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  TBM Risk Assessment and Selection for Hydropower Tunnels

  TBMs are increasingly being used for the construction of long and deep hydropower tunnels given the well-recognized higher rates of production advance that allow for early completion and the economic benefits for an early project start-up. The assessment and selection of the most appropriate type of TBM to be used should be mainly based on a comprehensive technical evaluation of all geotechnical and construction risks. Secondary aspects including project economics, site access, and availability of used TBMs should also be considered within the overall assessment for the use of a TBM to confirm that it is practical and affordable in relation to local labour costs associated with drill and blast excavation. The primary geotechnical aspects to be considered include the potential for squeezing, potential for overstressing including rockbursting, the strength, quality and abrasivity of the main rock units along the tunnel alignment, the number and nature of major geological faults and shear zones anticipated to be intersected, the number and nature of moderate and minor geological faults and shear zones anticipated to be intersected, the number and nature of geological folds as synclines and anticlines anticipated to be intersected, the number and nature of geological contacts between different rock units anticipated to be intersected, groundwater pressures, and the durability of the rock units and the final tunnel lining requirements necessary for long term uninterrupted hydropower generation operations.

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