I A L E D I TION

SPEC

magazine

Destination...

TABELLOUT
02

RAZEL-BEC magazine N° 05 / April 2015

Published by RAZEL-BEC
3, rue René Razel – Christ-de-Saclay
91892 Orsay Cedex, France
Tel. +33 (0)169 856 985

03 // Éditorial
razel-bec.com

Publication Director: Jérôme Perrin

Editor-in-Chief: Isabelle Sacquet

04 // Razel in Algeria
06 // Major Projects & Export
08 // Interview

14 // Dam
26 // Autonomy &
cutting-edge equipment

Editorial Staff:
Isabelle Sacquet and all named persons
38 // Tunnel
Photo credits:
Thomas Léaud, Image & Process, RAZEL-BEC/DR
46 // People
Design and printing: Hawaii Communication
Tel. +33 (0)130 053 151
and occupations
Circulation: 2,000 copies
Printed on paper sourced from
sustainable forests.
BVQI No. PEFC/10-31-1086
 03

éditorial
Laurent Fayat
CEO

60 years
of shared history
Razel and Algeria have been walking hand-in-hand since 1954, the year in which the
company started work on a great many projects on the southern bank of the Mediterranean.
Earthworks, civil engineering, industrial and railway developments, airports, highways and
linear infrastructures, the growth in the company’s all-round expertise has mirrored the
projects of our Algerian partner.

To firm up its intention to establish a sustainable presence in Algeria, Razel created a

subsidiary, Razel Algérie, in 1999.

Razel has therefore naturally been in the frame for the country’s major projects, particularly
in the area of water and infrastructures.

In August 2002, the company won the international tender for Koudiat Acerdoune Dam. This
involved constructing a straight gravity dam using the roller-compacted concrete (RCC)
technique. Standing 121 metres tall, the dam is 134 metres thick at the base, 8 metres
thick at the crest and covers a length of 490 metres. A total of 1,850,000 m³ of concrete
were used, including 1,525,000 m³ of RCC. It is one of the tallest dams ever built using the
demanding RCC technique.

Our successful efforts on this project have been rewarded, as one year on from completion
of the work on Koudiat Acerdoune Dam, our client, the Algerian National Agency for Dams
and Water Transfers (ANBT), showed its trust in Razel by awarding us the Tabellout Dam
contract in March 2010.

Tabellout Dam will have the particular feature of being one of the few RCC dams with an
arched profile to withstand seismic stress. A complex, yet innovative piece of engineering,
this new structure confirms the extent to which Razel’s teams master specific know-how
on major projects.

I trust that you will enjoy reading this special edition devoted to the construction of a new
monument to which the teams in the field are showing total dedication. The company and
every single employee can take a great deal of pride in this accomplishment.
04 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

RAZEL IN ALGERIA

FULLY INTEGRATED
AND HERE TO STAY
Alongside its involvement in the country’s major hydraulic projects, Razel
Algérie is also in the frame for numerous other public and private-sector pro-
jects. Discover this subsidiary with Walid Baghriche, Director of Razel Algérie.

Having studied in both Algeria and France, Local identity

where he obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma “Our aim was to integrate Razel Algérie
in International Business, Walid Baghriche
into the local fabric,” Bagriche explained.
joined Razel-Bec and its subsidiary Razel
“We have managed to achieve this and this
Algérie after 13 years with Thalès. He has
is what makes us unique. We have obtai-
been in charge of the agency since 2010.
ned the certifications required to respond
“Razel is highly respected in Algeria where
to national invitations to tender and this
it has been part of the local landscape since
opens doors to projects that only local
1954. I am proud to represent this French
companies can bid for.”
group in my country of birth and to manage
the type of far-reaching projects on which
the company’s international reputation is In addition to the major RCC projects such
built,” he confided. as Koudiat Acerdoune (see page 7) and
Walid Baghriche Tabellout, Razel Algérie is also moving
The subsidiary has continued to grow
throughout its 60 years in Algeria. Originally into other fields. The Subsidiary Director
operating as a “support base” for the major analysed the situation: “Our multi-skilled
projects conducted in the country, it has, expertise and our references put us in a
with head office backing, become an auto- strong position as civil engineers to be
nomous entity with a strategy of esta- involved in large-scale energy projects in
blishing a lasting presence combined with Algeria, where internationally-recognised
in-depth local knowledge of the projects technical know-how and proven ability to
and the people behind them. work locally are crucial.”

“Razel is highly
respected in Algeria
where it has been part
of the local landscape
since 1954.”

Back, left to right:

Aissa Keddache, Omar Sebhi, Ismaïl Ramdani,
Yazid Bettahar, Aziz Belarbi, Mahfoud
Hasnaoui, Walid Baghriche,
Roger Dunand-Chatellet.
Front, left to right:
Souhila Si Larbi, Abdelhalim Mansour, Amel
Chennafi, Mahmoud Hebache, Hassina Maala.
 05

Medea quarry

Private-sector projects RAZEL IN ALGERIA: 1954

Boosted by its local identity, Razel Algérie
has also turned towards private-sector
A LONG HISTORY Razel set up business in Algeria to build
the Still-Touggourt-Hassi-Messaoud road
markets in developing its commercial acti- (370 km) and, over the following ten years,
vity. Médéa quarry, located 120 km west progressed from project to project:
• 1,500 km of oil roads, Algiers and
of Algiers, started operation in April 2014
Constantine aerodromes
after a six-month facility setup period. The
• Tifoune pipeline (212 km)
limestone deposit amounts to three million • El Akoun steelworks
cubic metres. Annual production targets • Algiers Olympic Stadium.
are set at 500,000 tonnes.
1966
For Walid Baghriche, local identity and an The company played an active role in the
entrepreneurial mindset are not the only construction of the El Hadjar steelworks
factors that characterise Razel Algérie. near Annaba. The Contracting Authority was
“The human dimension lies at the heart of SNS (Société Nationale de Sidérurgie).
the company’s values. We are committed to
encouraging our expat and local employees 1974
Establishment of a public-private partner-
to move forward together on a common
ship, Genisider, that developed significant-
project. Training facilities have been set up
ly with widespread diversification over a
and resources allocated for this purpose, 15-year period. Its major projects:
to bring a human element to the company’s • El Hadjar steelworks
global business plan.” • civil engineering of the Ghardaïa, El
Eulma, Réghaïa, Tiaret and Biskra works
• Ras Djinet and Jijel power stations
Razel Algérie’s Administrative and Financial Director, Ismaïl
• Annaba and Tiaret international airports
Ramdani joined the company in 2001. He is part of the team that
• Annaba-Berrahal motorway
created Razel-Bec’s Algerian subsidiary.
• Ouled Mélouk Dam near Chlef…

“Razel has forged its reputation as a 1988

Cooperation continued in the form of a
solid company that has built itself up technical assistance agreement for the
and developed within the Algerian construction of the first line of the Algiers
metro system.
legal framework. Our greatest asset
lies in the fact that we have trai- 1992
Razel signed a technical assistance agree-
ned and placed our trust in local ment for repair work on the Baaziz railway
Ismaïl Ramdani
managers to create an autonomous, tunnel in Médéa on the Blida-Djelfa line.

operational team in spite of active 1999

competition and a difficult economic Razel set up Razel Algérie, incorporated
under Algerian law and based in Algiers.
context.”
06 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

MAJOR PROJECTS & EXPORTS

THE EXPERTS IN RCC

DAMS
France adopted first Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) technology. Razel-
Bec has acquired unparalleled expertise which has opened up the market
for large RCC dams all over the world.

