Apr 15, 2020
In November 2019, Cautus Geo AS, a Norwegian monitoring firm and distributor for Measurand, partnered with Luleå University of Technology (LTU) and Vattenfall R&D to install three SAAV model ShapeArrays at the Vattenfall research embankment dam in the town of Älvkarleby, approximately 150 km north of Stockholm. The three SAAVs were between three and four metres long, 3.5 m (upstream), 4.0 m (middle), 3.0 m (downstream), and featured a small 250 mm segment length, half the standard 500 m segment length. The 250 mm SAAV segment length is commonly used in installations that monitor for convergence, like mitigating risk to subsurface infrastructure during tunnel boring. The research at Vattenfall is part of ongoing beta testing of 250 mm segment in vertically-installed applications.
Älvkarleby, known for its large hydroelectric power plant is also known for its research facilities that focus on the use of concrete and soils in hydropower dam technology, among other things. Engineers and researchers from several universities and Vattenfall (Sweden’s state-owned energy production company) have engaged several monitoring companies, including Cautus Geo, for sensor deployment and monitoring at the research dam.
The test dam that Cautus Geo monitors is an embankment dam 25 metres long and 15 metres wide, which sits inside a concrete pool four metres deep. The dam itself is constructed in multiple layers, with the finer material towards the core and coarser on the exterior.
During construction in late 2019, Cautus Geo installed three vertical SAAV inclinometer systems in the dam and surrounding areas—one upstream, one in the middle of the dam, and one downstream. Cautus Geo has been tasked with deformation monitoring inside and around the dam over time, tracking how the dam and its surroundings respond to various loads. The SAAV with 250 mm segment lengths will provide high accuracy on deformations within and around the dam. The measurements can be followed online and activities on the dam can be detected by the SAAV. Piezometers were also installed in the different layers and at different heights inside the dam to measure water pressure throughout the structure.
Jasmina Toromanovic plans to use the data from the embankment dam as her PhD project with the Luleå University of Technology. Learn more about Jasmina Toromanovic’s research.
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