McElroy’s machines are designed to be rugged and reliable, whether fusing in the Australian outback or the middle of a crowded metropolitan street.
Need proof? Look no further than in 2015, when fusion operator Jared Hall journeyed to the Dominican Republic of Congo (DRC), to install drinking water lines for seven villages.
The site was located in the Virunga National Park, which spans more than 7769 square km in Africa’s most biodiverse protected area. This UNESCO world heritage site is constantly threatened by war, poaching, and illegal activities as well as unpreventable natural disasters.
“Before we installed the pipeline, residents in the surrounding areas had to walk 6 km to get water,” Hall said.
Hall spent 45 days on site, leading a team which installed 25 km of six-inch HDPE water line using a TracStar® 618 and a TracStar 412 models. The lines were connected to three springs from nearby mountains to provide the drinking water.
To further complicate matters, Virunga National Park is home to Mount Nyiragongo, a 3470 m active volcano. Since 1882, the volcano has erupted at least 34 times and its lava often has the consistency of water, traveling at speeds of up to 104 km per hour.
Hall said that to keep the water lines out of harm’s way, the pipe was raised into the air once it was fused.
In 2021, Mount Nyiragongo erupted, forcing thousands of nearby residents to evacuate. The pipeline, however, remained undamaged.
“McElroy’s machinery made it possible to fuse in even the roughest conditions. Those machines were put to the test, and they passed with flying colours,” he said.
The TracStar 618 and TracStar 412 models have both undergone redesigns thanks to the feedback drawn directly from the field. The models are powered by powerful diesel engines – especially useful on jobsites where gasoline is not permitted.
Designed to butt fuse pipe sizes from 6-inch IPS to 18-inch OD (180 mm to 450 mm), the TracStar 618 offers a self-contained, self-propelled, track-mounted vehicle that can handle grades up to 30 per cent.
Similarly, the TracStar 412 is designed to butt fuse pipe sizes from 4-inch IPS to 12-inch DIPS (110 mm to 340 mm) and incorporates an interchangeable 4-jaw carriage which can be easily removed for in-ditch fusions. For tight installations, the outer fixed jaw and skid can be removed from the carriage converting it to a 3-jaw carriage for an even more compact fusion unit.
Both machines feature a new cowling design that aids in heat dissipation while providing easier access when machine maintenance is required.
More recently, Victoria-based GEM Industrial was faced with finding a HDPE solution to yet another unique problem – installing a trenchless pipeline that ran beneath the riverbed of the Nerang River. This project was part of a monumental undertaking by the city of Gold Coast in Queensland to increase the capture and treatment of millions of litres of wastewater so it could be used for irrigation.
Further complicating matters, the job had to be completed as quickly as possible – the Gold Coast is one of Australia’s top tourist destinations and experiences high levels of traffic. The pipe itself was up to 140 mm in thickness.
Using McElroy’s MegaMc® 1600 model, GEM Industrial was able to perform four to five fusions a day, for a total of 75 fusions. The MegaMc was used alongside a DataLogger® to record each step of the fusion process.
The MegaMc 1600 machine tackles large pipe jobs such as these with ease. The machine features 4 jaws each with 13,607 kgs of clamping force for improved gripping and re-rounding of pipe.
With an impressive 39,916 kgs of fusion force, operators can have faith that they will have extra force in reserve in order to overcome drag. The machine allows for butt fusion of most fittings without special holders or removal of the outer jaws and mitered inserts are available for fabricating Ls.
Hydraulic power assists all fusion functions, including the complete operation of the jaws, pipe lifts, heater, and facer.
The HDD contractor for the project dug pilot holes on each side of the Nerang River, drilling beneath the riverbed until the holes met in the middle. Once complete, the 900 m preassembled pipeline was string-towed 5 km along the Gold Coast shoreline, to the location where it would be installed beneath the riverbed.
In addition to being far more durable than traditional pipe materials, HDPE has a density that is slightly less than water, meaning that it will float – even if the pipe is full of water.
Back on land, the pipe was aligned with the borehole entrance, connected to a drill head, and pulled. The pipe, which weighed some 300 tonnes, took 30 hours to install.
McElroy understands the importance of fusing with confidence. Therefore, every piece of equipment is specifically designed to keep the job going, no matter the conditions, for as long as needed.
This article featured in the March edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
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