HOBAS Waterkrachtsystemen

In the early 1960s, Gommerkraftwerke in the Binn Valley in the Swiss canton of Valais was searching for a suitable material for the pressure pipeline to its hydropower plant. Around the same time, Swiss mechanical engineers were thinking about other applications for their textile dyeing rollers. It was to be a stroke of luck, as when Gommerkraftwerke heard about the pipes' excellent properties and low weight, the choice of material was clear – and they used the centrifugally cast GRP pipes for the three-kilometer-long, very steep sloping DN 1000 pipeline. Because the material is so light, they only needed relatively simple equipment to install the pipeline quickly. In the steep, rugged terrain of Switzerland's Binn Valley, the HOBAS Pressure Pipeline has proved so reliable that it has been in service for over 50 years now.

HOBAS Hydropower Pipelines have a small roughness coefficient and mirror-like inside surfaces - they achieve minimal pressure loss and therefore maximal mass flow. Compared to other pipe materials the higher flow rate at same diameters results in more output. Since the pipes are often laid in mountainous and rough terrain, the durable yet light HOBAS Pipes tip the scales in the decision-making process: their easy handling reduce installation time for more cost savings.