Built by the Major Projects & Exports Autonomy and materials

Division of Razel-Bec, Tabellout Dam is a
121-metre-tall, arc-shaped structure com- proficiency
prising a 13.5 km transfer tunnel excavated
by a tunnel boring machine. This com- Over a million cubic metres of RCC are
plex, yet innovative work illustrates Razel- required to build Tabellout Dam. A com-
Bec’s widely acknowledged know-how and plete industrial process was therefore set
expertise. The earlier Koudiat Acerdoune up on site, upstream of the dam, to produce
Dam experience (see opposite) enabled and transport the RCC. The aggregate used
the company to gain proficiency in RCC, in the RCC was also produced here.
an increasingly sophisticated material that As Jean Guillaume, the Deputy Managing
calls on the development of quite specific Director responsible for Major Projects and
production methods and demands that Exports, pointed out: “This dam highlights
stringent implementation constraints be the company’s ability to manage projects
observed. that bring together up to 1500 people
of various nationalities. The management
teams in the field are used to coordinating
local, international and expat staff and
tackling technological challenges collec-
tively. I might add that the support teams
at head office offer first-rate administra-
tive backing and advice to deal with legal,
contractual and accounts issues.”

Jean-Philippe Cattin,
International Projects Director

“With the two Algerian dam projects – Koudiat

Acerdoune and Tabellout – and the one at Rizzanèse
in France, we have built up a solid track record in
terms of RCC technology. Thanks to this expertise,
Razel-Bec has embarked on a strategy of partnerships
with several foreign companies with a view to bid-
ding for the large-scale international dam projects,
and RCC dams in particular, that are currently emer-
ging in South-East Asia and in the Near and Middle
East.”
 07

Jean Guillaume,
Executive Vice-President

“ Two major activities – Dams and Tunnels –

are represented in this project. The experience
acquired through the combination of the two
is valued within the Company.
Young engineers can benefit from it by being
offered training opportunities and the possibi-
lity of acquiring new experience on high-pro-
file projects.”

This structure, located in the Isser river

KOUDIAT ACERDOUNE valley in the region of Lakhdaria, this
structure started to operate in October
DAM 2008. It is an RCC gravity dam supported
by a rock foundation consisting of marly
shales. The 121-metre-tall dam supplies
drinking water to 800,000 people (101
million cubic metres per year) and irri-
gates farmland in the East Mitidja and
Lower Isser regions (69 million cubic
metres per year). With a 134-metre-thick
base, the dam is 490 metres long and 8
metres thick at the crest. As 1,850,000
m3 of concrete (including 1,525,000 m³
of RCC) were required to construct the
dam, numerous facilities had to be set up:
pumping stations and water and alluvial
treatment plants, filler production plant
(40 t/h), RCC production station (100 t/h)
and an electricity generating unit (11,000
kVA) to power the site.

Left to right: Cédric Tinel, Zahia Benséghir, Hicham Allouche, Jean-Philippe Cattin, Sophie Renard, Arnaud Watel, Marlène Gorlier,
Sébastien Poli, Marie Auriol, Sophie Flachez, Catherine Martinez, Samantha Fabre, Stéphane Le Gall and, in the centre, Jean Guillaume.
08 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

INTERVIEW

RAZEL AT THE HEART

OF A MAJOR WATER
TRANSFER SYSTEM
Tabellout Dam and its 13.5 km transfer tunnel, part of the Government’s
water management programme, will be the fifth structure of this type in the
country. The National Agency for Dams and Water Transfers (ANBT) sought
advice from the consulting engineering firm Coyne et Bellier for the dam
and Safège for the tunnel. Razel’s experience on the Koudiat Acerdoune dam
project is a major asset for this demanding job where tight, smooth-running
organisation and operation are crucial.
We met Mustapha Rabei, ANBT Director of Developments - Centre (DRC).

What is the overarching challenge Sétif Province. The aim of this system is
to supply 42.5 hm3 of drinking water per
facing this development? year to 16 towns in the eastern part of Sétif
Province and 151 hm3 per year to irrigate
Mustapha Rabei. - The Sétif High Plains (HPS) the El Eulma Plain.
development programme is particularly
Mustapha Rabei,
important given the dimension of the plan-
ANBT Director
ned structures, both in terms of their
What is the other development?
of Developments – Centre
technical and economic parameters, and
M. R. - The West system is based on
the social objectives that will be assigned
the transfer of water from the existing
to them.
Ighil-Emda Dam (Béjaïa Province) to the
When completed, this development will be
Mahouane reservoir (Sétif Province). It is
used to transfer a volume of 313 million
intended to supply 56 hm3 of drinking water
cubic metres of water for the purposes of per year to 12 towns in the western part of
supplying drinking water to a population Sétif Province and 66 hm3 per year to irri-
of around two million in 28 towns in Sétif gate the Sétif Plain.
Province by 2040, and irrigating around
36,000 hectares of farmland on the plains
of El Eulma and Sétif. What does Tabellout Dam repre-
sent?
How is the Sétif-Hodna project
M. R. - With a storage capacity of 294 mil-
structured? lion cubic metres, Tabellout Dam, which
is currently under construction, will rank
M. R. - The Sétif-Hodna transfer project among Algeria’s largest dams. This struc-
comprises two distinct developments. ture, located in the Djendjen river valley in
The East system consists in transferring the municipality of Djmila (Jijel Province), is
water from Tabellout Dam, located in Jijel the starting point of the East system of the
Province, to the Draâ-Diss reservoir in HPS development. Its Roller-Compacted
 09

For over twenty years, Algeria’s limited,

vulnerable and unequally distributed
water resources have been suffering
from the combined harmful effects of
drought and pollution while, at the same
time, the country’s needs have continued
to increase under the joint effects of eco-
nomic and demographic growth. To tackle
the issues posed by chronic water shor-
tage, the Algerian Government has imple-
mented an ambitious water management
and resource optimisation programme,
integrating all existing solutions: well
drilling and aquifer pumping, seawater
desalination, and dams with water trans-
fer. The Tabellout project, which falls into
the latter category, will bring the number
of dams in activity to 58, twelve short of
the target of 70 dams with a total capacity
of eight billion cubic metres.

