Hunter Water recently engaged Berendsen Newcastle to install a new hydraulic power unit and overhaul the spillway trolley to be used for maintenance works at Chichester Dam in the Hunter region of NSW.
The Project
Berendsen Fluid Power won the tender with Hunter Water to design and install a new hydraulic power unit and to overhaul the spillway trolley at Chichester Dam. The trolley travels along the spillway wall to enable the Hunter Water Specialists to conduct testing.
Chichester Dam has been in operation for 100 years and maintenance work was required to ensure the 43-metre tall spillway wall was strong enough to continue working effectively.
The Manufacture and Solution
Our in-house Engineering & Design team provided Hunter Water with a preliminary design of the circuit during the tender process. This was then used as an initial starting point to perform calculations and optimise the design.
After assessing the requirements for the job, Berendsen proposed a custom power unit and trolley overhaul solution that incorporated the following key components:
- A jocky wheel cylinder and auxiliary systems.
- A hydraulic power unit that consists of a primary pump and two auxiliary pumps. The Primary pump is part of a closed loop system powered by a 7.2kW diesel engine. The diesel engine has a battery connected to it for key starting.
The main benefit of the system is that multiple back up options exist should a component fail ensuring the safety of the specialists.
These safety back up options include:
- If the battery was to fail, the engine could be started by pull starting.
- If the diesel engine was to be inoperable, the user would be able to switch to an auxiliary drive (an electric motor coupled to a THW gear pump) and traverse along the spillway.
- As a worst case scenario, if the electric motor was to fail, the trolley consists of a pedal drive which the operators may use.
- Should the entire system become inoperable, the system is fitted with a ladder to the side of the trolley for operators to use to climb down into a nearby boat.
- It is also filled with a personel davit crane to be used for lowering staff into a boat in case of an emergency.
Berendsen Newcastle refurbished the Chichester Dam spillway trolley in-house in accordance with the tender specifications. With the exception of the tarpaulin and diesel exhaust, all major components were also manufactured in-house at Berendsen Newcastle.
The Result
Both installation and pre-commissioning was executed by Berendsen Newcastle. The commissioning of the project occurred on the 10th of August 2015 at Chichester Dam and took one day to complete.
The entire day was required for commissioning as some components could not be installed in the workshop. Up to nine Berendsen Newcastle staff were involved with the project in total (including our Engineering and Design team).
Berendsen met the specified budget and delivered within the specified time frame. Manufacturing quality certifications and appropriate documentation were also supplied to meet the end user requirements.
In need of a customised hydraulic solution? Contact us today.
As Australia’s leading hydraulics company, Berendsen Fluid Power is experienced in the design and manufacture of custom solutions to meet any hydraulic requirement.
Berendsen’s extensive range of capabilities enables us to provide both periodic servicing and complete system overhauls on equipment. If you are looking for a customised hydraulic solution to suit the needs of your business, contact Berendsen Fluid Power today on 1800 660 249.
