24.08.2018
World record tunnel in Norway
VEM is supplying fire gas motors for the deepest and longest underwater road tunnel in the world.
This is a traffic project of impressive dimensions. If everything goes to plan, the Ryfast tunnel in the southwest of Norway will break several records with its total length of 23.5 km and a deepest point 290 metres below sea level.
That will make it the longest and deepest twin-tunnel sub-sea crossing in the world. “With such a long tunnel, the demands placed on ventilation and safety are naturally very high,” says Dieter Wohlfart from the VEM Competence Centre in Munich. “Not least for that reason, we see it as recognition for our products that the contractor Howden Axial Fans, with whom we have cooperated on various projects since 2004, has again chosen to order fire gas motors from VEM.”
More than 200 motors of fire gas class F200 have been incorporated into the tunnel jet fans. One notable feature of these specially coated IE3 drives is the use of hybrid bearings with ceramic balls.
Read more about fire gas motors »
Tunnel instead of ferry
The overall project is split into three sections. The main Solbakk tunnel is 14.3 km long. Coming from the south, it dips under the fjord to link the peninsular on which the industrial city of Stavanger stands with the opposite mainland. The two other tunnels, with lengths of 5.5 km and 3.7 km, run under the city of Stavanger itself. All three tunnels of this project are scheduled for completion in 2019.
Enormous time savings
“The ferry across to the mainland takes about three-quarters of an hour and only runs every 45 minutes during the daytime,” explains Project Manager Bernd Mötzing from Howden Axial Fans GmbH. “The benefit and objective of the project is to enable traffic to cover the same distance is just 20 minutes.”
The Ryfast tunnel project in the far southwest of Norway runs under the industrial city of Stavanger and provides a link to the mainland.
Source: VEM Impulse 2/2018
More Information:
VEM motors Finland Oy
Managing Director Sami Kujala
Tel. +358 400 766 491
