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Note From The Editor
Greetings,
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In 2010, athletes from around the world will gather in Vancouver, Canada, for the Winter Olympic Games. Just a scenic four-hour drive to the northeast, high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) is put through riggers typical of an athlete. At the Highland Valley Copper mine, high-density polyethylene pipe must be flexible, sturdy, strong, have longevity and perform in eight different ways. Even with solids, such as slurry pouring through the pipeline, Canada’s largest copper mine demands a gold-medal performance.
“We put polyethylene pipe through hoops you don’t see all the time,” says John York, mill shop planner at Highland Valley Copper. “I started here in 1983, and we still have pipes from 1983 in use.”
McElroy fanatics through and through, the 12 pipefitters and four apprentices at Highland Valley Copper spend their work shifts fusing (HDPE) exclusively with McElroy equipment. An army of McElroy fusion equipment plays a huge part in butt fusing pipe for discharge tailings lines, water supply lines, culvert lines that control water and snow runoff, sump basins discharge lines for ground seepage and dam leakage, contaminated water discharge lines, pump discharge lines, potable water lines for the mill and to protect electrical lines that traverse crossings and roads. Pipes ranging from 4” to 36” in diameter cover the premises in droves. It’s tough to find a piece of the property that doesn’t have HDPE nearby, making everything run smoothly on the approximately 34,000 hectares.
Over a few cloudy days in September, Dennis Schmidt and Todd LeDoux were fusing previously utilized 18-inch DR 17 pipe with a TracStar 618. The pipe was originally part of the tailings lines that gets the worst abuse on the property. Whereas HDPE is most commonly used for gas and water, the tailings discharge lines funnel part-solid and part-water wastes through the pipe – perhaps one of the harshest uses for HDPE. The HDPE was still sturdy enough to be put back into service for the runoff.
To handle the scraped, scratched, and abused pipe, Highland Valley Copper had a wide array of McElroy productivity enhancing equipment on site. A PolyHorse held the 16-inch pipe, making it easy for the operator to roll the pipe into position for fusion. Because the pipe was already in rough, but useable shape, the Highland Valley Copper team typically just pulled fused lengths of pipe along the ground as needed.
Even though Schmidt and LeDoux were experienced with McElroy equipment, they had yet to put McElroy’s newest productivity tool in play - the Low Profile Rollers. With a pilot run of rollers on hand, courtesy of Canadian distributor A.H. McElroy, it took just a bit of persuasion to get the men to unpack the neatly nested rollers and use them to pull the fused pipe.
After setting up four rollers in the anticipated direction of the pull, a forklift placed the fused length in the rollers. Jaws dropped as the forklift pulled the pipe through the rollers with such ease. Anticipation built as the bead of the latest fuse approached the first roller, and passed right through without a hiccup.
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While the new Low Profile Rollers were exciting to test against some of the nastiest, most beaten up used pipe, it only took Schmidt and LeDoux a few seconds to realize the importance these rollers could have on their next job. Recently, 88 truckloads of 18-inch DR 26 (more than 7 kilometers worth) had been delivered for use in a water supply line that would run to the mill. The men could visualize how much easier the job would be when being able to pull lengths of brand new pipe around curves and great distances.
It’s McElroy’s belief that the Low Profile Rollers will soon become a necessity on job sites requiring a boost in productivity. The rollers can handle pipe from 4" to 20" OD, and in the case of Highland Valley Copper, handled 18-inch pipe with slurry remnants weighing down the pipe. Low Profile Rollers are the perfect sidekick for the PolyHorse, again allowing one or two operators to navigate a jobsite without the use of more machinery, more gas, and more manpower.
The 12 pipefitters and four apprentices at Highland Valley Copper will still be fusing HDPE when the Winter Olympics comes in 2010. They’ll probably be using a PolyHorse and the Low Profile Rollers to continue raising their daily level of performance. They may or may not make it to any of the Olympic events to see athletes seeking perfection, but they’ll keep on experiencing the optimum performances of McElroy fusion equipment and agile, sturdy, flexible, multi-purpose HDPE pipe everyday.
