The First TracStar® iSeries Increases Productivity on Virginia Landfill Project

Wolseley Industrial Completes Methane Gas Collection Line Replacement in Record Time with TracStar 900i

The industry-changing technology incorporated into McElroy’s newest generation of fusion machines was put to the test this past summer, when the TracStar® 900i machine debuted on a job site in Chester, Virginia.  The TracStar 900i proved to be an advantage to the team at Wolseley Industrial, who increased job site productivity by nearly 20%, thanks to the new FusionGuide™ Control System, and the machine’s capability to receive software updates in real-time to optimize performance.

The Shoosmith Bros. Landfill, outside Richmond, Virginia, replaced an existing methane gas collection line, as part of their continuing landfill gas collection system upgrade.   This part of the project was administered by Swift Creek Renewables, a sector of Morrow Energy.  Representatives with Morrow Energy called upon Wolseley Industrial to submit a bid for the fusion portion of the project.  This coincided with the addition of a new TracStar iSeries to Wolseley Industrial’s fleet of fusion machines and experienced fusion operator, Steven Hannah, completing training on this new machine.  Swift Creek Renewables accepted a bid from Wolseley Industrial to fuse approximately 3,500 feet of 28” IPS DR19 pipe in two months. 

The TracStar iSeries offers three levels of assistance through the FusionGuide™ Control System, from manual to completely automatic.  By selecting level three, fully automatic, Operator Steven Hannah simply pressed start and had the control system monitor the progress of the fusion process, while he was free to fulfill other job site duties, thus increasing productivity.  In addition to the heat on the job site, which was in the upper 90’s throughout the day, the crew also faced 25-ton haul trucks constantly driving by, creating potential contamination to the fusion site with dust and debris.  To solve the potential contamination issue, Wolseley Industrial worked with McElroy to reduce the automated open/close time so debris would not impact the fusion process. 

The TracStar 900i proved to be so efficient on this landfill project, that Steven and his crew finished fusing the 3,500 feet of pipe approximately three weeks ahead of schedule, allowing them to assist with another section of the project, fusing 1,700 feet of 18” DR11.  Even with the additional pipe that was fused, Wolseley Industrial still completed the job in six weeks, saving a considerable amount of time and coming in approximately 25% under budget.  “I have never been on a job site where we were working so fast, that we completed the initial job in record time, which then freed up time to complete an additional leg of the project. It really is amazing what these iSeries machines are capable of out in the field,” says Steven Hannah.  Steven credits the McElroy team with having a hand in the success of this job.  He estimated that when they needed help in the field, they would receive the information within an hour of their request.

According to Wolseley Industrial Product Specialist Keith Sullivan, the TracStar 900i proved to be an advantage for their team.  It allowed them to produce a higher daily fusion count, and highlight their efficiencies when compared to other contractors on the job site.  In total, 315 welds were completed on this job.  The integrated DataLogger® was key, and they experienced a reduction in daily fuel consumption due to a new iSeries fuel management program.  This project is paving the way for the next phase of additions at the Shoosmith Bros. Landfill. According to the Chesterfield County Planning Commission in Virginia, the next phase involves the construction of a new biogas processing facility by Morrow Energy. To learn more about McElroy’s full line of TracStar iSeries machines, click here.