707 Meters in a Single Drill! Guide Technology Assists in the Successful Completion of the World's Deepest Highway Shaft

On June 13th, a ceremony was held at the construction site of the Tianshan Victory Tunnel on the Xinjiang Urumqi-Yuli Expressway to witness the successful completion of a 707-meter-deep shaft drilled in one go using a full-face hard rock vertical tunneling machine, marking a world record.

The Tianshan Victory Tunnel is a key control project of the Xinjiang Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, stretching 22.1 kilometers and ranking as the world's longest highway tunnel.The 2#-1 shaft of the tunnel was excavated using the "Shouchuang" vertical tunneling machine, the world's first ultra-large diameter full-face hard rock vertical tunneling machine independently developed by CCCC (China Communications Construction Company). Despite adverse conditions, including an altitude of 3,660 meters and temperatures as low as -40℃, the machine successfully achieved a 707-meter-deep full-face excavation of the shaft with a diameter of 11.4 meters, setting multiple world records for the depth, diameter, and altitude of vertical shafts excavated by highway vertical tunneling machines. This achievement represents a new benchmark for the integration of major engineering projects with technological innovation and industrial advancement.

The VFD cabinets (liquid-cooled) for the cutterhead, return drainage pump VFD cabinets (air-cooled), and mud pump VFD cabinets (air-cooled) of the "Shouchuang" machine were all provided by Guide Technology. GUIDE's self-developed shield tunneling dedicated VFD cabinet design is advanced, featuring high power density, strong de-trapping capability, and excellent motor synchronous control performance, fully meeting the requirements of the hard rock tunneling machine's main drive and auxiliary control systems. Among them, the eight 350 kW cutterhead motor VFDs utilize Guide Technology's self-developed high-performance liquid-cooled VFDs, whose open-loop vector control performance reaches international advanced levels. These VFDs can control the motor to output up to 200% of the rated torque at zero speed, with consistent and precise torque output. Paired with Guide Technology's synchronous control algorithm, they can swiftly respond to fluctuations in the cutterhead load while ensuring that the imbalance in torque and current among the cutterhead motors is controlled below 2% of the rated value, enabling the hard rock tunneling machine to adapt to various complex geological conditions and safeguarding the safe and efficient construction of the tunnel.

With the successful completion of the 2#-1 shaft of the Tianshan Victory Tunnel, the construction of the Xinjiang Urumqi-Yuli Expressway has taken a crucial step forward. In the future, it will enable a half-hour crossing of the Tianshan Mountains, significantly enhancing regional transportation efficiency and injecting strong impetus into the economic and social development of Xinjiang. In this world-class project, Guide Technology has demonstrated China's hardcore strength in high-end equipment manufacturing through its independently innovative high-performance frequency conversion drive technology, assisting the "Shouchuang" vertical tunneling machine in overcoming extreme environmental challenges. Looking ahead, Guide Technology will continue to adhere to technological innovation, providing solid support for the development of national key equipment and forging ahead on the journey of serving national major projects and contributing to the construction of a transportation powerhouse.