| Pipeline Booster
Compressor Station When Bob Hurley, project manager for
Henkels and McCoy, Industrial Division, Gaylord, Mich. was asked to supervise the
construction of a $4.5 million pipeline booster compressor station, he knew his crew would
face one enemy in completing the job – the harsh Michigan winters. In that area, it
is not uncommon to get more than 120" of snow throughout the winter with frost that
penetrates to a depth of 5’.
Adding to the complications of the project were the minimal maneuvering
space and existing "live" gas lines – a real safety concern for Hurley and
his crew. "The area we were working in was a confined space with several existing
pipelines and buildings to maneuver around," Hurley said.
Hurley searched through magazines for a viable and cost-effective method
of breaking through the frost. It was in a new product section that he first read about
the Ground Heater. "It’s the best thing Henkels and McCoy has bought since I
started working for them 12 years ago," Hurley said.
According to Hurley their only other option was to use jackhammers and
just beat through the frost with their equipment. "We would’ve gotten through
it, but it would have been hard on the equipment, cost us a lot of money and really slowed
us down," he said. He estimated they would have done roughly $25,000 worth of damage
to their backhoe when figuring the cost of frost teeth and damage to pins and cylinders.
"We paid for the Ground Heater on this job with the time and money we saved,"
Hurley said.
Michigan Consolidated Gas, owner of the compressor station, was also
pleased with the Ground Heater. "They were thrilled that we didn’t have to
jackhammer around the ‘live’ lines and existing buildings," Hurley said.
"They couldn’t believe how well the Ground Heater worked and how maneuverable it
was."
The project at the compressor station involved digging two 16"
inlet and outlet lines that were approximately 700’ in length and crossed 3 roads. In
addition, they installed an electrical duct bank that consisted of 1,000’ of ditch as
well as about 2,000’ of small bore pipe. All the work was done around existing gas
pipelines. The frost depth varied from 2’ to 4’ and Hurley estimated it took
only 2 days to thaw the ground.
"We were very impressed," Hurley said. "We were able to
just go in and dig like it was the middle of summer." But, January in Michigan was
far from summer. Evening temperatures dipped down to -15 to -25° F, but Hurley said the Ground Heater still
performed very well.
Henkels and McCoy used the Ground Heater continually for 2 months, and
then rented it to another contractor in the area. "The Ground Heater has drawn a lot
of attention," Hurley said. "I know we are going to get more business just
because we have that machine."
"I wish they would have invented the Ground Heater 20 years
ago," he said. "It’s the best thing I have ever seen for thawing the
ground. It’s a great machine."
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