Job reportHydraulic excavator

Liebherr-pontoon excavator P 995and P 996 Litronic during the construc-tion of irrigation project in Egypt.

P 995

Egypt was the cradle of civilization some 7000 yearsago. The enormous pyramids and the impressive“Abu-Simbel” temple grounds testify to this day to thegreatness of the culture.With a land area of one million km2, Egypt is almost3 times larger than the Federal Republic of Germany.

But only about 3.5 % of the area, along the banks of theNile River, are suitable for human settlement. Approx-imately 60 million people live here, with around onemillion added each year. Population density reachescurrently approximately 1600 people per km2.

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LIEBHERR-FRANCE S.A. 2, Avenue Joseph Rey, B.P. 287, F-68005 Colmar-Cedex, � 03 89 2130 30, Fax 03 89 23 8158www.Liebherr.com, E-Mail: info@lfr.liebherr.com

With compliments:

TaskTo create land for settlement for a growing population,the “Egyptian Ministry of Public Works and WaterResources” is charged with the construction of a giganticirrigation system in upper Egypt, the so-called“South Valley Project” on the west side of the“Nasser Reservoir”. A 350-kilometer long canal to thenorthwest is under construction in order to cultivateand irrigate the land along the canal.Approximately 7 million people will be relocated fromthe overcrowded and heavily populated Nile Delta tothis southern region in order to farm here and find newhomes.After final completion, the access canal from the “NasserReservoir” to the pumping station will be 4.6 km long,up to 200 m wide and about 45 m deep. The volume ofmaterial to be removed is over 5.5 million m3 of Nubiansandstone with iron ore deposits. Most of the materialcan be excavated without costly drilling or blasting.

SolutionThe group of contractors, awarded with the contract forthis difficult job, utilizes in addition to a pontoon moun-ted clamshell dredger, two Liebherr marine hydraulicexcavators – mounted on barges - for the dredgingexcavation, a P 995 Litronic and a P 996 Litronic.The P 995 Litronic, mounted on a 49 m long and17 m wide pontoon is powered by a 1600 kW/2140 HPMTU-diesel engine. The longest attachment combinationconsists of a 22 m gooseneck boom, a 9.5 m stick and abucket with a capacity of 4.5 m3 and provides a diggingdepth of 27.3 m. The digging force is 446 kN and thebreakout force is 510 kN.The P 996 Litronic, powered by a 2240-kW/3000 HPengine, is mounted on a 55 m long and 19m wide pontoon.The excavator is equipped with a 25 m gooseneck boom,a 9.6 m stick and a bucket with a capacity of 5.7 m3. Adigging force of 738 kN and a breakout force of 858 kNare available with a maximum digging depth of 29.8 m.Average cycle times are between 60 and 75 seconds ata digging depth of about 25 m.Using a 12 m stick with an additional 6.5 m stick, amaximum digging depth of 39 m can be reached - untilnow an unequalled depth in dredging excavation.All attachments were custom designed especially forthis job with the goal of minimizing the need for blastingand maximizing digging depth.Both hydraulic marine dredgers are equipped with aninstrumentation package, which uses sensors on theattachment and swing mechanism, sends input to anonboard computer and shows the operator on a monitorin the cab the actual working range and digging depth.All excavator functions are smoothly and preciselycontrolled via the electronic servo control valves.

Technical Data Attachments

The hydraulic spud winch is also driven by the excava-tor’s hydraulic system and controlled by the excavatoroperator. An elastic foundation between the uppercarriage and the pontoon absorbs digging forces andshocks created during a work cycle. The excavatedmaterial is loaded into 350 m3 and 500 m3 bottom-dumpbarges and deposited upstream in ”Lake Nasser”.Both Liebherr pontoon excavators work in two 12-hourshifts around the clock, 7 days a week. The workingconditions are extremely difficult. Depending on thetime of year, the ambient temperatures range between0° to +55° Celsius. In addition, sand storms often hamperwork.The current infrastructure is less than ideal. A desertroad only connects Assuan, the closest city with anairport about 300 km away. The majority of the 1,200workers involved in the project live in several camps.The essential maintenance and spare parts for theLiebherr marine excavators are stocked directly at thejob site in order to ensure continuous operation of thesegiants. The necessary logistics are very challengingfor all involved.The construction of the pump station and the accesscanal will be completed by mid 2002 after three yearsof construction. Upon commencing operations, 334 m3

of water will be pumped from the “Nasser Reservoir”per second, totaling 29 million m3 per day. Water is notonly a necessity in order to convert the desert intofarmland, it is also fundamental for the survival of thepeople who will live there. Liebherr pontoon excavatorsare playing a major role in the largest infrastructureproject in Africa.

P 995 Litronic

Upper carriage, attachment, resilient mounting

Total operating weight: approximately 350 t

Engine: 1x MTU diesel16 V4000 E 20

Engine outputAccording to SAE J 1995: 1600 kW/2140 HP

at 1800 RPM

P 996 Litronic

Upper carriage, attachment, resilient mounting

Total operating weight: approximately 450 t

Engine: 2x Cummins DieselK 1800 E

Engine outputaccording to SAE J 1995: 2240 kW/3000 PS

at 1800 RPM

P 995 Litronic

Gooseneck boom: 22 m

Stick: 9.5 m

Backhoe bucketCutting width: 1500 mmCapacity: 4.5 m3

Max. Digging force: 446 kN

Max. Breakout force: 510 kN

P 996 LitronicGooseneck boom: 25 m

Stick: 9.6 mStick: 12 m

Additional stick: 6.5 m

Backhoe bucketCutting width: 2100 mmCapacity: 5.7 m3

Max. Digging force: 446 kN

Max. Breakout force: 510 kN