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Hydraulics play key role in the Installation of Venice MOSE Caissons

Customer

Condot Clovia and GLF

Location

Venice, Italy

Challenge

Over the last 100 years, the city of Venice has sunk 23 cm while sea levels have risen. In recent years the frequency and intensity of flooding has increased causing significant damage. The MOSE project is intended to protect the city from flooding. The project includes the installation of multiple underwater caissons with mobile gates that can be raised to prevent water from the sea from entering the lagoon. Installing and connecting the 25,000 ton caissons on the ocean floor required a tremendous amount of force applied in a controlled manner.

Solution

 Enerpac developed a dedicated damping and leveling control system with high tonnage cylinders fitted underneath the caissons in all four corners. When a caisson hits the seabed, tremendous forces could be generated if not properly damped. Enerpac cylinders and huge hydraulic accumulators were used to absorb these forces and make sure the caissons can be lowered onto the seabed in a safe and controlled fashion.

The control system first cushioned the momentum of the submerging caisson and stopped the wave induced residual motion with a special algorithm. Once the caisson was stable on the seabed it positioned and leveled the caisson.

The concrete needed 72 hours to fully set. Over a 72-hour period, the hydraulic leveling system was also used to keep the caisson stable and in its place by precisely monitoring the cylinder stroke.

Mounted on top of each caisson were two hydraulic pull cylinders powered by a split flow pump. The pull cylinders were used to pull caissons against each other to make a watertight connection and create a subsea service tunnel.

Products

Custom High Tonnage Cylinders, Custom Pull Cylinders, SFP-Series Split Flow Pump