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WINEMAKING CORROSIVE LIQUIDS EFFICIENTLY, FOR PUMPING SOLIDSAND into the main fermentation hall and the second-year barrel storage room. The elevated deck (dubbed the "mezzanine" in working sessions) connects the ends of a smaller tunnel that crosses the upper portion of the larger cave. (See photo on page 44.) The mezzanine is reached via a winding staircase from the crush pad area above, arriving at a door in a cut rock face. Entering from that doorway (technically portal No. 3 but universally called the "Hobbit Hole,") a visitor proceeds down another stairway inside the small tunnel, arriving onto the mez- zanine. From there, the mezzanine overlooks tanks to the north and barrels to the south. The design also included adjustments such as the location of a building on top of the cave, a change in portal location required by a road set-back as well as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and safety considerations. Many of the alterations occurred while cave excavation was in progress. RIGHTPUMPFOR THEJOB. YOUNEEDTHE Gorman-Rupp Super U Series™ pumps are among the most efficient self-priming centrifugal pumps available. Their unique volute casing design minimizes friction loss and drag. Multi-vane, open impeller is designed for high efficiency, yet can still handle solids up to 1-1/4" in diameter. These pumps not only deliver high efficiencies (up to 75%), they also perform efficiently across a broad operating range. Excellent for transfer appli- cations where skins, seeds and stems are a problem. The external shimless adjustment makes it easy to keep the pump in peak operating condition. Pumps are available in 3", 4" and 6" discharge sizes, capacities to 1500 gpm, heads to 207 feet. Complete information at www.GRpumps.com Several geotechnical investigations preceded construction, and this author geologically mapped the property as well. All of the rock at Arkenstone is made from the Sonoma Volcanics, a 3 million to 5 million-year-old formation that yields some of the best wines from Napa Valley. One early plan included a long sec- tion of the cave that extended in an entirely different direction from the current orientation. However, mapping indicated that low ground cover and hard rock would be encountered, requir- ing underground drill-and-blast tunneling methods close to the surface and near a house under construction. While the latter issues could be addressed, the lack of groundcover would have deprived the cave of much of its thermal efficiency, a key objec- tive of the project. Whereas the excavation process is similar to underground mining, the rest of the cave installation is more like construction. Starting the job The Gorman-Rupp Company 600 S. Airport Rd. Mansfield, Ohio 44903 Phone: (419) 755-1011 • Fax: (419) 755-1251 e-mail: grsales@gormanrupp.com © Copyright, The Gorman-Rupp Company, 2010 46 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 C-352A Although relatively close by, the location where the desired cover could be achieved, and where the cave was ultimately built, pre- sented very different conditions. If the prior rock type was too hard to be ideal, the conditions quickly became too soft, com- prised of a white tuffaceous rock. While pre-construction drilling showed this rock to be very soft in places, the true impact of its nature was not appreciated at the time. The rock looked decep- tively dry as it was being cut, but the dust could turn into a wet, sloppy soup the minute it hit the ground. This discovery neces- sitated a major change in the excavation technique and some changes to the cave support. In this case, an arched subinvert (similar to completing a circle radius) was put beneath what was to be the final concrete floor for the larger rooms, with smaller excavations requiring a thickened, permanent sub-grade flat slab. One of the similarities between tunneling and mining is the use of an "engineer-as-you-go approach," which is often the best way to reduce construction costs and maximize the value to the client. Magorian Mining Services tested and corroborated its construction decisions through an ongoing peer review process, which included Scott Lewis and his colleagues at Condor Earth Technologies. After the initial entrance portal was put in, an excavator- mounted rotating cutter went to work, literally carving out the QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #437g