Continuous Engineering Support Drive Efficiency in Kentucky
Located along the Ohio River 62 miles upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River, the Smithland Hydroelectric Power Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plant that provides renewable energy to the region.
The power plant diverts water from the existing Corps Smithland Locks and Dam through bulb turbines to generate an average annual output of 379-million kilowatt-hours.
The Smithland Hydroelectric Power Plant site includes an intake approach channel, a reinforced concrete powerhouse, and a tailrace channel. The powerhouse contains three horizontal bulb-type turbine and generating units with an estimated total rated capacity of 76 MW.
Constructing the new hydroelectric plant required complex formwork and long utilization periods of formwork and scaffolding on an extremely tight concrete construction period of 18 months. In addition, the concrete slab above the tubes is more than 4 meters thick, requiring several concreting steps. CJ Mahan Construction Company turned to the expertise of PERI USA for engineering and product support to realize the three turbine tubes and other components on time.
PERI Onsite
PERI USA developed a comprehensive concept for the formwork and scaffolding technology while considering all project requirements, as well as budget and schedule needs. Throughout the entire project, on-site PERI project managers provided continuous coordination of all formwork and scaffolding processes.
To achieve the highest dimensional accuracy of the concrete structure, crews used 3D planning of multi-curved formwork units for the complex forming of the tubes for the turbines. PERI provided dimensionally accurate realization and delivery of the 3D formwork units in pre-assembled units.
The project team saved anchors with the use of the single-sided SCS climbing formwork system. With the SCS climbing system, loads are transferred via the brackets into the previous concreting section by climbing anchors. The SCS climbing system features safe, horizontal working areas through inclinable platforms that can be easily adapted to suit inclined structural elements.
The flexible VARIOKIT system provided the team with optimal adjustment of supporting structures for all areas. The VARIOKIT Heavy-Duty Tower serves as shoring for projects requiring the central transfer of large loads. The VARIO GT 24 Girder Wall Formwork allows the arrangement of system components to be freely selected to suit all geometries in accordance with planning specifications.
RUNDFLEX circular wall formwork enabled the project team to realize the curved concrete walls and assemble on site. RUNDFLEX can be quickly adjusted to suit the required radius and is ideal for water treatment plants or silos where radii are constantly changing.
Excavation and cofferdam construction began in 2010 followed by powerhouse construction in 2011. The plant reached full commercial operation in August 2017.
