Balsam Laboratory: Tunnelling Material Solutions for Tunnel Construction Problems

Balsam Laboratory solves tunnel problems with the right material. We are a tunnelling materials manufacturer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a second office in Singapore. Our lead product is Jello-Mud, a lubricating annular bentonite grout that cuts thrust force on TBM drives and jacking force on pipe jacking drives. We also make TS G60 tail seal grease and TS B90 tail seal brushes, for tunnel engineers and tunnelling companies on tunnel construction projects worldwide.

Request Technical Information if you write the tunnel specification. Get Help on Site if a drive is already running and something is going wrong.

Balsam Laboratory at a Glance

Who We Are: A Tunnelling Materials Manufacturer That Solves Problems

Our tagline says what we do: Reinventing Tunnelling for a Sustainable Future. We do not see ourselves as only a materials supplier. We are problem solvers who pick the right material for the ground, the machine and the risk. Balsam Laboratory has 30 years of experience in tunnelling. With research universities and a large customer base, we have developed and refined tunnelling methods and materials used on more than 500 km of tunnels across Asia, North America and Europe. That track record is why engineers who compare manufacturers and suppliers can check our work project by project.

If you write a tunnel specification or run a drive, this page shows who stands behind the material, what has been tested, and where it has been used. We focus on the tunnel itself: the annular gap around the shield or pipe, the tail seal at the back of the machine, and the geotechnical conditions around both. We are a materials and technical support company for the tunnelling industry and underground works, not a machine builder. Our innovative solutions are built for large-scale infrastructure projects such as water intakes, metro and subway tunnels and railway tunnel drives.

Franck (Houqi) Peng, our Business Development Manager, is an author on both of our published papers and presents our work to the tunnelling industry.

Tunnelling and Underground Construction Materials We Make

As an annular grout supplier and a tail seal grease supplier, we make three products and support them with testing and on-site help.

• Jello-Mud annular grout: the next generation bentonite grout system for TBM, pipe jacking and microtunnelling drives. Injected into the annular space, it forms a stable, Jello-like layer that lubricates, supports the ground against settlement and blocks groundwater. Lubrication and high pressure water blocking are its main uses. It is also used for settlement control in sensitive areas. We call the way it is used the Jello-Mud Construction Method.
• TS G60 tail seal grease: our own specially formulated grease, OEM approved. It is highly anti-washout, adheres strongly to the brushes and pumps efficiently. With TS B90 brushes it forms a barrier that keeps backfill grout, water and soil out of the tunnel boring machine.
• TS B90 tail seal brush: designed to seal tunnel boring machines. It is rated for the sealing pressure of construction at depths of 50 meters, the industry standard rating, depending on the grease filling rate, the spacing of the brush rows and the grease used.

See the full products and services overview for all three products and the technical services below.

Technical Services for Tunnelling Companies and TBM Crews

Materials are only part of the job. Our range of services supports the people who run the machines that excavate the ground:

• Tail seal grease testing: density, consistency, pumpability, malleability, adhesion, vertical wash-out and dynamic water sealing leakage. We test any supplier's grease, and blind tests of several greases are welcome.
• On-site support: debugging and guidance at every stage of a tunnel project, for quality and safety on the drive.
• Ground improvement and stabilization: technical parameters and experimental plans for the soil conditions on your site.
• Training: on-site adjustment, application and training for crews.

Our Laboratory and How We Work

We run our own laboratory and work with research universities. That is where tail seal grease is tested against the performance indicators that matter in a drive. Our tail seal grease safety standard tests every property of a tail seal grease, and we promote it worldwide. Our engineering and technical expertise is built on that testing and on 30 years in the industry.

The method is simple:

• Understand the ground. We discuss the geological environment and the machine with your team.
• Test. We analyze the product against the performance indicators and report back, with steps that reduce the chance of a major accident in use.
• Set parameters early. Correct use and good parameter adjustment in the first stage of a tunnel project give a valuable technical reference for the rest of the tunnel excavation.
• Stay on site. We debug, adjust and train through the drive.
• Keep the drive moving. On long stoppages, Jello-Mud keeps the slurry in the chamber of a slurry TBM and the compressed air in the chamber of an EPB machine.

Selected Tunnel Projects and Underground Works

We document our work project by project. Six underground projects show the range of ground and machines. Ligang and Ningbo Jintang are the two most tunnelling clients already know. A successful project starts with the right material for the ground.

Ligang Water Intake: World Record Pipe Jacking Drive With No Inter-Jacks

Ligang is a 3,214.96 m world record single drive with no inter-jacks. It runs in DN2600 steel pipe under the Yangtze River, at depths over 40 m in water-saturated sand. Neither line used an inter-jack: the left line ran 3,214.96 m and the right line 3,208 m. The drive began on traditional bentonite slurry mixed with a thick slurry, at about 300% injection per station. Jacking force passed the design threshold early, at 8,000 kN at segment 77 (693 m), and the contractor switched to Jello-Mud right away. Force fell to 6,778 kN within 1 segment, about 15% lower, at about 140% injection per station, and stayed under the design threshold for the rest of the drive. Frictional resistance ended at about 10% of the value the standard predicts. The contractor estimated the drive could have gone about 4,000 m. The limit was the maximum force the steel pipe could take.

Ningbo Jintang: One of the Deepest TBM Tunnels in the World

The Ningbo Jintang ocean-crossing tunnel is the longest underwater high-speed rail tunnel in the world, with an 11.21 km undersea section, and one of the deepest tunnels excavated with a TBM. Two 14.57 m slurry shield TBMs worked at up to 86 m below ground. Thrust was 15% lower on the rings excavated with Jello-Mud, and the chamber held 4.35 bar after 20 days of downtime.

