ARGENTINA has considerable gas reserves throughout the country, and over 2000km of main gas pipelines are under construction. The country’s wide variety of soils, and its varying climate, often make construction projects challenging. In order to help conquer the issues of providing the correct bedding and backfill materials for the varying conditions, Mauno MÌ_ntykoski from Ideachip’s office in Argentina and the Argentine Allu dealer Eco2site are combining forces to market the Finnish company’s products to pipeline contractors in the country who either construct new gas lines or repair old ones.
Like any other pipeline, one of the main issues in Argentina is the fragment size of the backfill. In order to demonstrate the screener-crusher’s capacities, a demonstration was organized on the construction site of a potential customer. The site is situated in Patagonia, at the southern end of South America, and the contract is for repairs and refurbishment of a 30-year old gas pipeline. The thinness of the old pipeline wall makes repair work very demanding, particularly as the pipeline must remain on-line during the rehabilitation work.
The first test was made with a SM 3-17 unit with 40-mm blades; the resulting fragment size was suitable for new gas pipelines, but not for repairing the old line. The next test was made with the same screener crusher, but equipped with an extra screen. The authorities found this alternative worked much more efficiently, and the customer purchased the unit for its application.