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| Nov 19, 2009 - PROCCOPE has been awarded the FNTP 2009 Innovation Prize |
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| | The FNTP (french civil engineering federation) 1st Prize for Innovation has been awarded to the PROCCOPE (PROcédé de Curage Continu et Optimisé des Emissaires/Continuous and Optimised Cleaning Process for Main Sewers) process. In response to a tender launched by the SIAAP for the cleaning of the SAR Amont main sewer, Soletanche Bachy and its subsidiaries CSM Bessac and Sol Environment have developed a process that is unique in the world. This innovation combines a cleaning machine with a continuously operating sludge transport system which avoids the need to interrupt the cleaning process when transferring waste skips backwards and forwards to the extraction hopper. PROCCOPE consists of two machines: The first machine carries out the cleaning – The cleaning machine advances continuously through the sewer. A blade penetrates into the sludge to be extracted which is then fed on to a conveyor belt that removes the sludge to a hopper located to the rear of the machine. The cleaning machine operator is housed in a cab fed with fresh air. A second machine acts as a sludge cart (transporting the sludge) – The sludge removal system is used to convey waste skips between the cleaning machine hopper and a discharge shaft. A second conveyor belt is used to empty the cleaning machine hopper into the sludge skip. The skip is then taken to the shaft where a crane is used to raise it to the surface. The sludge is then sent to the landfill site. The sludge cart operator’s unit is placed at right angles to its travel which makes it significantly easier to use in both directions. This innovation provides enhanced operator protection, improves operation efficiency and reduces inconvenience to the immediate environment. © E. Gaffard |