Click here to read more about McElroy Low Profile Rollers.
Sincerely,
Tyler Henning
thenning@mcelroy.com
P.S. – Do you have an interesting job coming up that uses McElroy equipment? Whether new equipment or old, a traditional job or a unique one, a large scale job or a small fuse, we want to know about it. Just e-mail me at the link above or call (918) 831-9286 |
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Your Turn to Participate – McElroy Around The World |
Do You Have an Amazing or Unique McElroy Photo?
McElroy equipment was once photographed on Dubai’s amazing palm tree man-made string of islands. Our fusion equipment has been used in more countries than we have space to mention here. If you’ve ever performed a fusion that was in a unique locale or is just a generally amazing photo of McElroy equipment, we want to see it!
McElroy Around The World is a new monthly contest where you are invited to participate. Send in your photo, which could be reproduced in Connections as we announce photo winners each month. Break out those cell phones, digital cameras and even digital videos – winners will be judged on originality, not photo quality.
To enter, email Tyler Henning, public relations specialist, at thenning@mcelroy.com. Make sure and include a description of the photo, and what makes it unique. Winners and “honorable mention” photograph entries will receive McElroy-branded promotional items. Please include “McElroy Around the World” in the subject line of your emailed submission.
We will present the photographs we receive in next month’s Connections. |
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McElroy Awards Third-Ever Master Mechanic Certification |
Just with a traditional education system, there are various degrees of education. Some strive for a doctorate degree, while others earn bachelor degrees. McElroy University also offers different level of education. Recently, Todd Kindle of Consolidated Pipe & Supply joined Chevy Goodhope of A.H. McElroy Sales and Service and Duane Lynch, also of Consolidated Pipe & Supply, as the only Master Mechanics to be certified by McElroy University.
To get a Master Mechanic Certification, a student must successfully complete the entire mechanic training track through McElroy University. This certification requires an enormous commitment from student and distributor. The distributor is awarded a plaque that can be displayed at their distributorship, proclaiming that they offer the highest level of service available through McElroy University.
The first Master Mechanic Certification was awarded to Goodhope in November 2007.
Consolidated Pipe & Supply now has two Master Mechanics, as Lynch received his certification in June 2008.
To learn more about McElroy University, visit http://www.mcelroy.com/fusion/training/ |
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Todd Kindle receives the third-ever Master Mechanic Certification from McElroy Technical Specialist Ron Zachau.
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Chevy Goodhope |
Duane Lynch |
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How Much Water is Your City Losing? |
The American Water Works Association publishes allowable leakage rates for new pipe installations. AWWA allows PVC to leak at 113 gallons per day, per mile and 125 gallons for ductile iron respectively. Since PE pipe has fused joints, the allowable leakage rate is zero.
The Alliance for PE Pipe now has a great calculator on their webpage that allows you to calculate how much water your city is losing, based on population.
Click here to visit the Alliance for PE Pipe |
U.S. Large Diameter Plastic Pipe Demand
to Exceed 200 Million Feet in 2012 |
LONDON -- (Marketwire) – Large-diameter pipe demand in the U.S. is projected to grow 2.2 percent annually to more than 200 million feet in 2012, valued at $9.8 billion. Advances will reflect needs to expand and modernize an aging pipe infrastructure, as well as a rebounding construction sector. Concrete will continue to account for over half of all linear pipe footage based on material advantages such as structural integrity, durability, and high compression and pressure resistance. Plastic pipe will present the best growth as a result of resin and machinery improvements, enabling greater penetration of water distribution, sewer and other applications. Storm sewers will remain the leading large diameter pipe market due to widespread drainage applications, and expanded highway and street construction projects.
Click here to read entire story. |
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EPA Names WaterSense Partners of the Year |
One less drop in the bucket means kudos for three organizations and one individual who are promoting water efficiency and saving water. The first WaterSense Partners of the Year are being recognized for encouraging Americans to tap into their water resources wisely over the last year.
