High-head dewatering treatment for vertical shafts and caissons with deep groundwater — lifting, clearing and correcting water from the bottom of the shaft for compliant discharge.
The engineering behind this application — flow estimation, treatment-train sizing and discharge compliance.
Dewatering and treatment for vertical shaft sinking and station excavation.
High-volume dewatering treatment for the connected tunnel drive.
Slurry separation for the TBM launched from the shaft.
Vertical shafts for TBM launch and reception, drop shafts and caissons are sunk through saturated ground, sometimes tens of metres deep. Water collected at the base is lifted under high head to a surface plant, arriving turbid and often disturbed by sinking and grouting works. This page frames the application; the linked engineering guide covers high-head pumping, flow estimation and treatment design.
Compact Surface Treatment for Deep Shafts
Shaft water arrives at the surface carrying excavation fines, grout residues and the high pH of cementitious construction. With only the shaft head available for plant, treatment has to be compact and tolerant of slugs of solids as each dig-and-line cycle disturbs the base. Our skid and containerised trains settle, clarify and pH-correct shaft water to consent, run automatically beside the shaft pumps, and lift out for reuse at the next shaft.
Plant configured for water lifted under high head from deep shaft sumps and caisson bases.
Buffering and lamella settlement absorb the solids slugs from each dig-and-line cycle.
Neutralisation of high-pH water from shaft grouting, ring sealing and base plugs.
Small-footprint plant that lifts out and moves to the next shaft on the alignment.
What Makes Shaft Water Difficult
Shaft water combines high pumping heads, confined plant space and a stop-start solids load. The treatment must stay reliable through every dig-and-line cycle with the minimum of attention.
Deep sumps mean high-head pumps and pressure-tolerant inlet arrangements.
Each excavation pass disturbs the base, sending slugs of fines to the surface.
Only the shaft collar is available for plant, so the train must be compact.
From Shaft Base to Compliant Discharge
Plant We Build Into These Trains
Coarse and fine screens remove debris, formwork waste and timber that would otherwise blind pumps and settlement plant.
View EquipmentHydrocyclones and sand traps strip abrasive sand and grit to protect pumps, valves and downstream media.
View EquipmentHigh-rate inclined-plate settlers achieve a large settling area in a small footprint for rapid TSS reduction.
View EquipmentAutomated acid/alkali dosing brings high-alkalinity or acidic groundwater within consent before discharge.
View EquipmentMultimedia and pressure filters polish settled water down to low single-figure NTU for tight consents.
View EquipmentPre-assembled, road-transportable treatment trains deploy in days and relocate as the works advance.
View EquipmentWhy Choose Reynolds & Bauhm
See how we estimate the flow, size the treatment train and prove the discharge for shaft construction dewatering.
Explore Other Dewatering Solutions
Dewatering and treatment for vertical shaft sinking and station excavation.
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