Shanghai Taopu: Sealing a Launch Portal in an Artesian Aquifer

A 4.91 m slurry shield started in silty sand under artesian water pressure. Jello-Mud was extruded from the portal ports with no gas or liquid leakage, and the contractor saved 85% of the portal-sealing material budget compared with cement grout.

Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Railway: EPB TBM Screw Conveyor Spewing Solved in 1 Day

In 2024 a 9.13 m EPB TBM drove 41 m deep through fissured weathered sandstone and fault zones, with little clay. The tunnel ran inside the water table. Groundwater diluted the cement grout and polyurethane, the screw conveyor spewed water and soil, and the project stood still for 12 months with no solution. Jello-Mud solved the spewing within 1 day, and air pressure held at 4.1 bar.

Shenzhen Shenda Railway: EPB Earth Pressure Balance Drive

A 9.13 m dual-mode slurry and EPB TBM drove a railway tunnel through soft soil, sand and rock, beneath integrated utility tunnels and airport runways. Jello-Mud injected through the mid-shield grouting holes held soil chamber pressure, and the screw conveyor stopped spewing soil.

Mississauga, Ontario: A Shaft Leak That Grouting Could Not Stop

Groundwater entered a secant pile receiving shaft at about 3 m³/h around a pipe penetration. A previous contractor had used a permeable fill where an impermeable one was needed. Cement and polyurethane grouting had not stopped it. Jello-Mud was injected through 1 port into the leak point, and the leak fell 80% right away. The contractor could then seal the secant pile wall with concrete.

Jello-Mud has a proven track record in Asia, North America and Europe. The full list of projects, with every machine size and location, is available on request.

Published Research and Industry Presentations

Our work has been published and presented, not only marketed:

• Application of Jello-Mud in Trenchless Tunnelling by Houqi (Franck) Peng and Liang Zhu, in Tunnelling into a Sustainable Future: Methods and Technologies (CRC Press, 2025).
• Quality Inspection System for Tail Seal Grease in Shield Tunnelling by F. (Franck) Peng, K. Lu, L. Zhu and J. Guo, in Connecting Communities Through Underground Infrastructure (CRC Press, 2026). It sets out a standard that tests every property of a tail seal grease. The standards in use now are about 20 years old.
• The Jello-Mud paper is also on the NASTT Knowledge Hub.
• Franck Peng presented at the British Tunnelling Society Young Members (BTSYM) conference in London on 29 November 2024.
• Franck Peng presented Jello-Mud to the Tunnelling Association of Canada, BC Chapter on 7 May 2025 and Ontario Chapter on 29 September 2026.

Memberships and Commitments

Balsam Laboratory is a member of the Tunnelling Association of Canada, ITA-AITES (the International Tunnelling Association), the SME Climate Hub and the Science Based Targets initiative. Sustainable progress is our bottom line.

Where to Find Balsam Laboratory

Vancouver office: 202 - 3737 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 2M4, Canada
Singapore office: Millenia Tower, Singapore
Email: administrations@balsamlaboratory.ca or fpeng@balsamlaboratory.ca
Phone: +1 (604) 765-5003

Send your project details through the contact page. One of our project managers will respond about the next step.

About Balsam Laboratory FAQ

Who Is Balsam Laboratory?

Balsam Laboratory is a Vancouver tunnelling materials manufacturer with a second office in Singapore. It solves tunnel problems with the right material: Jello-Mud annular grout, TS G60 tail seal grease and TS B90 tail seal brushes, backed by laboratory testing and on-site help.

Where Is Balsam Laboratory Located?

The head office is at 202 - 3737 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 2M4. A second office is in Millenia Tower, Singapore.

What Does Balsam Laboratory Make?

Jello-Mud annular grout for TBM, pipe jacking and microtunnelling drives (a microtunnel boring machine drive is a form of pipe jacking), along with TS G60 tail seal grease and TS B90 tail seal brushes for tunnel boring machines.

Who Does Balsam Laboratory Work With?

Tunnel and trenchless design engineers who write material specifications and handle procurement, contractors across the construction industry who run TBM and pipe jacking drives, and project owners who want proof from earlier projects.

How Long Has Balsam Laboratory Been in the Tunnelling Industry?

Balsam Laboratory has 30 years of experience, including more than 25 years in tail seal grease. Our materials and methods have been used on more than 500 km of tunnels.

Which Projects Has Balsam Laboratory Worked On?

Our work covers more than 500 km of tunnels across Asia, North America and Europe. The most notable recent project is Ligang, where Jello-Mud lubricated a 3,214.96 m world record single drive pipe jacking tunnel with no inter-jacks. Jello-Mud also has a proven track record on many other projects, including the Ningbo Jintang ocean crossing, one of the deepest TBM tunnels in the world.

How Do I Get Technical Data or a Safety Data Sheet?

Both are available on request. Send your ground conditions, machine and drive length through the contact page.

How Quickly Can Jello-Mud Be Delivered?

BSP 70, the Jello-Mud additive, has a quick turnaround. It then ships by truck, rail or sea freight, and air freight is available.

Does Balsam Laboratory Support Crews on Tunnel Boring Machines?

Yes. We provide on-site debugging, adjustment, application and training for crews on TBMs and pipe jacking drives, throughout the project lifecycle.

Talk to an Engineer About Your Tunnel

Planning a specification or fighting a problem on a live drive? Tell us the ground, the machine and the drive length.

Send Your Ground Conditions to request technical information, or Ask for Help on Your Site if work is already under way.