Concrete (RCC) design makes it the fifth • strengthening the right bank to preserve
dam of this type in Algeria. stability in the structure’s final configura-
tion (this was done as a result of instabi-

Is Tabellout Dam similar to Koudiat lity being recorded during construction); EAST SYSTEM:
Acerdoune Dam, built by Razel for
• eliminating the grouting platform at the
foot of the slope, replacing it with grou-
setif-hodna
ting from the gallery.
the ANBT in 2009?
M. R. - Tabellout Dam is similar to Koudiat
Acerdoune in that they are both made TABELLOUT
from Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC). Wilaya
However, its storage capacity is different. de Jijel

Have the construction constraints Erraguen

changed since the start of the
project?
M. R. - During construction work on
Tabellout Dam, the presence of a poten-
tially active fault was localised 200 metres
upstream of the dam axis, which led to Wilaya
some major changes and adaptations to de Sétif
the design of the structure. These included:
• an arch shape to concentrate the stress in
the banks in the event of an earthquake;
• consolidating the base to improve its geo- SETIF Draâ Diss
technical and geomechanical properties
and avoid differential settlement;
10 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

TWO PROJECTS IN ONE

RAZEL ADAPTS AND RISES

TO THE CHALLENGE
In 2010, the ANBT awarded the Tabellout dam and tunnel contract to Razel.
One year later, new seismic legislation forced changes to the initial dam pro-
ject with the ANBT increasing the thickness of the tunnel segments. This had
a profound impact on the management of the construction project, the orga-
nisation of which was already complex due to the distance between the dam
and tunnel sites. However the teams headed by Hervé Guerpillon, Manager
Hervé Guerpillon, of the Tabellout dam and Aïn Sebt tunnel project, have managed to adapt.
Project Manager
Due to new seismic legislation, the pro-
posed geometry of Tabellout Dam chan-
ged from a straight to an arched profile
– quite rare on this type of structure. Hervé
Guerpillon, Project Manager, explains the
reasons behind this decision: “To inte-
grate the new design calculation values,
we would have had to design a more mas-
sive structure and increase the volume of
roller-compacted concrete by 70%. Faced
with this solution, which would have pushed
up the price tag to a level that the cus-
tomer would have had trouble accepting,
the Engineering Consultants suggested
reviewing the shape of the dam. With the
new arched geometry, the increase in the
volume of RCC was kept to a minimum – it
now totals 1,000,000 m3”.
 11

Changes compared with the Effects on site organisation

Aïn Sebt TUNNEL
detailed design The impact of these changes was further One of the specific features of the project
amplified by a landslide in June 2012, at the lies in the fact that it is split into two dis-
The main changes made to the design
exact location of the bottom outlet. tinct sites located around 15 kilometres
were:
“In spite of these major changes, it was apart as the crow flies. This meant setting
• transfer of the bottom outlet to the centre
decided together with the customer not to up two independent Works Management
of the dam
stop construction. The impacts meant that teams, although headed by the same
• inclusion of an antiseismic beam in the
we had to reorganise and refocus on the Project Management team.
top part of the dam
bottom outlet,” Hervé Guerpillon pointed From their main base at the Tabellout
• elimination of the intermediate berms
out, before detailing the consequences: Dam site, Project Management provides
making construction site access more
“sequencing and progress were revised contractual and logistic assistance to the
difficult for heavy plant
and the schedule extended.” Aïn Sebt Tunnel “South Head” teams led by
• creation of shear keys (see page 14 for
The construction site, designed to lay Sylvain Mandégout.
explanations) with associated grouted
65,000 m³ of RCC per month, finally achie-
joints, thereby increasing the total num-
ved just 30,000 m³ per month during the
ber of joints and, therefore, the number
so-called “downgraded” phase of reorga-
of blocks
nisation. The restrictions relating to this
• creation of inclined galleries linking the
downgraded mode having recently been
drainage galleries (perimeter galleries)
lifted, the RCC can now be laid at the plan-
• consolidation grouting.
ned rate.
Scheduled RCC laying time has
consequently been adjusted from 15 to
23.5 months.

Jean-Philippe Maillard,
Contract Manager

“The ‘contract management’ aspect is important on all projects.

On the Tabellout dam and tunnel project, its importance was taken
to quite another level. Contract management means defending the
company’s interests by ensuring in particular that the terms of the
contract are properly applied. This is of course done with the support
and legal insight of the Algiers office and our headquarters in Saclay.”
12 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

Giuseppe Abbagnato,
Senior Laboratory Technician

“Twenty staff work at the laboratory testing all

the materials used on the construction site. We
must be extremely vigilant with regard to the
constituents of concrete, and especially RCC, Alexandre Espéret,
which are produced at the site by the Materials Engineer, Quantity surveyor
Unit, the cleanliness of which in particular is
regularly monitored. “Versatility and anticipation are the key
The laboratory is also in charge of establishing words that define the 18-strong Topographic &
formulas for concrete and for RCC, as well as Quantity Surveying team working on the dam
inspection (specimen sampling and crushing, and tunnel, in constant liaison with the work
and compaction testing for example). We also crews and customer representatives. We col-
install auscultation devices within hydromecha- late a host of information that will enable the
nical facilities…” dam to be built. Other important aspects of the
mission include quantity tracking, issuing daily
statements of work completed, preparing and
presenting progress reports, participating in
the preparation of negotiation documents, as
well as managing the numerous construction
drawings up to the ‘as-constructed’ files.”
 13

Dominique Certo, Roberto Rossetti,

Head of Methods, Engineering Head of Subcontracting for
& Planning for the dam the dam
“The various unforeseen events encountered “Subcontracted work primarily includes boring
and the company’s adaptability to the new and grouting (Sefi Intrafor, Fayat Group),
constraints have made this a particularly outs- HEM work (Calzoni Hydro and its local partner
tanding and dynamic project! The chance to Alieco), electrical work (Calzoni Hydro and its
contribute to such a project does not come along local partner PM2I), auscultation (Telemac),
very often.” and the metal bridge over the spillway. The
scheduling of subcontracted activities and
their integration into the master schedule are
accompanied by day-to-day monitoring of the
subcontractors through every stage: factory
manufacturing (in Italy and Algeria), logistics,
Omar Bouacha, transportation or site assembly, not forgetting
Head of HSE the design work specific to the hydromecha-
nical and electrical activities, for which the
“When it comes to safety, quality and the Consortium and its subcontractors are
environment, the demands are no different to responsible, through to approval by
any other of the company’s projects. Around the ANBT and its engineering consultants.”
20 ‘red vests’, split between three shifts, watch
over staff safety on the dam 24 hours a day.
14 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

AN RCC ARCH DAM

15
16 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Dam

AN INNOVATIVE YET
DEMANDING
sTRUCTURE
This 121-metre-tall dam, with an associated 13.5-km-long TBM-excavated water transfer
tunnel, has the unusual feature of being one of the few dams of this type designed with
an arched profile. To construct the dam, almost one million cubic metres of roller-com-
pacted concrete (RCC) are required. We were accompanied on our visit by Rachid Amari,
the Dam Construction Manager.

