Airport expansion in the desert

The cities of Dashoguz and Turkmenabat are located in the Karakum desert region. With an area of over 400,000 km2, this accounts for around 90 percent of Turkmenistan’s total territory. At summer temperatures of 30 °C, the desert sand heats up to 70 °C. By contrast, temperatures in winter can average between 5 °C and -6 °C.
Work on expanding the capacity of the passenger terminal in Dashoguz began in 2013. This involved building a VIP terminal, a 50 metre high air traffic control tower, a new apron for aircraft parking bays, five taxiways and a runway measuring 3,800 metres in length. Expansion of the airport complex in Turkmenabat, 500 kilometres to the southeast, also started in 2013. This entailed construction of a new terminal, an air traffic control tower, a refuelling station and a 2,800 metre runway.

A proven team

ILF GmbH of Munich was appointed as the planning specifier for both projects and construction was entrusted to Altcom. This Ukrainian company had already collaborated successfully with MC in the past and was keen to have a well-established partner it could rely on. From 2011, MC made itself available on site, providing know-how and technical support to develop a concrete mix capable of reliably meeting the extreme environmental conditions of the Karakum desert. In addition to the high temperatures, the development team had to learn to deal with the not-always-ideal raw materials, including an extremely fine desert sand and just a single type of cement. Ultimately, with MC-PowerFlow 3100 and Centrament Air 202, a suitable concrete formulation was developed.

The right mix

MC-PowerFlow 3100 is based on the latest PCE technology from MC. Its effect is immediate due to accelerated adsorption, giving high early strength with above-average water savings and economical dosage quantities to produce concretes with very low stickiness. This both facilitates and accelerates the concrete laying and installation process. The air-entraining agent Centrament Air 202 renders the concrete even smoother, easier to process and more compactable. It exhibits high resistance to both frost and freeze/de-icing agent cycling, with millions of micro-pores finely distributed in the cement stone ensuring that there is sufficient space for freezing water to expand.
A strong finish

In order to protect the green concrete from the high ambient temperatures, low humidity and wind during construction of the aprons and runways, the surfaces were treated with MC’s Emcoril concrete curing agent. Specifically approved for paved carriageways, this not only protects the concrete surface but also increases its long-term resistance.
In all, a total volume of over 500,000 m3 of varying concrete types was laid for these two Turkmenistan projects.  The logistics in particular had to be carefully planned and executed, given that all of MC’s admixtures had to be transported by truck over a two-week journey from Berezan in Ukraine, more than 3,500 kilometres away. Despite all the adversities, the result thoroughly satisfied all those involved in the project, with both airports able to resume operations as planned by the end of 2016.