Journal Eastmain Eng Avril 2010

Volume 8, Issue 1, April 2010

People with a powerful vision

Jobsite progress

Powerhouse ready to bloom

Operation oil tank

The KP 85 spur dike revealed!

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Dismantling of Rupert workcamp—End in sightMEM – On November 27, 2009, after a last supper was served at Rupert workcamp, the dismantling work accelerated. The landscape is now very different from the one where hundreds of workers were housed. Most of the infrastructure will be moved to the Romaine project’s Murailles workcamp.

Some facts and figures

August 2009 Departure of first dormitory/buildingNovember 27, 2009 Last supper at workcampNovember 29, 2009 Last crossing of guarded checkpointDecember 4, 2009, 5:25 p.m. Electricity cut offFall 2010 Expected end of dismantling of Rupert workcamp125 Total number of workers dismantling camp102 Number of buildings dismantled 469 Number of modules dismantled41 000 Number of wood blocks stacked18 km Length of electrical cable removed6 km Length of telephone cable removed156 Number of transformers removed

Overview of Oujeck workcampPD – Like other workcamps in the Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert project area, Oujeck is a temporary camp; its useful life is directly linked to work on the Rupert River weirs. Year in, year out, the number of residents at Oujeck workcamp varies enormously during certain periods.

The Oujeck population actively participates in improving workcamp living conditions. In addition to the services offered at the camp, there is a new facility that has generated a lot of interest. An outdoor rink was set up so that workers and employees could practice Québec’s favorite sport—ice hockey—every day. On March 3, a hockey game was organized by the recreation centre to highlight the work done at the KP 49 spur dike and the ice bridge.

Supervisor – Public Relations / Magazine Editor: Bionda Miotto / 819 672-2200, ext. 3854 [email protected] Writers: Pascal Dion, Catherine Langlois, Jimmy Lavoie, Marie-Ève Morin, Liza Perron, Mélanie VachonContributors: Yvon Coulombe , Normand Faubert Translator: Margaret Kane Savage / Reviser: Karin MontinGraphics: Paul Salois Design / Photographer: Paul Brindamour and Dominick Clos / Printer: Imprimerie LebonfonEastmain Magazine is published by SEBJ Public Relations for the workers of the Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert project. Internet site: www.hydroquebec.com/rupert. Extranet site: www.extranetsebj.ca.(© SEBJ. Tous droits réservés. )Eastmain Magazine is printed on chlorine- and acid-free EcoLogo certified paper, made in Québec, containing 100% post-consumer fibre, manufactured using biogas energy.

2 Eastmain Magazine, April 2010 People with a powerful vision

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Eastmain Magazine, April 2010 3

MEM – All the work must be completed this year. Some of the structures in the instream flow section of the Rupert River must be delivered before the spring flood, while others have to be built alternately on the left and right banks to preserve a channel that will absorb the river’s increased flow during the spring thaw.

Jobsite progress

KP 20,4 Newco employees were back at work in early March for four weeks. Since the rock blanket is finished and the jetties have been leveled, all that is left to do is dismantle the temporary bridge. Rehabilitation of work sites and construction of a boat-launching ramp will follow in mid-May.

KP 49 Contractor Denis Lavoie et Fils has finished its work at KP 49. In addition to the temporary structures (jetties, ice bridge and winter roads), the permanent ones, including the spur dike and stabilization work on the right bank, have been completed. The spur dike has been extended from the left bank to ensure that water levels are maintained.

KP 33 The preparations are finished. Work on this weir, which required the largest earthfill structure in the reduced-flow stretch of the river, is expected to take a full year. Since returning in mid-March, Newco has focused on building the downstream cofferdam and dewatering the portion in between, where a concrete weir is to be built. About 60 workers will be assigned there from May 15 to July 17.

