Project Laxá II is a 10 MW hydropower station located in northeast Iceland, approximately 85 kms east of the town of Akureyri. It consists of a small dam with a wheel gate from which the water enters a wooden stave penstock, measuring 4,0m in diameter and approximately 350 meters long. Due to increased maintenance cost and safety reasons, the wood penstock was replaced with a GRP penstock.
Problem The river Kráká issues from the highlands of Iceland and runs through sandy areas where volcanic sand is blown into the river. This sand, together with stones, causes severe abrasion issues for the GRP.
Solution The solution for the abrasion water in the Laxá pipe was the application of an additional elastomeric coating material. The coating material was chosen from an extensive development project for high wear resistance pipe liners which has now culminated in our automated FastFix robotic pipe renovation system. Inspection of the coatings after one and two years in service noted no significant reduction in thickness with 92-100% of coating remaining!
