We are FCC Nº26

FCC Austria Abfall Services is recognised as an expert in the field of pipe and drain cleaning by its sewage and sewer cleaning department. Proving to be a viable partner for our customers who demand the maintenance of sewer and drainage pipes as well as the treatment of wastewater in our plants. Its experience, coupled with its modern and efficient fleet of vehicles, enables the execution of projects ranging from ins - pection to customised cleaning solutions. In this line, the com - pany also helps significantly to prolong the life of the installa - tions and drains. In addition to its fleet of dedicated suction trucks for cleaning sewers and sewage treatment plants, it also offers unique solu - tions for cleaning circular and long drainage pipes. Cleaning of pipe drains in arterial streets and railways All tunnels are equipped with sewer systems for the drainage of water that accumulates inside the tunnel. However, these sys - tems can become clogged due to calcareous sediments in the water, especially in mountainous regions. This can have negative consequences for the drainage system, such as the reduction of the pipe cross-section, which decreases the water drainage capacity or even the clogging of pipe slots and openings. Therefore, to ensure proper and safe operation of tunnels, it is important to keep the drainage systems clean, which is an impor - tant part of the maintenance costs of tunnels. In 2016, Austria’s national rail provider ÖBB issued a tender for the cleaning of tun - nel drainage systems with reduced operational interruption inter - vals. FCC won the tender and has been cleaning the drainage systems of these ÖBB rail tunnels since November 2017, using our high-pressure pipe cleaning system - HIPPO - which was specially developed to meet the unique requirements demanded by customers. In addition, in February 2022, FCC AT again won the tender for the cleaning of the ÖBB Wienerwald tunnel for three years. HIPPO , the innovative system for cleaning drainage pipes on roads, streets and railways The HIPPO 600 high-pressure pipe cleaning system was originally custom-developed for the “Wienerwaldtunnel” (Vienna Forest Tun - nel) near Vienna in Austria, but it is still a flexible method that can be used in different types of drainage systems. HIPPO 600 Between 2018 and 2022, FCC participated in the European Union’s 30-month Horizon 2020 Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, also known as “Assets4Rail”. During this EU project, the HIPPO 600 was upgraded to the HIPPO 1500, a new lon - ger-distance HIPPO that still retains all the advantages of the 600-metre equipment. Un - der non-optimal conditions during validation tests, the HIPPO 1500 was able to reach a maximum operating length of 1,024 metres. If tunnel conditions are suitable, cleaning len - gths of up to 1,500 metres can be achieved, according to the tests performed. Over longer distances, cleaning and complete documenta - tion can still be carried out as usual, but the big advantage is the reduced disruption to rail tun - nels. HIPPO 1500 is an extremely manoeuvra - ble machine, which can be flexibly adapted to the circumstances and needs of the customer. HIPPO 1500 VIDEO VIDEO I N N O V A T I O N 65 I N N O V A T I O N