Innovations In Placing Reservoir Lining Save Time And Money

摘要

The 600-MW Kyogoku pumped-storage project is under construction on the Bihinai and Pepenai rivers in Japan. To ensure sealing of the upper reservoir of this project, owner Hokkaido Electric Power Co. is using an asphaltic lining. While asphaltic lining of reservoirs is not a new concept, this is the first time the company has used this type of lining for a dam or reservoir. During installation of the asphaltic lining, Hokkaido Electric Power is employing two innovations that will save time and money. First, a foamed asphalt mixture is being used for the base layer of the lining, rather than regular asphalt. This represents the first time such a mixture has been applied at a dam. This mixture can be placed one and a half times faster than regular asphalt. For the second innovation, the upper impervious layer of lining will be placed in one thick layer to seal the reservoir, instead of the more typical approach in Japan of placing multiple layers. This is expected to cut construction time for placing this layer in half.