stalemate and a renewed schedule was fixed to complete Having streamlined the early phase of the works by March 2015. The scope the project, it was time for team L&T for the 400 kV line involved raising to innovate on the process as the going 47 towers and dedicated teams were got tough over the Hospet region which deployed to lay the foundation, install spanned 133 km with 297 towers of 765 the towers and string the lines thanks kV D/C voltage. The alignment passed to which the task was completed in a through a series of crossings out of record time of 48 days by adhering to which the most challenging was the an internal milestone of raising a tower Tungabhadra river crossing. Planning a day. was crucial at this stage as it was necessary to route the alignment away The other portion involving the 765 kV from the forest and hilly terrains to D/C line alignment was mostly across raise the towers. Following a thorough fields but access for foundation and survey, a secure alignment was finalized tower works was not allowed by the without any major impact on the cost farmers during June to December as of the project while cautious headway A stretch of the alignment passing through a hilly terrain or India which depends on a mix The plant is a super critical thermal was awarded by REC Transmission Plotting the 500 km of energy generation sources power facility which is being developed Projects Company Limited (Bid F that are spread unevenly across in two stages with the first phase having Process Coordinator) on a Tariff based corridor select regions, power evacuation is capacities of 2400 MW (3X800 MW) Competitive Bidding (TBCB) mechanism as important as energy generation. and 1600 MW (2x800 MW) respectively. for developing the transmission line PT&D IC was entrusted the task With more and more powerhouses NTPC’s first 800 MW power generation on Design, Build, Own and Operate of executing this project on an coming up at remote locations, long venture, the electricity generated from it and Maintain basis to evacuate power Engineering, Procurement and distance integrated transmission will be supplied to states of Karnataka, from NTPC’s Kudgi Thermal Power Construction basis by L&T IDPL. With systems are seen as the way forward Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Plant. The scope of work comprised the alignment spread over a vast area to transmit power to a cross-section detailed engineering, survey, civil works, that included major crossings over of distribution networks. L&T’s A maiden power installation, testing and commissioning rivers, railway lines, highways and Power Transmission & Distribution of interconnected power transmission other power lines, a lot of ground work business has been giving shape to transmission PPP project lines that covered two 400 kV D/C lines was required especially in resource the country’s powerful dreams by for L&T IDPL from Kudgi to Narendra (New SS) across planning while securing the Right partnering major power developers 18 km, a 765 kV D/C line from Narendra of Way (ROW). Owing to its size and and integrating a slew of high L&T’s Infrastructure Development (New SS) to Madhugiri across 376 km scale, the project was divided into 4 voltage marathon transmission Projects Limited (IDPL), a pioneer in and a 400 kV D/C line from Madhugiri strategic phases - Hungund region networks. One such benchmark is developing landmark infrastructure, has to Bidadi across 93 km. The project over 108 km, Hospet area over 133 km, the execution of an extensive multi- for the first time ventured into the power was scheduled to be completed in 22 Chellakere segment over 157 km and voltage transmission line for NPTC’s transmission business and bagged months through Kudgi Transmission Magadi division over 93 km. The main Kudgi Super Thermal Power Plant in this project through a Public-Private- Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle, with site office was established at a mid- Bijapur, Karnataka. Partnership (PPP) in August 2013. It a concession period of 35 years. point to coordinate the works while