Rachid Amari, In Algeria, a little over 350 km to the east

Dam Works Manager of Algiers in Jijel Province, the Tabellout
Dam construction site is running at full
capacity. The site is isolated with difficult
access, and very steep slopes. Thirteen
kilometres away, as the crow flies, at
the Aïn Sebt site, tunnel excavation work
is underway. A hard-rock tunnel boring
machine is driving towards the dam. The
distance between the two sites is 30 kilo-
metres by the most direct road. Owing to
these various constraints, Razel has natu-
rally organised itself by splitting into two
fully autonomous, in situ operations for the
dam and for the water transfer tunnel.

Complex construction
The structure is built from 14 blocks sepa-
rated by six grouted “keyed” joints and
seven simple (ungrouted) joints. These
joints are designed to guide concrete
contraction and are protected upstream
by waterstops preventing the passage of
water between the blocks. Keyed joints, 50
metres apart, are intended to be grouted to
offset the contraction effect and encourage
arch action. They consist of two to three
compartments equipped with grouting and
auscultation devices and shear keys in the
shape of a quadrangular prism to transmit
shear from one block to the contiguous
block. This complicates the construction of
the actual dam considerably. When com-
pleted, it will take the form of an arched
structure with a developed length of 392
metres and a thickness of 8 metres at
the crest, a base length of 100 metres
and a height of 121 metres,” explained
Rachid Amari, the Dam Works Manager.
 17

It comprises a stepped central spillway, a with a 6-metre “horseshoe” cross-sec-

perimeter gallery and a low- or mid-level tion, were excavated by blasting in order
discharge gallery. to divert the river from its bed during the
The construction of an antiseismic belt work phase. These two tunnels will be
between the abutments, in the top part sealed once construction is complete;
of the structure, at the spillway sill, • two temporary embankment-type coffer-
consisting of a concrete beam reinfor- dams were built, one upstream and one
ced with 64 HA-40 mm diameter bars downstream, to protect the construction
is designed to strengthen the dam and zone while the dam is being erected.
limit the “piano effect” in the event of an
earthquake. The purpose of the project is to transfer
water from this very wet part of Algeria
During the preliminary phase of the project: where annual precipitation can reach 1.50
• two temporary bypass tunnels measuring metres (twice the French average) to the
380 and 431 metres long respectively, Sétif region, some 80 km away.

Project Data
• 
Contracting Authority: ANBT
(National Agency for Dams and Water Transfers)
• Dam and Tunnel Designer: EDF CIH
• Consultant Engineers to Contracting Authority:
Coyne & Bellier/Safège
• Contractors: RAZEL/CMCRA/Tabellout Consortium
• Funding: Algerian Government
• Scheduled completion date: late 2015
18 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Dam

A SWIFT PACE
FOR THE WORKFORCE
Since March 2014, the production and laying of RCC at Tabellout Dam have really taken
off, passing symbolic milestones on the way. At 500,000 m³, half the total volume of RCC
required had been output by mid-June and, on 4 August, the dam reached its mid-height
point 60 metres above the foundation, at elevation 271, corresponding to 60% of the
total volume of RCC.
On Monday 16 June 2014, the symbolic
barrier of 500,000 m³ of RCC laid was
broken: “To achieve this, we exceeded an
average daily rate of 3,000 m³ over the
six working days to clock up 18,332 m³
in a record week, and 70,961 m³ during
the month of June”, Hervé Guerpillon
announced.

“The arrival of summer with its high

temperatures and the necessary alterations
to work schedules during the month of
Ramadan – which meant that RCC was
laid only at night – have prevented us from
beating this record, but we should manage
it in September.”

Hervé Guerpillon,
Project Manager

“From March to August 2014, the dam height

consistently rose 1.20 metres - a lift of four 30 cm
layers - per week, which meant that we reached
elevation 271 early August. This elevation
corresponds to half the final height of the dam,
which will comprise 100 such lifts, midway
between the trench bottom at elevation 211 and the
final elevation 332.
Each lift is itself made up of a variable number of
blocks depending on its placement in relation to
the height of the dam – four at the base, seven at
the top – of variable volume (around 2,500 m3 per
block in the current phase). At present, each block
is laid in around ten hours on average.”
 19

Douadi Boultif, Senior General Foreman–

Earthwork and RCC, flanked by
Jean-Claude Mogno and Rachid Amari.
He is the principal architect
of RCC laying for the dam.

To manage the Tabellout project, Razel

calls on a number of experts, and notably
Brian Forbes, the international dam
specialist. He is pictured here with
Jean-Philippe Cattin, Giuseppe
Abbagnato, Ouchene Hamza,
Jean-Claude Mogno and Rachid Amari.

Below: Angelo Trevisan, Senior Site

Foreman, with Rachid Bettahar to his
right and Abdesllam Atamna to his left.
20 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Dam

RCC: A COMPLEX
PROCESS
Roller-compacted concrete is a relatively recent technology as the first RCC
dams were built in 1980. Since that time, more than 250 have been construc-
ted throughout the world. This process obviously has its advantages, but also
some serious constraints.

The development of RCC can be explained

in particular by two main advantages: its
A demanding form of concrete
adaptation to geology is less demanding
“The first constraint is the fact that a layer
than for conventional concrete structures,
must be placed on top of a layer which has
and the possibility of incorporating intake
still not set (after just a few hours), which
and discharge works into the dam body,
implies flawless continuity and consistency
unlike rockfill dams. A further advantage
in the placement,” Rachid Amari explained.
lies in the use of aggregate produced
A number of redundant items of equipment
on site. The difference with conventio-
must therefore be kept available and any
nal concrete lies in its consistency which
unexpected events must be met with an
enables it to support compaction by a
immediate response.
heavy vibrating roller – in this respect, the
Another constraint, which only applies
material must offer intrinsic qualities and
however in the summer months, is the fact
specific properties on laying (strength, den-
that RCC must be laid on the dam at a tem-
sity, impermeability, durability, workability
perature not exceeding 25°C to limit fissu-
and segregation) to guarantee the absence
ring. This implies cooling the concrete.
of weak zones in the structure, particularly
with regard to water tightness.

Rachid Amari,
Dam Works Manager

“Generally, when we have to cool conventional

concrete, we use cold water or even crushed ice. In
the case of RCC, as the quantity of water added per
cubic metre is very low (less than 100 litres), we
must cool not only the water but also the coarser
aggregate. For this purpose, we circulate cold air
through the high-volume storage silos to lower the
temperature to around 12–14°C. The cold air is pro-
duced by a machine that operates in a similar way
to an air conditioning system but with a 750 kW
power rating. Considerable construction work is
also necessary to stockpile sufficient materials for
chilling to ensure at least 15 hours’ supply of cold
aggregate.”
 21

Quantities
• Volume of RCC: 1,000,000 m3
• Volume of CVC: 80,000 m3 divided
between the dam (40,000 m3),
reinforcement (20,000 m3), and
site installations (20,000 m3)
22 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Dam

AT THE HEART
OF THE DAM
At the construction site, they are known as the “noble parts”. Deep down in
the concrete bowels of the dam, these highly complex civil works will never
be seen. And yet this is precisely where the dam’s engineering comes to the
fore and where it is auscultated!

