underground ammunition facility story - mindef singapore · 7/27/2001 · underground ammunition...

TheTheUUndergroundndergroundAAmmunition mmunition FFacility acility StoryStory

TheUndergroundAmmunition Facility Story

The demand for space @ home…

extends to military landuse…

especially for ammunition storage

because land needs to be sterilised as safety buffers

Seletar East Ammo Depot had to go, to make way for other development

Seletar East Ammo DepotSeletar East

Ammo Depot

The search for a new ammo depot site started…

Seletar East Ammo DepotSeletar East

Ammo Depot

“Where could we find space?”

Beginning of a dream…

The answer could be right here!

“Could we go underground?”

Selecting Mandai quarry…

Selecting Mandai quarry…Excellent granite rock quality

Selecting Mandai quarry…The quarry offers easy access underground

Creating large rock caverns

Minimisinglanduse

Developing a safe and operationally efficient facility

Key challenges faced…

Addressing major technology gaps

Optimising rock cavern space

Bridging the technology gap

NATO UK ESTC US DoD

Technology review…Existing safety standards too conservative

Comprehensive technology development…

Numerical modeling

on rock cavern design and construction…

Rock engineering studies

and to validate the UAF safety design

Ground shock tests

Small-scale tests

and to validate the UAF safety design

Blast Door in positionBlast Door in positionLaying of explosivesLaying of explosivesBackfillingBackfillingReady for testReady for test

Blast door test under the hot desert Sun in New Mexico

and to validate the UAF safety design

Passed

Tunnel explosion tests in the cold winters of Sweden

Barricade

Entrance Portal Existing Klotz

Group Tunnel

Debris Traps

Detonation Chamber

Slot Tunnel

Debris Trap

Main Tunnel

Access Tunnel

and to validate the UAF safety design

Our collaboration partners from overseas…

USA• DTRA• Sandia NL• ERDC• NFESC

Sweden • FOI• CarlBro

Norway• NDEA• Norconsult• Selmer

NATO AC/326 SG5 UGAS

Custodian Grp(AC/258UGSWG)

Switzerland• BK & P

KLOTZ GROUP

…and in Singapore

Singapore• NUS• NTU• IHPC

Protective Technology Research Centre (PTRC),

NTU

Institute of High Performance

Computing (IHPC)

Centre for Protective Technology (CPT),

NUS

So how safe are we?

Large Storage

Chambers

Innovative safety features

Debris Trap

Debris Trap

Large Storage

Chambers

Blast Doors

Innovative safety features

Expansion Chamber

Expansion Chamber

Innovative safety features

Debris Trap

Debris Trap

Large Storage

Chambers

Blast Doors

High High Barricade Barricade

WallWall

Innovative safety features

Expansion Chamber

Expansion Chamber

Debris Trap

Debris Trap

Large Storage

Chambers

Blast Doors

Groundbreaking in 1999…

and the rock excavation begins

The construction…Drilling

Blasting Mucking out Scaling

Shotcreting

Some interesting factsThe granite is 220 million years old (Triassic Period)Granite is 6 times stronger than concrete

Some interesting factsTotal length of drill holes for blasting: 3,000 kmAmount of explosives used for rock blasting: 4,000 tons

Some interesting factsNumber of blasts: 5,560Number of rock bolts: 60,000

Our achievements

A state-of-the-art ammunition storage facility

Land savings…up to 90% compared to aboveground storage,

and 300ha land saved, equivalent to ½ of Pasir Ris New Town

New explosives storage safety standards…

incorporated into NATO safety manual

Publications

More than 70 technical papers!

“… a new frontier in land use in Singapore has been opened ...”DPM Dr Tony TanPhase 1 Completion Blast Ceremony on 27 Jul 2001

Promoting the use of underground space…

…with other agencies

Land Transport Authority

Singapore Police ForceMinistry of National

Development

Head of Civil Service

Promoting the use of underground space…

Ongoing oil and hydrocarbon storage cavern development on Jurong Island

The moversAmmo Depot Steering CommitteeSAF Joint Logistics DepartmentDefence Science & Technology AgencySembCorp Design and Construction Pte Ltd

SITE TEAM

DESIGN TEAMSAF USERS

MANAGEMENT TEAM

THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Today,

the UAF is ready.

to be continued…

The UAF Story…