38 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 39 was completed in just about 12 months the two new towers. The cross arms making this the fastest completed hole to distance is measured through section. a total station theodolite while the actual length of the conductor and sag Making an all-out effort is computed and dead end connections are made at the ground level. Hot line The final phase stretched over the Magadi hanging rollers are passed through section for close to 93 Km with 256 the Plateena ropes which carry the towers of 400 kV D/C voltage. Challenges conductors and a spacing of 10 to 12 were plenty in this alignment as the line meters in between the hanging rollers passed through farm lands, intersected is ensured so that there is no sag during along the urban areas, involved hot line the process. While one conductor is crossings, railway crossings and spanned passed over the energized line, dead over the waters of Manchanabele dam. end cone fixing is done at the other Team L&T raised the bar by coming up end to string the insulator hardware. with a slew of smart work strategies to The conductor on the other tower is mitigate each hurdle. pulled with the help of come-along clamps/pull-lift and connected with The live line crossing was executed the dead end cone to the second side of with the help of drones - an interesting the string insulator. The final sagging and safe execution strategy involving of the conductor is done keeping the a high D-electric 16 mm Plateena rope conductor inside the hanging rollers tied to the drone and guided over to the after which the rollers are removed. new tower location where it is fixed by a fitter while maintaining minimum There were also large areas in this sag at the desired locations between section across hilly regions with limited access way which required manual loading and close to 200 workmen were engaged in this was made while executing the stringing herculean task. The tower foundation works especially during the river and works around the Manchanabele dam farm land crossings. For a length of 9.5 needed a thorough review as the soil km which was across fruit bearing trees, had high water content. A detour of the the process of stringing was customized route unfortunately was not feasible with the stringing platforms mounted due to the adjoining forest area. After on the towers and winches used to consultations with the Engineering execute the final sag on the tower itself. Design and Research Centre, the team opted for a deep well dewatering Going ahead with ease system that was designed to withstand the soil collapse under water logged When compared to the previous two conditions while stabilizing the tower sectors, the Chellakere section was foundations. relatively easier though it spanned 133 km and comprised 363 towers of 765 Good practices that kV D/C voltage. A peculiar feature of this section was that it passed through a bridged the span complex network of transmission lines For team L&T delivering a project of of various voltage levels ranging from such a vast span was no mean task but 11 kV to 400 kV. While the stringing what kept them in the race and enabled works were carried out only during the them to finish the milestones one after shutdown period, the process was made another was the implementation of a further fool proof by routing the live range of value additions. At the design longer span of 500 m (DS type tower) winches for stringing final sag work, power network temporarily through stage, the edge was provided to facilitate that minimized raising towers. While installation of sagging bridge during underground cables till the tower works execution by opting for specialized on-field strategies such as use of mobile conductor stringing streamlined the were completed. Over 286 Km of 765 foundations and tower schemes with crane for tower erection, motorized execution process. kV and 76 Km of 400 kV the stringing Drone technology deployed to cross over live line

40 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 41 Plant water system for 2X800 MW Yermarus thermal power station Optimizing technology for recovering resources

42 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 43 ore than 70% of India’s advanced technologies to minimize the enhances effective water management pressure for the micro filtration pump electricity demand is met use of water and effectively manage the and distribution by using water and against the MF supplier’s requirement Mthrough the country’s vast treatment processes. coal optimally. Needless to say, it also of 2.6 kg/cm2. L&T’s Engineering Design coal reserves especially from thermal produces a higher amount of electricity. and Research Centre team at Chennai power plants. Unlike the renewable Banking on innovative worked on designing the hydraulic energy generation sources such as A high-tech guarantee system with less frictional loss and hydel, wind and solar which are self- process systems low differential pressure to arrive at a sustaining, traditional plants require that tilted the scales maximum pump discharge pressure The state of Karnataka which has a large volumes of fresh water for cooling of 2 kg/cm2 which proved to be the rich history in power generation has As forerunners in building world- during the energy generation process. key differentiator from the offerings been over the past few decades facing class water infrastructure, L&T’s Water According to a report by The Energy of other competitors. The calculations acute power and water shortages. & Effluent Treatment IC bagged this and Resource Institute (TERI), thermal were ratified by the client through the To mitigate this grim scenario, the high-tech contract which involved the power plants account for 88% of water Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru state government is roping in private construction of Asia first and largest consumed across all industry sectors put and approved the pump to implement investors to join hands to develop Micro Filtration (MF) plant of 158 MLD together. With rapid increase in India’s the technology. sustainable power generation plants to for river water treatment along with thermal power generation capacities in bridge the gap between rising demand an ash water recovery system, effluent recent years, not only the consumption for electricity and limited resources. The treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, The heart of the of water by these plants has gone up 2X800 MW Yermarus Thermal Power mechanical equipment erection and but their expenditure on water related filtration system Station (YTPS) developed by Karnataka associated electrical & instrumentation charges has also risen considerably. As Power Corporation Limited near works. Apart from being the lowest Micro filtration is the heart of the plant the water-power nexus is becoming Raichur is one such coal-based modern bidder, what tilted the scales in favor of water system which operates through increasingly critical, modern plant water plant which is replete with a slew of L&T was a technical guarantee assuring proprietary Poly-VinyliDene-Fluoride systems are being constructed with advanced water treatment systems that the client of arriving at a lower discharge (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane Micro filtration unit in operation