For traditional farming activities, such as For installation and maintenance opera-
crop cultivation, market gardening and tions, the two chambers are equipped with
livestock rearing, the HEM installations an overhead travelling crane as some of
are designed to maintain a permanent the valve components can weigh as much
flow of compensation water in the riverbed as 20 tonnes. The valves are operated by
downstream of the dam. hydraulic cylinders.

UPSTREAM VALVE CHAMBER

A room located within the dam, housing
the valves used for partial discharge (mid-
level) or total discharge (low-level) via a
metal pipe with a diameter of 3.60 metres,
embedded in the RCC. The upstream
chamber comprises a bulkhead gate-type
valve and two fixed-wheel gate-type valves.
The mid-level bulkhead gate will be instal-
led halfway up the dam. These four gate
valves operate vertically. The bulkhead
gates enable maintenance to be performed
on the fixed-wheel gates.

DOWNSTREAM VALVE CHAMBER

Room outside the dam, located on the
downstream left bank, housing the radial
gate that releases and regulates the
discharge rate. This gate has a cylindrical
segment shape and moves in a semi-
circular motion. In this downstream ser-
vice building, the radial gate leads to the
discharge deflector.
Jean-Claude Mogno,
Works Engineer

“The HEM – Hydro-Mechanical – systems comprise

sheet metal and mechanical equipment designed
for the management of the water retained by the dam.
In the case of Tabellout Dam, this involves primarily
the pipework and the valves of the low-level and
mid-level discharge systems; the water intake and
pumping works are not included within the scope
of the contract awarded to Razel.”
 23

Low-level and mid-level

drainage pipes.

Galleries
A network of internal galleries is built into
the dam for monitoring purposes (dam
verticality, movements and other ausculta-
tion parameters) and for operations during
or post-construction (grouting, drainage,
etc.).
These galleries positioned in the upstream
part of the dam are particularly used to
drain off any water infiltrating through
the upstream face, the left and right
abutments and the dam base. This drain
network is produced by boring following
dam construction and sealing of the joints
by grouting.

Access gallery to the

upstream valve chamber. Upstream valve chamber.
 24 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Dam

This drainage water is discharged by gravi- •D

 am internal galleries: these three • Drainage galleries: these six (3x2) galle-
ty through the following network of internal galleries are constructed by shuttering ries discharge drainage water by gravity at
galleries at three levels (low, mid and high). on laying the RCC, and with prefabri- the left and right banks downstream of the
cated cover slabs. As requested by the dam, in addition to providing ventilation.
• Galleries in the right and left abutments: Customer, the surface of the vertical Bearing on the bank slopes, these reinfor-
these six (3x2) underground galleries are walls of these galleries is left “as laid” ced concrete galleries are placed before
approximately 60 metres long, have a to enable the evolution in the RCC to the RCC. To date, just one access to these
3-metre “horseshoe” cross-section and be monitored. These dam internal gal- galleries is planned (downstream of the
follow the arched shape of the dam. They leries are combined with declines for lower left bank gallery). This road access
are excavated using traditional techniques level-to-level access via stairways and will be shared with the upstream valve
and the roof is lined with non-reinforced ramps, the gradient of which is as high chamber gallery.
concrete. as 45°.
• Access gallery to the upstream valve
chamber: this is the gallery made in the
body of the dam on the left-bank side. This
4.50 x 4.50-metre gallery provides access
to the upstream service building, com-
monly called the upstream valve chamber.
 Dam under construction: 25
arched profile

Visit

Dam originally
planned: straight profile

Antiseismic beam

Network of internal galleries

Rotec route
26 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout
 27

AUTONOMy &
CUTTING-EDGE
EQUIPMENT
28 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Equipment

ASSESSMENT, PERFORMANCE,
AUTONOMY, ANTICIPATION

PLANT ISSUES

The Equipment Resources teams provide the logistic support and autonomy
that the concurrent dam and tunnel construction sites need. The Equipment
Resources Manager, Jacky Legras, reviews the issues tackled by an impressive
setup.

Jacky Legras,
Plant Manager

1. ASSESSMENT
The first issue is to assess exactly what
equipment is needed and to avoid com-
mitting an error in plant specification. If
it turns out be the wrong choice once
construction is under way, particularly
relating to production plant, this will have a
negative impact especially on the schedule.
 29

2. PERFORMANCE
The second issue is to achieve maximum
performance very quickly. The running-in
period must be as short as possible. We
rely on very heavy industrial facilities (a
material production unit with an output
of 650 tonnes/hour, a 1,000 tonne/hour
continuous concrete mixing plant and a
1,000 tonne/hour Rotec conveyor) that in
the aggregate or concrete industry would
be installed for 30 years, whereas we install
them for 24 months. So nothing must be left
to chance, either in the specification, rigour
and quality of the plant, or in the support
resources required to ensure optimum ope-
ration which will in turn guarantee optimum
performance.

4. ANTICIPATION
The final issue is the need to have a great
sense of anticipation. In Algeria probably

3. AUTONOMY
more than anywhere due to the distance
Jacky Legras, involved and the difficulty in reaching the
Equipment Resources Manager site, the option of importing parts at very
short notice would appear to be impos-
Another issue given the distance and the sible. Even if, by definition, a breakdown
“As on the Koudiat Acerdoune difficulties involved in transport and impor- is unpredictable, efforts must be made to
Dam project, we have put ting equipment into Algeria is to ensure anticipate it to avoid being caught short
the necessary structures in that we have the resources on site for total when it does occur. We have to pinpoint
place to guarantee complete command over all the equipment in place the fine dividing line between stocking too
autonomy.” and that they fully master absolutely all the many spare parts and supplies, with the
technologies used so that we can be fully inherent costs that this generates, and not
autonomous. In the event of a breakdown stocking enough which may impinge on
on the RCC plant, for example (whether efficiency, and which would also represent
it be mechanical, electrical, electronic or a cost.
computer-related), it would be inconcei-
vable to bring in a specialist from abroad
who would, at best, take a few days to get
here.
30 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Equipment

the PRODUCTION
CIRCUIT

1
2

10
 31

1- Alluvia mining areas 7- CVC plant

(downstream borrow material) 8- Rotec conveyor
2- Material processing unit 9- Dam
3- Filler manufacturing plant 10- Service base
4/5- Filler and cement storage 11- Catering/Ancillary operations
silos 12- Base camp
6- RCC plant 13- Workshops and stores

11

12

6
13
5

4
7
3
32 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Equipment

PRODUCTION, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,

ELECTRICITY, LOGISTICS

A SMOOTH, AUTONOMOUS
ORGANISATION
It’s not the end of the world... but almost! Considering the remoteness of the
site, the Equipment Resources department is structured into four divisions that
must all be able to work cross-functionally, but also in complete autonomy.
Let’s have a closer look at the people who are constantly on the look-out to
counter the slightest difficulty and ensure uninterrupted RCC production and,
consequently, uninterrupted dam construction.

