PIPE JOINING | MACHINERY
End-to-end: advances in plastic pipe joining
Because pipe joining is such a critical factor in raising installation efficiency, installers are keen to understand the latest guidance – and use the latest equipment
Pipe installation often proves to be the bottleneck of an infrastructure project. Other than pipe that is made continuously onsite – such as on a mobile extruder – pipe lengths must be joined together at the construction site. For this reason, installers are keen to ensure that this can be done as quickly and easily as possible – especially in challenging environments. McElroy of the USA says that its Talon fusion machine has been used to fuse large diameter pipe sections for a hydropower project in Alaska. Alaska has nearly 50 hydropower facilities, and
the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Plant is the largest. The Homer Electric Association wanted to boost its power capacity, but to do this it needed more water in Bradley Lake. This involved building a 10,000 ft HDPE pipeline to divert glacier runoff from Battle Creek to Bradley Lake – across steep, rugged terrain in a remote location. The Talon — McElroy’s largest fusion machine —
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was designed to handle the increasing use of pipe up to 2000mm. The company wanted a safer, more efficient way to fuse large-diameter pipe – because the larger the pipe, the higher it must be loaded up and over into a traditional fusion machine, which requires the assistance of large, onsite material- handling equipment. The solution was to turn the machine upside down and incorporate a unique jaw design. This allows it to drive over pipe and lift it up from the ground, position it for fusion, and move from joint to joint down the pipeline. However, most previous jobs had been carried
out in flat, straight environments. This one featured steep upward and downward gradients of 17-18%, and tight corners. The 1600mm (63in) HDPE pipeline would be fused up the side of a mountain on a narrow roadway – not much wider than the Talon itself. Factors to take into consideration in the analysis of joint reports included the pipe thickness of the
May 2021 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 33
Main image: McElroy’s Talon fusion machine has been used for a hydro- power project in Alaska
IMAGE: MCELROY
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