On February 25, as the last technical indicator passed acceptance inspection, the "Shuitou No. 6" earth pressure balance shield machine developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG) successfully passed acceptance and rolled off the production line. The equipment will be applied to the Renzhuang and Shangdian tunnels of the south main trunk pipeline of the Qianping Reservoir Irrigation District Project in Henan Province.

The "Shuitou No. 6" earth pressure balance shield machine has an excavation diameter of 4.97 meters and an overall length of approximately 153 meters. The total length of the tunneling section is about 5.5 kilometers, and the geology it passes through is complex, mainly consisting of mudstone intercalated with conglomerate, marl, and alternating layers of sandstone and mudstone. In response to these geological characteristics, CREG applied a number of innovative technologies, including a composite cutterhead for hard rock strata, cutter wear detection, super-large thrust and torque reserves, an integrated automatic pressure-maintaining manlock, integrated backup equipment, and aesthetically pleasing and humanized layout of pipelines and cables, endowing the shield machine with superior geological adaptability and effectively solving multiple challenges such as rock breaking, mud cake formation, confined spaces, high water pressure, and surface settlement.

In another report, on February 27, the "Shuitou No. 5" earth pressure balance shield machine developed by CREG was successfully launched at the Dahuoling Tunnel of Section 1 of the Qianping Reservoir Irrigation District Project in Henan Province, marking a spring construction boom in the Qianping Reservoir Irrigation District Project.

The "Shuitou No. 5" earth pressure shield machine launched this time has an excavation diameter of 3.86 meters and a total length of 147 meters. The Dahuoling Tunnel Project it is responsible for tunneling is the second-largest tunnel in the south main canal of the Qianping Reservoir Irrigation District Project and also the tunnel with the most complex geological conditions in the project. With a total length of 4.28 kilometers, it will pass through rock strata including sandstone, limestone, andesite, conglomerate, and shale, and is divided into sections with high groundwater levels, sections of alternating soft and hard rock, and shallow-buried sections, making construction highly difficult. In response to these geological characteristics, CREG applied a number of innovative technologies to effectively solve challenges such as rock breaking, high water pressure, ultra-small spaces, and crossing risk sources.

The Qianping Reservoir Irrigation District Project in Henan Province is one of the major water conservancy projects during Henan Province's 14th Five-Year Plan period. Upon completion, the project will form a modern irrigation system covering 2 cities and 5 counties, with an average annual diversion of 155 million cubic meters of water from the Qianping Reservoir, and will improve farmland irrigation area by 508,000 mu. It will play an important role in improving regional agricultural production conditions, enhancing the level of township water supply security, and promoting high-quality regional economic development.