1. Production Facilities
Gaël Renaux,
Head of Production Facilities

“Participating in the building The production facilities employ 160 people.

of a dam is the ultimate They include the materials unit which pro-
experience in the construc- duces the aggregate, the filler manufac-
tion world. After Koudiat turing plant, the CVC and RCC plants and
the Rotec conveyor (see article on pages
Acerdoune, working on 36 and 37). These facilities are capable of
Tabellout Dam seemed to me instantly outputting 650 tonnes/hour of
to be an obvious step and yet crushed aggregate and 1,000 tonnes/hour
having responsibility for the of concrete for roller compacting.
production facilities is a real
challenge. We are responsible
for the entire RCC produc- Roger Debot,
tion line, from processing the Head of the Crushing Unit
aggregate taken from the river
valley to conveying the RCC “The materials processed at Tabellout are highly
to the dam. The expats in our degraded. Crushing must therefore be adjusted to
team are all working on their within a millimetre,” explained the international
second dam for Razel! When it crushing specialist who is part of the team running
comes to meeting increasingly the Tabellout materials unit. Africa, the Far East,
tough budgetary, environmen- Indonesia, Russia, Latin America… wherever
tal and safety targets, such Roger Debot has worked, this colourful adventurer
experience is a real boon.” from Burgundy has left a mark on his colleagues.
“I’ve seen lots of dams but this one with its arched
structure is most unusual. Its situation also demands
infallible equipment and logistics.”
 33

LEXICON

2. Electricity CVC = conventional vibrated concrete.

RCC = roller-compacted concrete.

The Electrical Department, comprising 35

people led by Chabane Choudani, assisted
by Tian Rangwu and Jonathan Brisavoine,
has a broad scope. It has the competence
required to guarantee that the construc-
tion site is totally self-sufficient in terms
of power generation (11,000 kWA avai-
lable power at just the dam site), 20 kV
Brahim Oukheddi, power distribution over the whole site, and
Concrete Batcher troubleshooting and repair of the electrical
equipment and the controllers that have
become an essential part of all modern Chabane Choudani, “Kamel TRICIEN”.
“The plant facilities are machinery.
subject to very high wear and
tear owing to the particular On the strength of the Department’s great
nature of the alluvial materials. skills in all these domains, the site has the
We therefore have to stock a essential ability to adapt the equipment
and particularly the production facilities
considerable number of spares immediately to the exacting requirements
and wear parts, but the of the structure to be built, making it a
guys always show plenty of pillar of the “Tabellout setup”.
innovation in restoring or
repairing them!”
Jonathan Brisavoine.

Eric Guidon,
Assistant Equipment Resources Manager

“Years later, the challenges tackled for the Koudiat Acerdoune

Dam project remain in the collective memory of all of the staff,
both expats and locals, who took part in the adventure. This can
be seen in the fact that many of us spontaneously signed up for
this new dam. Compared with Koudiat, more power must be dis-
tributed as the facilities are larger and dispersed over a greater
area, and the base camps accommodate more local workers. This
is yet another great project for the company which confirms our
earlier success in terms of RCC technology and in the completely
autonomous management of a complex construction site.”
Eric Guidon,
Assistant Equipment Resources Manager
and Tian Rangwu, Chief Electrician.
34 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Equipment

3. Logistics
If there is another pillar of the “Tabellout
setup”, it has to be the Logistics
Department.
At the head of a 20-strong team, Fabien
Pantel is in charge of all supplies to
the dam and tunnel sites, for both the
Equipment Resources Department (spare
parts) or Works Departments (cement,
rebar, form lumber, etc.), and from all
sources (Algeria or abroad).

As the supply chain is particularly long (an

average of three months from placing an
order to receiving the goods), there is an
onsite store where a stock of commonly
used products and, in particular, spare
parts is kept. Almost 40,000 articles are
listed and almost 20,000 kept in stock
mainly due to the great diversity of equip- Fabien Pantel.
ment used. For many of these articles,
just one piece is stocked. “This is key to
the efficiency of our equipment”, explai-
ned Alexis Le Guil, who is also heavily
involved in logistics, even if it is not his
only function in the Equipment Resources
Department.
The Logistics Department also deals with
all issues relating to transportation, tran-
sit and customs.

“And when the construction work is com-

pleted,” Fabien pointed out, “barely half
of the job will have been done for us, as
we’ll have to re-export the majority of the
equipment that we have imported.”

Ahcene Gaci, Chief Storeman.

The Store Team.
 35

4. Mechanical Engineering and Equipment Servicing

The Mechanical Engineering Department ting the Rotec,” claimed Mustapha Adi, a
is not exempt from the need to be totally leading figure in the sheet metalwork shop.
autonomous in order to be able to react
as quickly as possible in the event of The Maintenance Department is here to be
a breakdown or any other requirement. counted too, with its 30 people in charge
A 1,000 m² workshop split between the of the routine servicing of heavy plant,
mechanical engineering, electricity, refuelling and, if that wasn’t enough, the
heavy plant, machining, sheet metalwork, distribution of fluids (compressed air and
bodywork and painting trades accommo- industrial water) across the site. “We are
dates the 60 members of the teams headed even equipped with our own semitrailers to
by Jean Beaufort, Sébastien Amisse, Alexis transport the million litres of fuel required
Le Guil and Mohamed Boudra. “We deal every month to run the two project sites,”
with all sorts of problems here,” Jean Daniel Rivollier commented. “Here too,
Beaufort explained. “We rebuild engines the watchwords are autonomy and inde-
and gearboxes, we make parts in our pendence.”
machining shop where our friend Bouzid
Drissi and his team work miracles every
day by saving many worn or broken parts or
by making new ones which overcomes the
long supply time issue and saves money
into the bargain.” In the adjacent unit, no
fewer than five panel beaters restore cars,
trucks or heavy plant that have been vic-
tims of mistreatment.

“The electronics now present in all our machi-

nery means that we have to be equipped with
modern diagnostic instruments,” Sébastien Sébastien Amisse. Alexis Le Guil. Jean Beaufort.
Amisse said. Ouahid Zergat, the young elec-
trician hired at the start of the Koudiat dam
project who has become THE specialist in
heavy plant electronics, added: “My laptop is
the most important tool in my toolbox.”

The sheet metalwork trade is also very

busy as even the largest excavator buc-
kets are rebuilt on site, as well as speci-
fic formwork and all sorts of framework
and equipment to meet everyone’s needs.
“The achievement we are most proud of is
undoubtedly the impressive posts suppor-
Left to right: Mohamed Bouchenak, Mohamed Boudra, Mohamed
Hasnaoui, Sébastien Amisse and Abdelatif Boukhelf.

Daniel Rivollier,
Head of Equipment Maintenance with two members of
his team, Ali and Lounès

“After 19 years with the company in France, working

particularly on high-speed rail line projects, I must
admit that this new experience is extremely rewar-
ding. All the trades work side-by-side in an outstan-
ding organisational setup in spite of the complexity
linked to isolation and procurement issues.”
36 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Equipment

FOCUS

AN IMPRESSIVE RCC
CONVEYOR
An immense conveyor belt transports between 1,000 and 1,300 tonnes of
RCC per hour to the exact point where the dam is being built. Focus on this
highly specific piece of equipment.

