Geotrade Tiefbauprodukte GmbH is based in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria, and is respected and renowned as a reliable distributor of hydropower parts far beyond Austria’s national borders. Mainly serving the needs of the construction industry, the company’s portfolio includes pipes, shafts, moulded parts and related accessories for a wide range of applications. Geotrade’s portfolio for the hydropower sector focuses on glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes and ductile cast iron pipes for the GEOCAST product line. The robust material properties of GEOCAST pipes ensure the system is predestined for use wherever geological conditions are challenging. Last year the GEOCAST system was awarded ÖVGW certification, so it can now be used for drinking water conduits too.

Geotrade was originally founded 18 years ago in Ried in the Riedmark area of the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. In 2020, it was re-established as Geotrade Tiefbauprodukte GmbH. Over the years, what started as a one-man-show has grown into a team of skilled specialists and experts. Today, Geotrade also runs bases in Switzerland and Germany. During zek HYDRO’s visit to the company in the Mühlviertel region CEO Robert Frühwirth underlined the immense importance of the hydroelectric sector for Geotrade: “As our name suggests, we mainly trade in civil engineering products such as piping, shafts, containers and the requisite accessories for drinking water, sewage water and infrastructural projects such as road construction. Our pipe material is of course also used for hydropower applications – which have always been a central source of commercial demand.”

TRANS-EUROPEAN SUPPLY CHAIN
Geotrade doesn’t limit its choice of suppliers to within Austria’s borders, Frühwirth con­tinues: “We source products from manufac­turers all over Europe to guarantee customers an immense range of supreme-quality, attractively-priced components.” Geotrade offers hydropower station water conduit infrastructure in the form of glass-fibre-reinforced plas­tic (GRP) pipes and ductile cast iron pipes. GRP pipes are manufactured via winding and centrifugal casting methods as DN300 to DN4000 elements, and are supplied by SUPERLIT. Excellent material properties such as low weight, homogenous wall structure, excellent wear coefficients, high static stress resilience and an extremely smooth inner surface ensure GRP piping is in demand far beyond the field of hydropower applications. ÖNORM B5161-certified pipes are used for waste water disposal, industrial applications, for building shafts and containers, storage systems and in trenchless pipeline construction.

GEOCAST APPROVED FOR DRINKING WATER APPLICATIONS
Geotrade distributes its ductile cast iron pipe portfolio under the banner of the GEOCAST brand, states Robert Frühwirth: “Our GEOCAST system and the TJ, RJ and RJS connection systems comply with internationally applicable standards, as well as the domestic ÖNORM EN 545 and ÖNORM B2599-1 inspection benchmarks. ÖVGW certification means these products can also be used for drinking water conduits. Ductile cast iron pipes and moulded parts, using the TJ, RJ and RJS connection systems for untreated water, also meet the recognised, market-specific stipulations of the current ÖNORM B2599-1 and ÖNORM EN 545.” The CEO rounded off by explaining the strictly regulated certification process was particularly tough and complex. Material tests were staged by an independent institute. Production samples were randomly chosen at the manufacturing plant, after which an entire range of tests was carried out in compliance with the applicable norms and regulations. The results of the complex range of material tests were submitted to the ÖVGW. Relevant certification was only awarded when all ÖVGW inspections had been passed. Approval for the use of these pipes for drinking water applications has now been granted.
GEOCAST pipes and accessory moulded parts are available in sizes from DN80 to DN1000, and delivered in industry-standard lengths of 6 m. “As a rule, whenever additional pipes and moulded parts are required on the construction site, our contracted suppliers are able to deliver within a matter of days. To cov­er all eventualities, we usually send addi­tional moulded parts to construction sites and, if not used, they can be returned without complications. Geotrade provides all installation workers with relevant training before pipe installation procedures commence” the CEO concluded.

SOLID PARTNER
Products from the GEOCAST portfolio are sourced by renowned international manufacturers from the cast iron pipe sector, such as Svobodny Sokol and Materbud. All manufacturers guarantee ISO 9001-compliant quality management. Svobodny Sokol is one of the oldest companies in Central Russia and has been active in the field of metallurgical production for more than 100 years. Based around 400 km south of Moscow, the company now focuses on the production of pipes and moulded ductile cast iron elements. GEOCAST’s moulded parts are sourced from Materbud, a Polish company founded in Gdansk in 1992 after the fall of the Iron Curtain. It has since become a major European manufacturer of ductile cast iron pipeline parts.

PIPES FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS
In alpine environs the geological conditions affecting the installation of turbine pipelines are often exceedingly challenging. “Using ductile cast iron pipes well known for their robust material properties allows plant operators to be sure they can cope with even the toughest ground conditions”, says Robert Frühwirth. Basically, the ductile cast iron pipes are made from recycled metals; clearly a ‘plus’ in ecological terms. Production begins with conventional grey cast iron – to which magnesium is added, generating spheres of carbon that create ductile cast iron with significantly enhanced mechanical and stress-bear­ing properties. The outer coating of the GEOCAST pipes with TJ, RJ and RJS connectors consists of a zinc coating and an epoxy resin protective coat. In most underground conditions, this coating protects the piping systems from corrosion damage for decades. The interior is protected by an anti-corrosive cement mortar layer. Cement mortar is used during centrifugation for GEOCAST pipes. At the end of the processing phase the limited proportion of cement, and the use of filling material requiring the addition of very little water, produces a very, hard, compact and impermeable protective layer. The material benefits of ductile cast iron pipes are the sums of their parts, and appreciated by far more than just the operators of hydroelectric power plants around the world. These properties include high static strength, indestructibility and longitudinal force-lock connection technology. Depending on dimensions, the pipe ends allow a change of direction of up to 5° within the connecting sleeves. GEOCAST pipes also offer several commercial benefits, such as rapid, low-cost installation, in most cases excavated material is suitable to re-use, they age slowly and exhibit excellent technical and functional longevity.

COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF REFERENCES
Geotrade now has a reference list featuring several successful projects with the GEOCAST system. One of the most recent hydropower projects was completed in almost record time last autumn in the Styrian town of Eisenerz. Between September and November 2000 m of DN700 pipeline were installed with­in three months for the penstock during the construction of a new hydropower plant. Four excavators worked in parallel to com­plete the project before winter arrived. Robert Frühwirth explained: “Once again, the Eisen­erz project showed the remarkable building progress that can be achieved with the GEOCAST system; and the award of ÖVGW certification now allows us to offer our ductile cast iron pipes for drinking water conduit applications too.”