Cementation Skanska and ULEMCo installed four 30m deep piles at the London site using a hydrogen dual-fuel piling rig.
The trial began on the first week of April and lasted for two days.
SCS JV is operating the site that the rig was used at.
The JV is overseeing sites in:
- Euston.
- Atlas Road in North Action.
- Old Oak Common.
An industry first, the trial was a collaboration with the Business Research Establishment (BRE).
It was funded through the BEIS Phase 1 Red Diesel Replacement competition.
Inside the trials
ULEMCo was trialling the duel-fuel tehcnology with other vehicles.
Cementation Skanska approached about using the technology in heavy construction equipment.
The firms’ method included:
- Modifying a medium-sized CFA piling rig.
- Allowing the machine component of the rig to operate using energy from onboard hydrogen tanks.
- Using a dual-fuel system to displace diesel and biofuels (HVO) by mixing them with hydrogen.
After successful yard trials that simulated the technology, the rig was brought to the London site.
It then completed the piling works for HS2.
The firms expect to use this technology more widely on construction sites.
Decarbonisation
The rig reduced the use of traditional fuel by 36%.
HS2 has several schemes focused on decarbonising construction sites.
The company aims to have diesel-free sites by 2029.
HS2 latest
EKFB JV and ASC JV are set to deliver a new 346m long viaduct in Buckinghamshire, connecting trains between London and the North.
Balfour Beatty VINCI is HS2’s main works civil contractor in the West Midlands and recently completed a 200m porous portal for HS2’s Burton Green Tunnel.
On the trials, Terry Muckian, managing director at Cementation Skanska, said: “Using this rig in a real-world environment to install piles on a commercial site is an exciting milestone.
“It follows the success of the simulated trials last year and is the next step towards rolling the technology out more widely.”
Enjoyed this? Check out Armac Group preparing for the M42 bridge demolition with Skanska.
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