Temporary bypass for construction of new surface pumping station 3D flown in

In order to safely replace the existing Stins surface pumping station with a new and modern one, Van Heteren Weg- en Waterbouw called on Vanderkamp Pompen. The specialist in temporary pump installations was able to realize an efficient bypass, the route of which was flown in 3D with a drone in advance. A technique that Vanderkamp Pumps is increasingly applying, even for relatively small projects.

Surface pumping station Stins is managed by Waterschap Drents Overijsselse Delta and located in the meadows of the Westenholte district of Zwolle. "The old pumping station was outdated, no longer remotely controllable and actually oversized for its application," begins Ewout Aman, project manager at Van Heteren Weg- en Waterbouw. "The pumping station had been nominated for replacement for some time and was part of the framework contract we have with the water board for renovations and replacement operations of existing dams and pumping stations in the area." 

Level management and more 

The design of the new Stins surface pumping station is a joint effort (construction team) between the Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board and Van Heteren Weg- en Waterbouw. "During the design phase, we are also already looking at how we can most efficiently divert the water during construction," says Aman. "For this we call on our regular supplier of temporary pump installations (TPI), Vanderkamp Pumps. Not only do they have the right equipment available, they also have a lot of expertise. Incidentally, the water board also has good experiences with Vanderkamp Pompen who, among other things, manages the water level for them. The supplier of temporary pump installations has a platform on which the water board's level managers can log in, monitor matters and take any necessary action. Because of these direct lines between the water board managers and Vanderkamp, we as contractors do not have to worry about this. We are completely relieved in that area."

Drone technology with photogrammetry

Van Heteren Weg- en Waterbouw is also relieved when it comes to the design of the temporary bypass. Vanderkamp Pumps is making increasing use of drone technology in this regard. "We fly over the site and measure it digitally using photogrammetry," explains Marco Wesseling, draughtsman and drone pilot at Vanderkamp Pumps. "The latter amounts to 'gluing' the photos together via special software into a 3D model with an accuracy of 1 to 3 centimeters. In that 3D model, the temporary pump installation in question is then drawn in and visualized.   

From that 3D model, we also generate the "packing list," so we don't miss out on location but also don't bring too many parts. We are increasingly applying this drone technique to projects. It just works very efficiently, also giving all stakeholders a good idea of the TPI in advance." 

Telemetry

The capacity of surface pumping station Stins has been reduced from 17.5 m3 per minute to 10.5 m3 per minute. It is a relatively average pumping station in terms of size, according to Aman. Still, implementation was no piece of cake, particularly because of accessibility. The pumping station is located in an extremely swampy peatland area with little bearing capacity, also in the middle of pastures. "We had to build a roadway of more than 700 meters to get there with our equipment," says Aman. "Then in execution, we realized a construction pit with steel sheet pile walls, within which we could build the new pumping station. Vanderkamp Pumps' TPI was set up outside of this. In this case it was a relatively simple bypass, because there was a lot of space available around the construction pit." Wesseling can also agree and adds: "We didn't have any inconvenient obstacles to the piping. The temporary installation consisted of two pumps that could be switched on and off remotely by means of telemetry. The gauge height was shared in real time via our own digital platform and, of course, in case of any malfunctions, our breakdown service was on standby 24/7."

The project manager of Van Heteren Road and Hydraulic Engineering looks back on an extremely smooth and efficient project. "It was a work of about ten weeks in total in execution. Throughout the execution, Vanderkamp Pompen's temporary bypass was active. After all, a TPI is the first thing to be installed and the very last thing to be dismantled, after the new pumping station has passed all the tests with flying colors."