technology and is designed to produce a change in the overall plant layout consistent quality of water irrespective delayed land acquisition. The team of seasonal and/or weather related quickly resolved the stalemate by variations in the source of raw water. convincing the client to shift the This filtration system advantageously earmarked area to a nearby available occupies a reduced footprint as the location without compromising on the technology to be installed is a single unit hydraulic requirements of the system. when compared to the conventional On-ground challenges were plenty as plants with several treatment the strata was a mix of black cotton processes. Further, the process is cost soil and hard rock which called for a effective, filters river water without secure excavation strategy that involved any pretreatment and limits the use of the removal of 1m to 1.5m of surface chemicals during the treatment process level earth followed by 7000cu.m of as the pathogens and other inorganic controlled blasting. At locations which substances are directly removed through had a range of activities and excessive the filtration process thereby ensures labor movement, the team deployed protection of the downstream systems, crews to break down the rocks through reduces downtime, maintenance costs chiseling which though laborious was and enhances service life. To top it all, foolproof. the filtered water has less than 2 units of Nephelometric turbidity while the Unloading the microza recovery of water from waste streams is close to 95%. microfiltration modules The 1456 microza microfiltration Making a conscious modules, each weighing close to 32kg, start 165mm in dia and 2160mm in length resemble a series of elegant hollow pipes. One of the first priorities for the team The entire consignment was shipped was to access the earmarked location from the US and arrived at site on Micro filtration building to streamline works at site. However, containers. Stacking the modules at site

44 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 45 called for some deft handling as it was clamped with the bottom and top frames Ash water recovery huge savings on cost and time. The mandatory to store them in an enclosed in such a way that the vertical distance/ plant is built to take up flocculation area with no exposure to direct sunlight alignment of the nozzle matched with system and sedimentation in a single unit with the temperature maintained well the length of the modules. The hose pipe and ensures less than 25 units of 3 below 40⁰ C by continuously operating connections were Victaulic couplings. Close to 3300 m /h of ash water Nephelometric turbidity. air coolers till they were moved for For connecting the inlet, outlet and is recovered from the ash water erection onto the rack inside the MF reverse filtration of all the racks, HDPE recovery system, a state-of-the-art Effluent Treatment Plant building. pipes of 90mm to 350mm were used plant that processes through a 61m which called for executing close to dia clariflocculator. Apart from the Establishing the piping for the Integrating the MF 1250m of piping works with 1076 joints construction of the entire plant, the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) was in confined places. Further, each rack scope involved installation of fire and a critical task as more than 2 km of system is provided with 9 pneumatic values dust suppression pumps for the coal pipeline had to be routed inside the for inlet/outlet/reverse filtration/drain/ handling plant. During execution, boiler area of the running plant while Team L&T, in consultation with the excess re-circulation and chemical the team discovered that top soil was the effluents were collected from membrane supplier, designed a staging cleaning. Post erection, the modules black cotton in nature up to 2m while 5 different locations to a common system that comprised 16 racks with a were flushed with clean water to wash the base raft of the clarifier was much point. The pipeline was laid on pipe provision for 2 standby units. Each rack out the preservatives. The specialty of lower. To overcome the uplift pressure, racks with the help of a rope and consisted of 91 modules and 5 spaces this system is that the entire filtration a sandwich type of slab was employed. chain pulley so that it did not hamper were allocated as additional provision operation is carried out from the PLC / Other challenges involved maintaining other agency works. Raising the civil along with a skid frame, skid valves, SCADA through the Festo block installed the radius of the outer wall and slope structure called for deft review during instruments and necessary piping to hold on each rack. Two air compressors of the flooring. An innovative method construction as it was an above the modules. The site team assembled along with associated instruments are was evolved to install the new clarifier ground plant with three distinct the modules in a particular sequence provided for scrubbing the modules bridge that weighed close to 15 t by zones for oil and grease separator, inside the MF building and erected them with air /water during the backwashing fabricating and erecting a special flocculation and clarification. The with top and bottom coupling joints. of modules. derrick to facilitate positioning of the bottom slab inclination along with The inlet and outlet header pipes were bridge components that resulted in the cross wall dimensions was cross- checked at regular intervals so that the zones were in position. Putting together the lamella clarifier was a herculean task as it comprised 7600 tube deck plates in honey comb shape at a 60 degree inclination. The task was accomplished by grouping the plates in batches of 380 for easy handling and positioning with the help of a crane. Around 225 m3/h of effluent was treated as per discharge standards set by the client while the sludge generated from the ETP was treated through the thickener and centrifuge thereby recovering a reasonable quantity of water. The treated effluent from the ETP is pumped to the ash slurry sump and recovered for gardening after neutralization with acid and alkali in the central monitoring basin. Sewage Treatment Plant