The KP 85 spur dike revealed!The spur dike at KP 85 is also finished. It required approximately 80,000 m3 of fill. Contractor Denis Lavoie et Fils can be proud of its work, which meets the technical specifications and environmental objectives. This first weir is a great example of the sustainability, quality and respect that characterize work on the Rupert River.


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site KP 110 Contractor Denis Lavoie et Fils is continuing to

build the central part of the weir. Its subcontractor, Proco, is contouring the cells to achieve a nearly perfect fit with the river’s rock bed. Another subcontractor, Nordex, will be concreting the caissons. In addition to these structures, work is continuing on the spawning grounds, the excess height of the steel plates is being removed and excavation of the work platforms upstream and downstream will be underway by May 1.

KP 223 After the jet grouting and a short hiatus, Newco will be concreting the weir area in the shelter of the cofferdams from March 22 to June 8. The cofferdams will be leveled in mid-June to begin fill work upstream. Along with the employees working at KP 170, these workers will be with us until autumn 2010.

KP 170 The megadome shelter is being moved as the weir in the left branch progresses; the latter has to be concreted before the spring flood. Installation of prefabricated concrete parts will complete the crest at KP 170. Delivery began on March 2. Some of the blocks weigh more than 32,000 kg (71,000 lb). Once work on the weir is finished, the cofferdam in the left branch will be removed to allow the spring flood to flow over it. Time permitting, the right branch will be closed before the spring flood so the concrete work can follow.

KP 290 Now that the preparatory work is finished, the next nine months will focus on construction of two submerged riprap weirs, excavation of the fish channel and construction of the lake sturgeon spawning ground.


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The tropics swept away!MV – The weather was tropical during the “Destinations soleil” bonspiel held from February 11 to 14 by the Nemiscau-Rupert curling club. In total, 12 teams consisting of players from Nemiscau, Eastmain-1-A and Sarcelle workcamps took part in this exciting event.

The Class A winners were Yves Dumont, Ronald Briand, Anthony Larochelle and Catherine Langlois of Eastmain workcamp. The Class B winners were Gilles Charette, Fred Joannette and Claire Turcotte, of Nemiscau workcamp, and Marie Gagné and Gabrielle Gauthier, of Sarcelle workcamp. The Class C winners were Fernand Cayouette, Rhéna Parent, François Boulianne, Martin Gagnon and Diane St-Laurent of Eastmain-1-A workcamp.

This great bonspiel ended to the sound of a fine musical duo.

Congratulations to all participants!

Class A Class B Class C


JL – From the outside, the Eastmain-1-A powerhouse, planted in a landscape of ice and rock, looks still and lifeless. But the building, which at first glance seems unfinished, is flourishing inside. Its inner activity has been building up for several months, and with spring on the way, it is about to burst into life.

When you enter the powerhouse through the loading bay, you can’t help noticing the huge embedded parts waiting to be assembled and lowered into the turbine shafts. Turbine manufacturer Voith Hydro is at work assembling the scrollcases and other related components (upper pit liner, stay ring, test barrel, etc.).

Powerhouse ready to bloom

Since the water will have to flow through the giant spirals, and the pressure inside will be phenomenal, nothing can be left to chance. Methodical assembly, precision welding, X-ray inspection and hydrostatic testing are all called for.(see other articles)

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JL – In the shadow of the huge embedded parts nested inside the turbine shaft, numerous teams are working side by side to begin installing the powerhouse’s instrumentation, mechanical and electrical systems. Consortium TAP is doing a fine job of coordinating all the workers and subcontractors who are busy in every nook and cranny of the powerhouse.

The many tasks include installing lighting and kilometres of cable racks, running electrical and telephone cables, putting in plumbing and pumps, installing ventilation, various systems and mechanical or electrical control panels, building masonry walls, putting up drywall, insulating, etc. And that’s just the beginning ...