"EPA commends these partners for being blue ribbon winners in water efficiency," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water. "These water stars are helping WaterSense transform the way Americans view and value our most precious liquid asset and, as a result, we are saving more and wasting less for future generations."
While EPA's WaterSense program depends on the efforts of more than 1,000 partners, these four exceptional partners earned this special distinction from EPA:
- Promotional Partner of the Year: The Saving Water Partnership
- Manufacturer Partner of the Year: Kohler Co.
- Retailer and Distributor Partner of the Year: Ferguson
- Irrigation Partner of the Year: Timothy Malooly of Shorewood, Minn.
Click here to read the entire story. |
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Estero Country Club Practices Saving Water |
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Estero Country Club is hoping to make its greens even greener with a few modifications to its water and irrigation system.
A $1.5 million irrigation project is finishing up this week and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the improved golf course is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Membership sales to the club are covering the cost.
"The club needed to do something to preserve its most beautiful asset," said John W. Schollner, general manager at Estero Country Club.
The replacement pipes are made of high-density polyethylene - or HDPE - and are manufactured in an environmentally friendly way and promise longevity, Schollner said.
Click here to read the entire story. |
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Stunned Utah Resident Billed for 1.4 Million Gallons of Water |
OGDEN, Utah — A Utah homeowner was billed for 1.4 million gallons of water for part of last winter, and even though Rick Baur disputes it, he paid the bill.
"I was blown away," said Baur, an Ogden resident who made good on the $9,700 bill in August. "It's enough to buy a used car."
That much water, the Standard-Examiner calculated, is enough to fill a swimming pool at Ben Lomond High School seven times — or a typical home pool 70 times.
The bill was for Dec. 19 to April 4, typically when residential water consumption is at its lowest of the year.
Click here to read the entire story. |
| Oil of the 21st Century |
Lake Oswego Interceptor Sewer Project to use HDPE
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- The Lake Oswego Interceptor Sewer is no electron supercollider in terms of complexity, but its design has received serious scrutiny by a team of engineers to ensure it provides reliable, long-term service.
The focus is on interceptor component design and how the LOIS replacement will be stronger, more corrosion resistant, more flexible and more seismically resistant than the existing pipeline.
Click here to read the entire story |
Fresno considers lawn buybacks to save water
FRESNO, Calif. — The city of Fresno is considering lawn buybacks as it studies ways to conserve water with the growing population.
The city council's Urban Water Management Plan, which outlines water-saving goals and ways to reach them, includes a proposal to pay homeowners to remove lawns and ban water-consuming landscaping in new construction.
Click here to read the entire story. |
Water main put in under Susquehanna
NANTICOKE, Penn. – As ominous as the deep, repetitive rumbling near the Nanticoke Bridge might have seemed on Wednesday, it was actually a sign the city’s water supply would soon be more secure.
For the past six years, the city has been a pipe break away from losing water service. In 2002, one of two water mains that run under the Susquehanna River broke, leaving a large storage tank to supply the city if the second line broke.
The line has held, however, while Pennsylvania American Water Co. came up with the $1.5 million necessary to replace the breached line. The installation project began about two months ago, mostly hidden from public view by trees, fences and the fact that the river remained unaffected.
Click here to read the entire story |
Statewide conference to address South Carolina’s water resources
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina’s most valuable natural resource — water — is in high demand.
The state’s population is forecast to swell by more than 28 percent during the next two decades to more than 5.1 million people. Power stations and heavy industry use millions of gallons of water a year for cooling systems and other processes.
And water has become such a vital commodity that the Palmetto State is locked in a legal dispute with North Carolina over the diversion of the Catawba River for drinking water and other uses in the fast-growing Charlotte area.
Click here to read the entire story. |
McElroy Connections welcomes your feedback, story ideas, tips, or anything else related to PE Pipe and Pipe fusion. Please email your comments and story ideas to:
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McElroy Connections is published by McElroy Manufacturing Inc. The information contained within each issue is meant as a service to our customers, distributors, and those involved with Polyethylene Pipe applications.
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