Gulpur Hydropower Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric generation project located on Poonch River, a major tributary of Jhelum River near Gulpur. The electricity generation capacity is 102 MW. The project was constructed by a JV entity of Daelim and Lotte.
Project Requirements
A hydropower dam is a complex structure with a number of functions, from the main dam to spillways & intake structures as well as the powerhouse. The total volume of concrete for this project was 400,000 cubic meters.
There were three key requirements of this project:
- High concrete strength with a relatively low water cement ratio of 0.28
- Shotcrete with high durability and low shrinkage
- Flooring for the powerhouse.
Proposed Solution
Gulpur Hydropower dam was a project which allowed not only our sales team but our R&D and supply teams to work very closely with the client to help devise the best solutions for the project. Never before did our team, have an opportunity to work so collaboratively. This was only possible following a series of site trials and Vertex factory lab and factory visits, which helped nurture trust. The client was happy to learn about the various advantages our lab and in-house production offered in terms of product flexibility, joint development opportunities and low cost. The trials were competitive and our key admixtures delivered the highest results, at the best prices, complemented by tests conducted by the consultant NESPAK and other third party testing facilities. These events led to the decision of making Vertex Chemicals the preferred supplier.
In order to achieve high concrete strength with a low water cement ratio of 0.28, our team proposed the use of PolyCarboxylate ether (PCE) admixture called Carboplast G-2002. This ultra high range water reducing admixture ensured that the required slump was easily achieved given the conditions. Microsilica was also added to the mix to achieve the required strength and our team worked closely with the client to work out the best dosage, which balanced performance and cost. Several tests were conducted at our in-house lab to ensure the optimal concrete and admixture mixtures. The combination was satisfactory and our supply team ensured hundreds of tons of microsilica was available for supply, at a day’s notice, leveraging our warehouses in 3 different regions.
As for shotcreting, we supplied our tried and tested shotcreting admixture, RockSet C303. However, due to the low shrinkage tolerance laid out by the client, our team worked with the client to deduce the use of our product X13, SF, which are steel fibres designed to be incorporated in the concrete mix. These fibres ensure enhanced durability of the concrete and reduce shrinkage. Due to the urgency of this requirement, which was raised after the commencement of the shotcreting works, our supply team ensured that over 200MT of steel fibre was imported and supplied at the site within a month’s time with quality as required by the client.
On top of admixtures, there were many requirements raised by client throughout the duration of the projects. For instance, In order to ensure that bonding between cold joints was optimal, our product M3 EP was extensively used.