Underground Construction - November 2017 - 22

Massive Water Pipeline In West Texas
cooling times, and other processes that were used to produce each
pipe joint.
At the end of the day, quality control uploads the reports to
the Vault, a secure online server
where the data can be sorted and
analyzed to ensure that all of the
fusion processes complied with
specifications, including ASTM
F2620 and API 15LE.
With the Vault, workers know
everything there is to know about
each weld - pictures to show
what the weld looked like and even
its exact location after it is buried.
"We wouldn't do the job if it
wasn't going to be 100-percent
quality. We hold our guys to a
higher standard than anybody
else," Abatie said. "Our biggest goal
is to produce the best quality with
the best production we can offer."

Layout of the land
The completed system will consist
of roughly 80 miles of mainline
pipe and 520 miles of lateral lines
that will feed the frack ponds. Engineers wanted to avoid pulling the
fused pipe strings because of their
heaviness and potential stress on
the pipe, so they opted to string it
out, stick by stick. For exact placement, they staked off the GPS coordinates for the location of each
50-foot section of pipe.
The McElroy TracStar machine
worked well in this situation since
it operates on a self-propelled,
rugged track system that can travel
from joint to joint along the pipeline. The machine is also self-contained, so there was no extra
equipment to transport to each fusion location separately - it was all
onboard. Once technicians fused
up to the tie end location, they
were right on the money without
overlaps or gaps in piping.
Engineers designed the pipeline taking into account elevation
changes and pressure drops that
occur with large flows, requiring
frequent pump stations throughout the system.
In following environmental

22

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guidelines, HDPE offered additional assurance because it is joined
together through the science of
heat fusion, which creates leakfree joints, preventing any contaminants from seeping into the
ground. It is also a strong and resilient pipe material, so for the most
part, Gajeske's crews didn't have
to worry about constructing thrust
blocks to protect the joints.

Innovative pipe transitions
When it comes to fittings this
large, the industry doesn't offer
one size that fits all. Pipe experts
create individual and unique
solutions appropriate for the job.
This project provided such an
opportunity to engineer the tie
end connections between two different pipe material types - from

36-inch HDPE to 30-inch carbon
steel. Fluctuating temperatures
cause HDPE to expand or contract.
Though that is perfectly normal
and doesn't damage the pipe, it
does create some challenges when
connecting it to steel.
SECOR helped design a prototype that was tested extensively
with zero-leak results. Experiments were conducted with
flanged joints, but the company
switched to a compression transition fitting where the carbon steel
fits inside the HPDE. It is then
compressed from the outside to
provide a stronger joint.
Hydro tests required days of
torqueing. But with the compression transition fittings, Gajeske
was able to fuse the HDPE, then
bolt on a steel flange, which was

much easier.
City and energy leaders have
stated publicly that the development of a permanent infrastructure system through a public-private partnership brings many
benefits to the area. It maximizes
resources, optimizes recycling
efforts, conserves freshwater,
increases conservation efforts,
updates city infrastructure, creates
jobs and reduces water trucking on
public roadways.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
McElroy Manufacturing,
(918) 836-8611, mcelroy.com
Gajeske Inc., (713) 688-2728, gajeske.com
Georg Fischer, (800) 654-3872,
centralplastics.com
ISCO Industries, (800) 345-4726,
isco-pipe.com
Underground Construction November 2017
http://www.mcelroy.com http://www.gajeske.com http://www.centralplastics.com http://www.isco-pipe.com http://www.ucononline.com
Underground Construction - November 2017

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