In every nook and cranny

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JL – Now that Canmec Industrial has finished installing and aligning the embedded parts of the gate slots and trashracks at the water intake, the contractor

Impressive penstocks

Water intake countdown

JL – On March 13, sealing and consolidation grouting continued inside the powerhouse’s last penstock (CF-13). Despite this “finishing” work, the three huge pipes are frankly impressive with their almost perfect 30-ft ovoid shape and prodigious length, which is estimated at more than 460 ft.

will begin installing the huge gates and racks. The countdown is on—work must be completed by early May, when operations leading to the water intake startup are slated to begin.


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JL – In addition to completing its job in the penstocks, Cegerco–Inter-Cité (CIC) is hard at work on its concrete contract at the powerhouse (Phase II).

A crucial step, concreting to embed the scrollcases, started in mid-March. In addition, the concrete slab for the tower crane’s storage area was poured in late February.

JL – In another area, CIC has begun receiving prefabricated concrete parts.

These new parts, weighing about 5 t apiece, will form the floor for the powerhouse’s transformers.

Thirty or so of these double-T beams will be needed to floor the area adjoining the tower crane’s deck. Using this type of prefabricated beam saves time and money.

Another crucial step

New prefab parts arrive!

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People with a powerful vision10 Eastmain Magazine, April 2010

JL – It’s Saturday night. Just before seven, the last workers have been evacuated from the building. Quickly, a sign bearing the radioactive trefoil symbol is posted. All the

building openings are sealed or controlled. It’s Saturday night at the Eastmain-1-A powerhouse—and this isn’t a drill.

But there’s no need to worry. These are normal safety procedures followed during the inspection of certain embedded parts. Since the welds joining the scrollcase sections must be perfect, they are inspected using an X-ray camera. Remember that water for the turbines will be circulating inside the scrollcases, under very high pressure, to turn the water wheel.

“We conduct these X-ray inspections to make sure that everything is in order, a bit like a doctor would for a person,” said Richard Menard, a technician with LVM-Technisol. “The biggest advantage is that you get a real indication of whether the weld is rejectable or not.”

Mr. Menard explained that a radioactive source is placed on one side of the scrollcase plate and a film cassette is fitted closely to the other side. The X-ray exposure time is precisely calculated based on the source strength, distance between the source and the plate and, finally, the thickness of the plate. This provides a complete radiography of the week’s various welds.

Of course, for safety reasons, the Eastmain-1-A powerhouse is closed to the public for a 24-hour period during these inspections.

Prolonged exposure to radioactivity affects white blood cells. Certified workers in this field are tested monthly for traces of radioactivity; the maximum permissible dose (MPD) for them is 50 mSv (millisieverts) per year. For the general public, the MPD is only a tenth of that, or 5 mSV per year.

The X-ray inspection process is used in a variety of industries, such as aeronautics, plumbing and metal-lurgy—to check high-pressure tanks, for example.

X-ray inspection at Eastmain-1-A powerhouse

FARO proves its worth!3-D measurement device: A first at Hydro-Québec

CL – For several years, Hydro-Québec Équipement and SEBJ have been requiring the dimensions of turbine parts to be verified using a plumb line. The technique, although reliable, ate up precious time. Today, a state-of-the-art measuring device is in use at the Eastmain-1-A powerhouse: the FARO Laser Tracker. It is a first at any of the jobsites and has many benefits.

The 3-D measuring device proved its worth at the Eastmain-1-A jobsite in a demonstration involving SEBJ, contractor Voith Hydro and Hydro Expertise, the company operating the FARO.

“We measured the circumference of the stay ring using the plumb line technique and precision instruments and then measured it again using the FARO. Since the results were conclusive, SEBJ has decided to use the FARO in future,” said Ronald Briand, a technical assistant with Mécanique, électricité et infrastructures.

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ScrollcasesChallenge of hydrostatic testing

CL – Since the scrollcases are subjected to very high pressure, the turbine manufacturer must check them by conducting hydrostatic tests.