The 60 m3/d Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) plays an important role in recovering treated sewage water for low end reuse and involves a biological treatment in a moving Ash water clarifier Settling tank

46 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 47 Settling tank with sludge handling system Main control room bed bio-reactor while the tertiary Raising critical support counterfort at 4m intervals, columns with inputs of field equipment was treatment comprises chlorination were proposed at every 3.5m in both another critical task as the entire followed by new generation multi- structures directions to support the roof of the microfiltration processes depended grade and activated carbon filtration. tank. L&T’s expertise in formwork and on precise settings for smooth The final step of treatment is through Three filtered water storage tanks, a staging came in handy to complete this operation. A stage wise approach was UV disinfection which ensures that settling tank, pump house and the MF task safely. planned that involved connecting the the treated sewage water is completely building were the main civil structures individual racks of the MF to a Festo sterilized. L&T scope of work covered a erected. While most of the structures The chemical house was another system and interconnecting the other mix of civil and mechanical works that were modest, construction of the tanks structure that needed precision MF racks via Ethernet into a ring included construction of the screen, was a challenge as it was designed planning during construction as it system operation thereby ensuring equalization tank, aeration tank, with 3 compartments and was to be comprised RCC chemical tanks inside redundancy of the system without tube settler, new generation multi- raised above ground. The execution the first floor which was taken up only affecting the filtration process. In the grade filter, new generation activated was planned compartment wise with after completing the entire structure second stage, the field equipment carbon filter with final treatment of each section divided into 4 parts. Since and roof works. Special care was taken serving MF was rescaled and the UV disinfection. The UV disinfected the middle compartment was bigger to insulate the floor and tank with acid corresponding high and low alarm sewage water is used for gardening and needed more focus, resources were resistance tiles as the UPVC pipeline limit values fed to the SCADA. In the inside the plant and the sludge allocated to speed up the works for carries the chemical up to the stilling third stage, the individual equipment generated is being handled with the which certain areas of compartment 1 chamber, CMB ETP and centrifuge. feedback between the field to SCADA filter press. The recovered water from were held back to create an approach and the main equipment was checked the filter press is recycled back to the way for boom placers and transit mixers Supervisory Control to enable the operation. equalization tank. The main challenge to do the concreting for parts 1 and 2. and Data Acquisition for the team was to ensure that the A similar approach was followed to The SCADA system is designed to associated civil works were done with complete the remaining phases. With (SCADA) System operate on auto and manual modes of care as the clarifier zone was a FRP the walls of the tanks tapering from control. The auto mode takes the field 550mm to 200mm at the top along with Putting together the SCADA system value from the instruments while the prefabricated material. Filter water storage tank

48 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 49 New Orders New orders kick in along with a major win to build a stadium to host FIFA 2022