Apart from the fact that it transports mountainside on ground-level supports

concrete, what is so special about the as is usually the case. The outcome was
Tabellout Dam Rotec conveyor is its ability a spectacular installation operation for
to adapt permanently to the elevation of those involved. The considerable insta-
the dam under construction. At the site, bility of the zone meant that it had to be
the lowest point of RCC delivery is at bypassed, with a part of the conveyor being
elevation 211 and the highest at elevation “perched” atop 20 to 40-metre pylons.
332 – a vertical lift of 121 metres. For this Gigantic piles were made to counter the
purpose, girders were required with parti- wind – which can blow quite strongly in the
cularly long spans between bearings and region – and seismic loads.
thick sections, making them very heavy The erection of heavy components (up to
(113 metres and over 80 tonnes for the 80 tonnes at a height of over 30 metres)
biggest). was a feat that will have to be repeated
At Tabellout, the geology of the moun- on dismantling when the conveyor will be
tain upstream of the dam prevented the considerably higher still. The operation
conveyor from being routed along the promises to be even trickier.

CARLOS THE EXPERT

This is Carlos Calle. This Colombian who
speaks more than five languages is none-
theless a master of the understatement.
He considers the Rotec conveyor to be
a “very practical system”. To a novice,
the famous conveyor belt that carries
concrete from the production plant to
the actual dam site is an extraordinary
installation. Both in terms of efficiency,
of course, and also in view of its highly
improbable construction along the moun-
tainside, made possible by the combined
experience of Jacky Legras and Carlos.
Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, India,
Pakistan... Carlos has worked all over the
world. With his sombrero and hard hat
wedged firmly together on his head, he
told us: “If Razel pulls off another dam
contract, I’ll stay”. And what’s his output
record? 1,400 tonnes per hour in Chile.
Hats off to Señor Calle.
37
38 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout
 39

13.5 KILOMETRES
OF TUNNEL
40 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Tunnel

A complex PROJECT
A 13.5 km transfer tunnel, 3.5 m in diameter, was originally intended
to transfer water to the Sétif high plains from the dam reservoir to the
pumping station. However the extremely complex subsoil has forced the
project to be revised.

The tunnel is being excavated with a hard- of our main constraint which is the small
rock tunnel boring machine to a diameter interior section of the tunnel which forces
of 4.30 metres in which precast concrete us to extend the length of the backup train,”
segments with an inside diameter of 3.50 commented Sylvain Mandégout, Tunnel
metres and an outside diameter of 4 metres Works Manager.
are placed. The TBM is 236 metres long in After the initial adjustment phases in early
total, including the backup train. “This 2012, the TBM quickly reached its contrac-
Sylvain Mandégout,
considerable length is the consequence tual cruising speed (25 metres per day) and
Tunnel Works Manager

Sylvain Mandégout,
Tunnel Works Manager

“To overcome these difficul-

ties, the Tunnel crews deve-
loped methods suited to the
local geological context with
the backing of the support
functions at head office.”
 41

A DISRUPTED • 9 March 2010: order to commence work. • From 8 May 2013  : tunnel strengthened
from Point 1575 to the TBM, to secure
• 27 December 2010: earthwork area of
SCHEDULE “South head” site handed over. access to the TBM.

• 8 January 2012: TBM erection phase 1 • Tunnel strengthening continued until the
started (shield and trailers 1 to 16). rear of the TBM (A 2162) was reached on
14 october 2013.
• 29 February 2012: tunnelling started.
• TBM restoration began on 12 october
• 16 March 2012: TBM stopped at Point 2013.
even peaked at over 44 metres. Record 163.82 for TBM erection phase 2.
• TBM restarted on 12 november 2013.
progress of 195.51 metres was achieved in • 31 March 2012: tunnelling resumed.
the week 8–13 March 2014 and 739 metres 1,282 metres excavated in 2.5 months • TBM production suspended from 7
with peaks at 38.40 metres per day. December 2013 to 2 January 2014, for
in a month!
the installation of a further 260 HEB-200
And yet the race was by no means already • 26 June 2012: TBM jammed at Point arches (representing 254 tonnes of steel).
won. The TBM was in fact brought to an 1462. Significant fissuring appeared on
abrupt stop as a result of a highly intense precast segments from Point 1350. • 18 January 2014, after 208.85 metres of
excavation with peaks at 33.60 metres
convergence* phenomenon in the surroun- • 1 December 2012: tunnelling resumed per day, tunnelling was stopped at Point
ding terrain which jammed the TBM skirt after releasing the shield. 3347.02 due to another geological event
(see panel opposite). which lifted the TBM and the last rings
By the week following resumption, major fitted.
degradation began to appear on the precast
Surprising subsoil segments 24 to 48 hours after the TBM had The TBM was lifted 15 cm during the wee-
passed, whereas they were intact when kend shutdown (out of production), and the
This incident illustrates the complexity of they were put into place. rings at the rear of the TBM were lifted 21
the Algerian subsoil which continues to These issues meant that the TBM had to cm. 7 cm of displacement to the left was
surprise and create difficulties. The TBM is be immobilised several days a week while also observed.
required in fact to work through variable, the segments were strengthened by anchor
bolts or by arches. • After installing major reinforcements and
hardly explored geological formations planing the lifted ring (to free the section
(limestone, sandstone, marl and shale with • 12 February 2013: tunnelling stopped
of passage for the backup train), the TBM
due to suspicious movements identified
various degrees of weathering). restarted on 2 February 2014,
in the area around Point 1575.
Illustration of the same order at the • The TBM reached the Imnar river at Point
dam earthwork site: a landslide on the The TBM had reached Point 2835, so 1,372 4483 on 1 April 2014. Excavation was
downstream left bank resulting in a volume metres had been excavated in 2.5 months suspended on the Contracting Authority’s
of material corresponding to a fifty-plus- since the shield had been freed, with peaks instruction pending a decision on the
metre slab of cliff toppling into the valley at 44.40 metres per day. solution for continuation of the project.
bottom.
Since 29 February 2012, the TBM had only • 14 February 2013: tunnel collapsed at
been able to make progress on 203 days, Point 1575.
representing less than eight months’ pro- • From 14 February to 13 March 2013:
duction. The average daily production rate tunnel secured downstream of the col-
reached 21.95 metres, in spite of four start- lapse (A1198 to A1305) for safe access to
up and ramp-up phases. the collapsed zone.
Last June, over the whole of the tunnel • From 14 March to 7 May 2013: collapse at
excavated to date, almost half of the rings Point 1575 cleared.
42 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Tunnel

showed signs of degradation. In order to tunnel, laboratory tests and core sampling
secure the tunnel up to the TBM, 1,214 pre- from the surface. An airborne LIDAR sur-
cast-segment rings had to be strengthe- vey was also performed over 770 hectares
ned, 2,310 arches (requiring 1,800 tonnes between 12 and 17 February 2014. This
of steel) installed in very difficult condi- surveying method is very quick and over-
tions, 1,120 anchor bolts of various types comes problems where the terrain to be
inserted, 114 circumferential drains made, surveyed is difficult to access (in our case,
and reinforcement grouting applied to 296 the steepness and safety issues prevented
points. conventional direct measuring).
An experimental tunnel is being excavated
since 3 May 2014 in the existing tunnel at
Reconnaissance, surveys and Point 1544. The purpose of this tunnel is
to take samples of untouched terrain and
experimental tunnel carry out specific geotechnical tests which
were scheduled to be completed on 10
In order to gain a better understanding of
August 2014. The following tests will be
the behaviour of the surrounding terrain
conducted to characterise the mechanical
and prepare a solution for the resumption behaviour of the terrain better: plate load
of excavation, an additional reconnaissance tests, flat jack tests and extensometer
campaign was ordered by the Employer, rings.
including topographic surface surveys,
geotechnical testing in an experimental

