ERIKS expertise secures safe repairs in Thames River Tunnel

Applying its trademark blend of technical KNOW+HOW and a rigorous commitment to training and safety, ERIKS has completed the successful and safe refurbishment of four valves in the Thames River Tunnel that supplies cooling water to the air conditioning system of the Shell Centre building on London's South Bank.

The project began in 2011 when ERIKS was asked to quote for the replacement or refurbishment and automation of the four main isolation valves in the Thames River Water Tunnel to ensure their future reliability. Each of the enormous valves, installed in the 1950s, and which weighed approximately 1.4 tons and measured approximately 2 metres across, had to be examined prior to finalising the project plan.

The Thames River Tunnel project resulted in not only a safer, more reliable valve system but also a more efficient one. Before the refurbishment took place, the river water system had been receiving a low level of pressure from the inlet pipe with both of the two pumps running at full power. Following the refurbishment, it was estimated that one pump could supply the required level of pressure running at only ¾ of full power; a huge energy saving.

Both Shell and ERIKS are exceptionally proud to have notched up 9,600 man hours of work with zero accidents to report. As Shell Project Manager David Zwart succinctly put it, this extremely challenging job was completed “without issuing a plaster.”