&T Construction, along with its JV partner in Qatar, subsidiary of L&T, has bagged a contract from Saudi Al Balagh Trading & Contracting, has bagged the Electricity Company for the engineering, procurement manual option allows the operator to mandate to build a 40,000 seater stadium, as part and construction of 132 kV overhead transmission lines set a value within the process range. L The intent of the manual mode is to of the sports infrastructure being readied by the Emirate and cabling works in Artawyah and Zulfi areas in the allow the operator to set the value of in preparation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Inspired by Central Operating Area (COA) in Saudi Arabia. the Programmable Logic Controller local patterns and dune-like structures, the Al Rayyan On the domestic front, orders have been received from (PLC) which allows the code to stadium and its precinct design will resemble the sand function in the event of an instrument dunes that surround the traditional desert tents. A Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) failure thereby ensuring that the landmark in the making, the Al Rayyan stadium will be in Uttar Pradesh for the construction of 33 kV substations microfiltration functions without one of the most significant stadiums slated to host games and associated lines in Ghaziabad apart from orders inconsistencies. up to the quarter-finals in the much awaited 2022 FIFA from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited for the World Cup. construction of a 400 kV double circuit transmission Handing over a hassle line package from Tumkur to Hiryur in Karnataka and free system On the domestic front, the Buildings & Factories business construction of a new 400/220 kV AIS substation in is building a prestigious high rise residential project in Tumkur, Karnataka. The business has also bagged a The final phase of the project called Mumbai that will feature two residential towers, each mandate from Karnataka Solar Power Development for a range of pre-commissioning having 3 basements, 7 podiums and 66 floors among Corporation Limited for the construction of 220/66 kV checks and the filtration system was other ancillary buildings. The business is also set to build substations along with an associated transmission line put to a dynamic test involving the a mid-rise residential project in Mumbai apart from network. This project will be instrumental in power client and the membrane supplier. a win to construct a mixed use development (MUD) evacuation from the proposed 2000 MW Pavagada Solar MF Feed pump house To ensure that process was foolproof, project for a renowned customer in Kolkata. Park in Tumkur district. several tests were conducted to assess the functioning of various facets such The Transportation Infrastructure business won an EPC The Smart World business is making major inroads in its as PLC/SCADA, electrical distribution order from NHAI for four-laning the Addahole (Gundya) domain with orders from RajCOMP Info Services Limited, and utilities. The MF system comes to Bantwal cross of NH-75 (Old NH no. 48) in the state a government of Rajasthan undertaking, for establishing with a 10 year warranty and envisages of Karnataka. Scheduled to be completed in 30 months, and commissioning command & control centres at a minimum output of 150 MLD of the project involves two flyovers, two major bridges, 14 Bikaner, Bharatpur and Jodhpur under the Surveillance filtered water with a turbidity of 0.01 minor bridges, nine underpasses and one toll plaza. The and Incident Response Project apart from another major NTU which is well below industry standards. As a fully automated plant order book for highways also includes a win for four- win which involves design and implementation of safe there are no shutdowns while the laning of the Mukkola junction to Kerala/Tamil Nadu cities using integrated security systems and intelligent & cleaning in place is conducted by re- border of NH-47 (new NH-66) under NHDP phase-III in integrated traffic management systems. circulating chemicals and water at high the state of Kerala. An order from Gujarat Water Infrastructure Limited marks velocities and temperature. However, since this technology is new to India, a The railway business in concert with Instalaciones the inflow for the Water & Effluent Treatment business crew has been based at site to oversee Inabensa, S.A., Spain, has won a major design & build the scope of which involves design and construction of the operations and maintenance for a job from Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of approximately 146 km of mild steel pipelines and 26 period of 5 years. And with the future India Limited (DFCCIL) for the electrification works of km of ductile iron pipelines. Another mandate has been hinging on sustainability, L&T’s Water 417 km section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor won from Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water, Sewerage business is well poised to take forward from Mughalsarai to New Bhaupur in the state of Uttar & Infrastructure Corporation Limited (RUDSICO) for the concept of water sustainability Pradesh. the design, construction and commissioning of Sewage across industries. Treatment Plants (STPs) and Sewage Pumping Stations Significant EPC orders have been won by the Power (SPS) along with sewer networks in Alwar, Sikar and Transmission and Distribution business both in the Bhiwadi towns of Rajasthan. international and domestic markets. In the Middle East, the business is to construct a medium voltage overhead line which will enhance the reliability of the MF Dyke area existing network. L&T Saudi Arabia LLC, a fully owned

50 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 ECC CONCORD, April - June 2016 51 A clutch of MEED quality awards endorse L&T’s project excellence

Some of L&T’s most prestigious projects in the GCC received the region’s top honors for project excellence at the MEED Quality Awards for Projects held in association with Mashreq in Dubai on May 25, 2016. The MEED Quality Award that aims to raise standards through benchmarking the best practices specified in the project brief and excellence provided in the project delivery is distinguished from other awards programs because it evaluates the outcome of the construction process, rather than the process itself.

The Lamar Bausher Project (Muttawar Residential) of LTO-B&F was the National Winner under the category “Residential Project of the Year” and Darsait - Al Wadikabir Flyover Project of LTO-TI was National Winner and GCC Winner under the category “Road and Bridge Project of the Year”. Water and Effluent Treatment IC’s Doha South Sewage Treatment Works project was adjudged as Qatar’s National Winner in Power & Water Sector for 2016.

The awards were received by Mr. G.R. Ranganath, Chief Executive, L&T Oman along with Mr. Srinath Rao, Vice President & Head - Transportation BU (Middle East), Infrastructure Gulf, Mr. D.D.Khot, Head - TI IC, LTO, Mr.Shyam Sundar, VP & Head – Building BU (Middle East), Mr.G.Ramasubbu, Cluster Project Manager – B&F IC LTO, Mr. Roy Saldanha – Project Director, Doha South Sewage Treatment Works project and other members from team L&T.

Edited by Mr. Vinod Jacob Chacko for L&T Construction from L&T Construction Headquarters, Manapakkam, Chennai - 600 089. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Management. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor. Not for sale. Only for free circulation among employees of L&T Construction and their customers. Printed at Srikals Graphics Pvt. Ltd., Chennai.