FIELD WELDING POLYETHYLENE PIPE
2006 Nova Award Nomination 10
FastFusion Poly Pipe Field Fusion Welding
Not many two-year old companies can claim to have revolutionized their industry, but that's exactly what
Fast Fusion of Grand Junction, CO, is in the process of doing. Starting from scratch, Fast Fusion designed,
developed, and produced an entirely new system for fusion welding polyethylene pipe in the field, a system
that dramatically increases the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of pipeline contractors who use it.
Polyethylene pipe is widely used for a variety of applications including water and sewer lines, chemical
transfer, food processing, irrigation, mining and dredging, geothermal power generation, telecommunications,
and oil and natural gas collection and transport. The primary advantage of polyethylene pipe over its
metallic and PVC competitors is the fact that it can be joined by fusion as it is installed, creating what is effectively
a joint-free pipe of virtually any length required.
Fusion joining is a mature and well-proven technology, and there are a number of equipment suppliers in
the industry. The traditional approach is to create a "welding station" at some convenient point along the
right of way, and then move the pipe through the welding system. This is not as simple as it sounds, however,
because the joint must be protected from environmental contaminants while it's being made, which
means the "welding station" is typically housed in a protective structure of some kind.
"Considering that polyethylene pipe is used everywhere from the Canadian Arctic to the deserts of the
American Southwest, placing, moving, and maintaining a ‘welding station' structure can be a big job," explains
Fast Fusion President Dick McKinley. "It also takes a lot of people and equipment to move the pipe
through the ‘welding station,' and you inevitably put a lot of strain on the newly-welded joints in the process.
"Our approach is to turn this model completely around and bring the welding equipment to the joint. The
Fast Fusion Trac20 is a self-contained fusion welding system on tracks that moves along the right of way
and makes the joints in place. Once it's joined, the pipe experiences only minimal movement.
"A Trac20 can be equipped with any welding system the customer prefers," McKinley continued, "and it
incorporates our patented cooling technology that significantly cuts the cycle time for a weld. The net result
is that a Trac20 effectively doubles the number of joints that can be assembled in a day and reduces the cost
per foot by 50% while simultaneously improving joint quality.
The Fast Fusion Trac20 is powered by a Cat 3054C, a four-cylinder, turbocharged and after-cooled diesel
engine that meets Tier II/Stage II emission requirements. It is directly coupled to the hydraulic pump that
powers the Trac20's hydrostatic track drive, and also powers a 6,000-watt generator and an air compressor
via an auxiliary belt drive. The generator provides current to the fusion welding system's heating elements,
and the compressor is part of Fast Fusion's patented joint cooling system. The engine also supplies power
for the cab air-conditioning system, as well as the usual complement of engine accessories.
Since announcing the availability of the Trac20 in North America in January of 2005, Fast Fusion has sold
22 and has already received orders for a second machine from three of the original customers. Fast Fusion
anticipates a similar response from European customers as soon as negotiations with an international
distributor are completed. Five Star Industries of Knoxville, IA, is the preferred manufacturer of the Fast
Fusion product.
Fast Fusion is not resting on its laurels. It has already produced a version of the Trac20 intended for the offshore
oil industry. The MFT21 is essentially a barge-mounted version of the Trac20, minus the tracks and
hydrostatic drive system. The first unit is now at work laying pipe in the Gulf of Mexico. Also on the horizon
is a bigger version of the Trac20, the MFT 36 and the MFT 48 will be the size of a Cat D8 bulldozer
and will be able to handle pipe in the 18 to 48 in. dia. range, will also be powered by Caterpillar . (Updated
March 2006)
Contact: Fast Fusion • PO 158, Palisade, CO 81526
866-295-9757 • www.fast-fusion.com
Original nomination http://www.cif.org/nom2006/Nom-10-2006.pdf
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