27 July 2018
Wavin is known for thinking outside of the box. Typically Wavin’s Tegra manholes are used for waste-water transport. But when the seismic measuring station on the small island of Hopen (in Norway) needed to be renewed, the seismological equipment had to be protected from all weather conditions. After testing many possibilities, the Wavin Tegra 1000 became the chosen solution both for housing this specialized equipment and for keeping it safe and dry.
The valuable measuring instruments had been lying inside a metal box. Winter weather found a way into the box and done considerable damage. A solution was needed to protect this expensive equipment. And that’s where the Wavin Tegra 1000 came in handy.
In search of a solution to protect the valuable earthquake detection unit
"In recent years, we used concrete baskets to house equipment like this," explains chief engineer Ole Meyer at the Department of Geoscience at the University of Bergen.“But these are very heavy. Just the bottom section can weigh 4 tons. So you need a 16-ton excavator to handle them.But Hopen has no wharf.All equipment must be landed with small boats from the Coast Guard.Therefore, of course, there is weight limitation on the equipment you can bring with you.”
A manhole is not just for waste water transport... it's so much more
"This was a long process where we considered many different solutions," explains Meyer."At the beginning, we knew very little about what Wavin could deliver.But then we heard about the Tegra manholes and that Wavin has a department that takes care of special orders.Then we said to each other: ‘Wow, this is the thing for us.’”
"When we receive such inquiries, I will immediately sit down and make a drawing with suggestions for solutions," says Modolv Ranheim.He is the head of the department for handmade special solutions at Wavin Norway.“Sometimes I get it right away; in other cases, we have to discuss it a bit back and forth.But we never start production before the customer has approved the drawing. Therefore, we never get complaints, either.In this case, we came up with a cone-shaped Tegra drum, with the diameter at the top 600 mm and 1000 mm further down," says Modolv.
From the summit of the island of Hopen, a signal cable goes down to the meteorological station on the island, and from there the data is transferred from the earthquake measurements via satellite and internet connection down to the University of Bergen. "We share this information with colleagues all over the world," explains Meyer."International cooperation has a long tradition in earthquake research.” The other cable goes to the GPS antenna that is mounted just next to the boot.That way, all data is accurately timed, and earthquakes can then be located by coordinating data from the other measurement stations in the Barents area.
The installation took three days. And the seismological equipment is now safe and sound.
Multiple uses of Wavin's innovative products
This is an excellent example of how Wavin’sinnovative products have multiple uses. If you are interested in learning more about the Wavin Tegra 1000 or any of our plastic piping solutions, contact your local Wavin office.
