Super Engineering | Empowering Oriental Hub, Building Underground Pipeline Network "Power Lifeline" with Non Excavation Technology

2026-08-25

In the grand narrative of modern urban construction, transportation hubs serve as the core engine of urban development, carrying the important mission of connecting the inside and outside and driving the economy

Eastern Hub

The Asia Pacific aviation hub gateway that radiates globally

Key hub of domestic and international dual circulation

The passenger flow reaches 60 million people

The "Eastern Hub" is a large-scale comprehensive transportation hub that integrates transportation functions such as aviation, national railways, urban railways, and urban rail transit, as well as station and yard city development. With the design concept of "Jade Orchid of Light, Rising in the East", the architectural design incorporates elements of Shanghai city flower white magnolia, symbolizing the surging waves through streamlined roofs, showcasing the urban spirit of "embracing all rivers". After completion, it is expected to have a passenger flow of 60 million by 2035.

Initial stage of the project

Complex geological conditions: it is difficult to form a groove, and it is difficult to control the verticality

The complex geological conditions have become the primary challenge - the interwoven composite layers of underground confined water, clay layers, gravel layers, etc. make it difficult to form grooves, prone to collapse holes, and difficult to control verticality.

The ever-changing working environment: a huge engineering volume, a large area of restricted zones, and non-stop construction

Secondly, the large scale of the project, extensive non-stop construction in restricted areas, deep excavation of foundation pits, and strict control requirements for the protection of important pipelines collectively constitute a constantly changing working environment.

In this context, the project construction team has turned their attention to non excavation technology. Non excavation technology refers to a new construction technique that uses non excavation equipment to lay, update, or repair various underground pipelines under the minimum excavation area conditions.

一、 Non excavation technology

01. Reduce pollution by 90%: Avoid large-scale earthwork excavation, prevent soil deformation and settlement, and reduce dust pollution by 90%

02. Zero damage to pipelines: precise control of construction trajectory to ensure zero damage to existing pipelines

03. Reduce costs by 25% : Shorten the construction period by 40% and reduce overall costs by 25%

This technology solves the limitations of the traditional "trench burying method" in construction, with the advantages of not polluting the environment, not affecting traffic, minimal damage to the geological structure, safe and reliable construction, short cycle, and no need for transportation and stacking of miscellaneous soil, bringing efficient social and economic benefits to project construction.

MPP power pipe in ERA

The successful application of non excavation technology has greatly improved the compatibility of pipes with it

Strict requirements. The pipe material needs to meet the requirements of continuous operation in high-pressure and high friction environments

Crossing different soil layers such as clay layers and gravel layers. If the tensile strength of the pipe is not strong,

Extremely prone to breakage; If the bending performance does not meet the standard, it may be due to trajectory deviation

Causing construction failure, and any interface leakage or pipe wall scratches may lead to

To rework the entire line.

And the ERA MPP power pipe can achieve a ring stiffness of over 40kN/m2,

The drag length can reach over 1000 meters, and the tensile strength is greater than 25MPa

Enduring high pressure and load, deeply buried underground and not easily deformed; Its connection port is adopted

The hot melt welding connection method has excellent sealing performance, and the strength of the interface under tension and pressure is perfectly compatible with the strength of the pipe itself, which is suitable for non excavation technology. It has been applied to the underground power pipeline system construction of the T3 terminal of the "Pudong International Airport Phase IV Expansion Project", the core project of the Oriental Hub, providing the optimal solution for the construction of the "power lifeline" of the Oriental Hub.

01 Resilient Protection in Offshore Environments

The eastern end of Terminal 3 is close to the East China Sea, and in the high-temperature, high humidity, and high salt coastal soil environment, the pipes need to cope with multiple challenges such as external corrosion, local high temperatures caused by internal power cable operation or overload.

The MPP power pipe is made of inert material polypropylene, with a Vicat temperature of over 93 ° C. It is resistant to high temperatures without deformation and has strong impact resistance at -5 ° C. It has good corrosion resistance and can resist the erosion of acidic and alkaline substances in soil. Its service life is up to 70 years, building an indestructible defense line for the electrical safety of the terminal building.

02 Reliable support in stable transmission

The normal operation of Terminal 3 relies on a continuous and stable power supply. Whether it is passengers waiting, purchasing tickets, entering and exiting the station, or surrounding commercial operations and public services in the square, it is required that the power supply cannot be interrupted. Once there is a problem, it will directly affect the flow of people and passengers.

In this context, the ERA MPP power pipe can withstand high voltages of over 100000 volts, with smooth inner walls and no scaling. Its equivalent absolute roughness ratio on the inner surface is 1/20 that of steel and 1/10 that of fiberglass pipes. It has stronger flow capacity and can ensure the fast and stable output of current by the wires, providing reliable power support for the stable operation of the terminal building.

In addition, the ERA PP-R water supply series and supporting products such as steel wire mesh reinforced polyethylene composite pipes for water supply have simultaneously entered the construction of the Shanghai East Railway Station area, providing a comprehensive underground pipeline network solution for the Oriental Hub. This is another reflection of ERA's continuous practice in the municipal field, and also a powerful proof of ERA's high-quality solutions, high-performance products, and efficient services.

At present, the footprints of the national transportation hub empowered by the ERA have spread throughout the country. Beijing Daxing International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao Comprehensive Transportation Hub, Xiong'an Railway Hub, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport In the future, ERA will enable more super engineering projects to soar with higher quality products and services, writing a new chapter of leap from Made in China to Created in China.