May 2003 ISSUE TONGBAI Page 4/5 COMPACT HYDRO in ...

KAPRUN
Kaprun, once the symbol of Austria’s
reconstruction after the Second
World War and one of the first hydropower
plants put into operation,
is currently under rehabilitation.
Among other tasks, the four exposed
penstocks are being replaced by one
steel lined pressure tunnel – and
VA TECH HYDRO is once again a major
contractor.
The first two penstocks were already
built during the Second World War and
were put into operation in 1944. The
other two penstocks, for which a contract
was awarded in 1949, were supplied
by VÖEST Stahlbau, our predecessor
company. These Kaprun
penstocks were one of the first references
our company gained in this field.
Since age resistant materials were not
available at the time of construction of
the first two penstocks, operation of
these is now limited to mid 2004 under
condition of earliest replacement. For
economic reasons but also to meet today’s
environmental requirements the
owner decided in favour of a steel lined
pressure tunnel. This pressure tunnel is
designed for a 25% higher discharge to
serve also a future 5th turbine. In mid-
2001, Verbund Austria Hydro Power
awarded a contract for the supply and
6
KEY PROJECTS
installation of the new steel tunnel lining
and manifold to VA TECH HYDRO.
VA TECH HYDRO´s scope of deliveries
mainly comprises a 60 m upstream
connecting branch between the existing
pressure tunnel and a new valve
chamber, a 1,015 m long and 45 de-
grees inclined steel tunnel lining of a
diameter of 2.6 m, a 265 m horizontal
tunnel lining and the new manifold with
connections to the existing four turbines,
including one branch-off for a future
5th turbine. Materials used in this
project are thermomechanically rolled