Once the nine sections of the scrollcase, measuring 4 to 8.7 m in diameter, have been welded, several steps are taken to ensure that it is watertight. The first is to verify that the welds are up to standard using radiography. When the X-rays have been completed, the crucial step of hydrostatic testing can begin. These essential tests make sure the scrollcase welds are watertight so the concrete can be poured around it.

The hydrostatic test consists in filling the scrollcase with water and temporarily putting it under pressure . Voith Hydro began its first tests on the scrollcase of unit LC-11 in early April.

Preparing for hydrostatic testing takes several weeks. Last March, Voith Hydro welded two temporary parts—an upstream cap and a test barrel at the centre—to the scrollcase to close it off completely. Following testing, the water is left inside the scrollcase while the concrete to permanently enclose the huge spiral is poured. The two temporary parts are not removed until concreting is finished.

A total of two million litres of water and pressurized air is pumped into the scrollcase until a maximum pressure of 1425 kPa is reached. The water is kept at 17°C to prevent condensation on the scrollcase, which could mimic a leak and thus distort the results.

A total of two million litres of water and pressurized air is pumped into the scrollcase until a maximum pressure of 1425 kPa is reached.

(Faro)

According to Yan Milot, Hydro Expertise engineer and FARO operator, the 3-D device can measure objects and complex systems with great precision (within 0.01 to 0.05 mm). “It’s not only more accurate than conventional methods, it’s quick and has a working diameter of 70 m,” he said. “That makes it ideal for the installation of generating units.”

How does it work?“In short, a laser beam is sent to a reflector positioned on the points on the part to be measured. The distance is determined by a phase calculation of the reflected beam,” Mr. Milot explained.

SEBJ is proud to encourage the use of the FARO, a cutting-edge technological innovation—a first at a Hydro-Québec jobsite.

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Service areaLP – Since mid-January, employees of joint venture CLSlas s.e.p. have been hard at work in the Sarcelle powerhouse service area. The installation of mechanical and electrical systems and progress of architectural work had to be well coordinated so that all the trades could keep pace. Once the main staircase was built, work on the various levels got underway. The first task was to set up the suspension system for mechanical and electrical systems and ventilation ducts and then to connect exposed piping on the service area ceilings. Once installed, these components were protected so that the building could be fireproofed in stages.

Meanwhile, masonry walls were put up between the different rooms, and systems embedded in the blocks were installed at the same time. Stairs and antiseismic plates were put in and related tasks carried out. The building’s architecture took shape very quickly, and finishing work began. Once drywall installation was well underway, the walls were given two coats of paint. Then the electrical systems were integrated into the service area.

SuperstructureLP – In early December, contractor Alma Soudure finished work on the service area superstructure. At that point, 40% of the materials needed to build the powerhouse were on site. Cladding and related work in the service area soon followed. In fact, several jobs got going as the superstructure rose. By the end of February, welders, steel erectors, surveyors and other trades were already busy building the steel structure above the generating units. This major stage should be completed in early May.

Powerhouse

LP – CRT-Hamel’s employees gradually began to return in mid-February. They started by removing the formwork from the concrete poured in December, dismantling scaffolding and preparing the work site. In early March, Nordex, CRT-Hamel’s main subcontractor, mobilized its personnel and resumed concreting.

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LP – Isolation multi énergie, a CLSlas subcontractor, has begun applying something called cementitious fireproofing to the unexposed steel structure of the service area. This protective material will increase the building’s fire resistance by two hours, giving the occupants plenty of time to evacuate.

The work may seem simple, but in addition to site preparation, it requires the creation of a restricted area. The fireproofing is done in several stages, and the product must not come into contact with surfaces not to be coated.

Initially, anything that should not be sprayed, including various suspensions, plumbing, windows or columns, is covered with plastic. In addition, the entire area being treated must be isolated from the rest of the service area.

Then, two products are applied before the flame retardant. The first is a kind of adhesive that both prepares the surface and seals cracks. The second is a coat of primer that improves adhesion. Finally the protective layer is sprayed on.