THE SPECIALISTS
Mathias Trémolières, Head of Equipment Resources, and
David Ledet, Lead Electrician, have solid background in
the construction industry and in expatriation. The tunnel
equipment specialists were trained by Jacky Legras.
“After informing us, Jacky is now deforming us!”, they
joked. “We mean that Jacky is not shy in transferring
knowledge and ensures that hand-overs and everyone’s
integration into the team go smoothly,” Mathias pointed
out. “And this is easier said than done on a multicultural
worksite such as Tabellout where some juggling was
needed so that everyone works well together.
The Chinese, being willing and disciplined, have picked up
the rhythm particularly quickly”
 43

Zhou Jun,
Head of Maintenance

“Originally from Sichuan, in central-western

China, I have been integrated by the French
and Algerian teams really well. The managers
are young, dynamic and enthusiastic.
Our Head of Equipment Resources knows the
whole line. He’s young and a very good boss.
Razel has really understood the challenges
of multicultural worksites.”

Sofiane Bounefa,
TBM Operator

“Here, just like anywhere else, it’s the terrain

that has the final say. If the TBM can no longer
progress, I can take on jobs other than opera-
ting the TBM. I was trained by the French and,
in turn, I’ve trained some of them! It’s a com-
pany that conveys and develops trust.”
44 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout Tunnel

A SEGMENT
CASTING UNIT ON
SITE
The 43,000 25-cm-thick segments
measuring 1.20 metres in length
(four per ring) are prefabricated
on site in a segment casting unit
adjacent to the TBM. Production
began in late 2011 as soon as the
Italian-made moulds were delive-
red.

Continuing the project: levels,” Sylvain Mandégout pointed out.

According to the Consortium, changing
the solutions the TBM is essential if the decision is
made to continue underground. However
Numerous solutions for continuing the
the geological complexity is such that the
project have been studied with ANBT.
investigations currently in progress cannot
The first solution is to continue under-
guarantee that there will be no further geo-
ground.
logical hazards.
The current lining (25 cm thick) is not
Other solutions envisaged include the com-
suited to the exceptional terrain conditions
bined overground/underground solution,
encountered. Depending on the results
the overground-only solution or conti-
of the additional campaign, a new seg-
nuing tunnelling but diverting the path
ment thickness will have to be established.
to the east where the terrain is allegedly
Providing significant alterations are made,
more favourable with less overburden.
the current TBM can be used with seg-
ANBT will reach a decision on which solu-
ments up to 35 cm thick. “Over 35 cm,
tion to adopt in order to continue the pro-
Frédéric Coindon, we have planned to use a different high-
ject in November 2014.
Deputy Tunnel Works Manager power TBM designed for high convergence
 45

LEXICON
Convergence characterises the natural
tendency of terrain to close up after
boring. It provides evidence of the tec-
tonic forces present in the block and/
or the pressure applied by the weight
of the earth above the tunnel.

Project Data
Tunnel specifications
• Tunnel inside diameter: 3,500 mm
• Bored diameter: 4,300 mm
• Total tunnel length: 13,500 metres
• Excavation by hard-rock tunnel boring machine
•Precast concrete segments produced on site

Longitudinal profile
• Tunnel driven uphill
• Continuous 0.12% gradient

Tunnel boring machine

• Single-shield hard-rock TBM
• Installation of precast segments
• Closed skirt
• Shield length 9.5 metres
• Conical shield design
• Total length 240 metres
46 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout

PEOPLE AND
OCCUPATIONS
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48 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout People and occupations

A VILLAGE , on site
Claude Bourgis,
Administration and Accounts Manager

“With administrative, accounting and cashflow

services, the functions of the Administration and
Accounts Manager cover a wide scope. We are
the hidden face of the projects but also the point
towards which everything converges. On a self-
sufficient worksite such as Tabellout, and Koudiat
before that, we like the production teams have
to be autonomous and proactive, even if we can
count on the backing of the Algiers agency and
the head office’s support functions. Another less
well-known aspect of the job is the management
of ancillary operations such as catering. The orga-
nisation of life on the worksite must be spot-on
to ensure total staff satisfaction. Quality is at the
heart of our approach.”
 49

Catering organisation
In total, on the dam and tunnel sites
• 8 base camps
• 2 food storage areas equipped with cold rooms
• 2 laundries
• 1 bakery
• 84 catering staff

Left to right:
mEdicaL Samia Mesbout, Samira Ancel, Nacira Ancel.
services
Each site has its own sick bay and an
ambulance for transfers to hospital
where necessary. Two medical crews,
each comprising three people (a doctor,
a nurse and an ambulance driver), work
shifts to providing 24/7 cover.

Thomas Montagne,
Assistant Admin & Accounts Manager
50 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout People and occupations

Joël Rémy,
Site Director of Human Resources

“With local staff and expats from all over the world, this worksite’s lifeblood
is multicultural. The prime asset of this complex project, from an industrial
and technical aspect, lies in the high level of know-how of the teams
working on it. Some of the best-qualified staff hired for the Koudiat
Acerdoune project have followed the company on to this new challenge.
These experienced members of staff helped pass on know-how to the new,
locally hired workers at both sites.
In 2014, the average local workforce across both sites totalled 1,084 people,
to which we can add 57 expats.
Production staff represent 94% of the overall workforce – 54% for the works,
36% for the equipment and production facilities and 4% for the operational
support services (laboratory, surveying and methods). Functional support
service staff represent 6% of the workforce and are assigned to administra-
tive, financial, human resources, safety and general resources tasks.
The staff works six days a week from Saturday to Thursday, with a
continuous shift system in operation for the production teams.
A staff transport service is provided between the various towns
where the staff live and the two sites.
In order to meet production targets, our various organisations have
to be optimised, hands-on management is provided by supervisors and
our human resources support teams are responsive and receptive
to our operatives’ concerns.”
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52 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout People and occupations
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54 RAZEL-BEC / magazine No. 05 / April 2015
Special Edition Destination Tabellout People and occupations
55
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