ALLU’s David MacLynn says that the increasing popularity of ALLU’s Screener Crushers among pipeline construction contractors can be summed up in a simple equation, “Less machinery equals less fuel, less handling and less time.”
ALLU’s Screener Crusher adopts technology that enables soil excavated from a pipe trench to be screened back into the excavation.
According to Mr MacLynn the benefits of this technology are wide-reaching. “For the builder and contractor, this new working method in pipeline padding or back filling means significant savings in time and material costs, since the excavated soil does not have to be transported away and replaced with new soil.
“In addition, the process minimises the building of site roads, which means there is less traffic at the site.” He adds that a reduction in truck movements and the recycling of materials minimises environmental impacts and project costs by reducing the amount of material required to be purchased and imported.
“The double-handling of soil during pipeline construction is inefficient. Using one machine to excavate, screen and replace soil while trenching, will minimise the cost of equipment and time required on the construction site, increasing cost-efficiency and maximising profit.”
Buckets in action
Pipeline constructors in South Africa, Algeria and the United States have embraced this new technology.
Egyptian contractor Petrojet successfully implemented Screener Crushes while constructing the 350 km GK3 Lot 3 Pipeline with joint venture partner Saipem in Algeria. The project involved the construction of a 48 inch diameter gas pipeline system from Mechtatine to Tamlouka in the northeast of Algeria, then connecting the latter to Skikda and El-Kala, located on the northeastern coast of the country.
Spie Capag has enlisted ALLU to recycle the excavated trench soil for padding and backfilling, minimising the material exported and imported from the construction site of the 544 km Durban – Gauteng Pipeline in South Africa. ALLU buckets have reduce the number of truck movements to and from its work sites, decreasing both the environmental and CO2 impact of the project, as well as health and safety concerns with the reduction of vehicle movements on the site.
ALLU’s Screener Crushers operate in any terrain and temperature and a range of different screens are available depending on the nature of the materials being handled.
The largest bucket is 5 cubic metres, which would be attached to a 45 t excavator and has a production rate of 300 cubic metres per hour.
The company also provides ground stabilisation equipment for hard-to-trench terrain, which means that the company can provide the complete soil management package in all situations.