Cementitious fireproofing must be applied very carefully; the required thickness, between 1 and 2 cm, is precisely calculated on the basis of beam dimension and the location to be protected. The task requires attention to detail and can take up to 12 working days per floor when there are no obstacles.

Another fireproofing product will also be used. In the unloading bay, intumescent paint will be applied instead of cementitious fireproofing, mainly for aesthetic reasons.

This stage will also require good site preparation and even more careful application, considering that coats of paint are measured in micrometres rather than centimetres.

Cementitious fireproofing much more resistant

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Operation oil tankTricky installation in service area

LP – As in any major construction, effective coordination is the key to success, especially when there are several companies working in the same area. With the influx of employees of Alma Soudure, the firm responsible for building the powerhouse superstructure, it became clear that two 4-tanks of lubricating oil would soon need to be installed at level 202 of the service area.

CLSlas had to get the job done before the placement of beams and columns above unit 23 of the powerhouse made it impossible. The delicate operation took place on Wednesday, March 10.

Each tank, 3.66 m high by 3.96 m in diameter, was lifted with the tower crane and introduced through an opening measuring barely 3.96 m. Once inside the hazardous material storage warehouse, it was immediately placed on multitonne transports to be hauled to the next room. A hoist system was ready in the tank room to position each one on its own concrete pad.

Although the tanks will not be used until pumps and oil purification devices have been installed, the room has already been protected with epoxy paint. In fact, all rooms where spills of hazardous materials or pollutants could occur will be coated with this chemical-resistant paint.

Visit the Web sites of the Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert project

www.hydroquebec.com/rupert/www.extranetsebj.ca/

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Protective measures

YC –Here are the security measures to be applied when working on or near water:

Employees who work near fast-flowing water must attend a white-water risk awareness session.

Before starting work near fast-flowing water or water more than 1.5 m deep, employees must receive from their employers a work procedure about preventive measures.

Workers must wear the following equipment at all times:

An antiexposure coverall (only model MS2195 is accepted on the sites), if the water temperature is below 15°C

A life jacket, as required by the Safety Code for the Construction Industry, if the water temperature is above 15°C

A harness and a lifeline comparable to measures for work at height if they approach within 2 m of fast-flowing water

One or more lifeguards–water safety practitioners are permanently on standby at the site. All lifeguards receive special training adapted to site conditions to certify them as white-water lifeguards–water safety practitioners.

Water – A natural hazard!Water is a natural hazard, and fast-flowing water is even

worse. Underestimating it is playing Russian roulette.

A boat in good condition must also be on site and contain the following minimum life-saving equipment:

A lifebuoy attached to a 15-m rope, a boat hook, oars and an audible alarm to trigger rescue operations

Workers must have access to a warm place near the worksite.

In closing, remember: Fast-flowing water is a force of nature—Respect it!

KP 110

KP 170

KP 49

NF – The eight hydraulic structures on the Rupert River should be considered to be simply a mitigation measure that, after diversion, reproduces the natural mean summer water levels. They influence almost half (154 km) of the 314 km of the Rupert’s reduced-flow section, plus a 24-km stretch of the Nemiscau River. Between them, the structures at KP 170 and KP 223 alone affect 116 km.

These ecological structures maintain grass beds and breeding and feeding habitat, and allow them to be used for hunting, fishing, trapping and boating.

Some of the structures play a special role. KP 20.4, for instance, designed as a rock blanket, helps preserve traditional dip-net fishing at Smokey Hill, maintains navigation, allows fish to swim freely and reduces the risk of freezing cisco spawning grounds. Moreover, the structure at KP 33 allows the water level to be adjusted over a 15-km stretch all the way to Kapeshi Eputupeyach Bay, a location that is special to the community of Waskaganish for both wildlife and social reasons (birth or burial sites).

Environmental Role of Rupert River’s Hydraulic Structures

Journal Eastmain Eng Avril 2010

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