Loenbro Pipeline Company

Previous Project: Loenbro - Calumet Refining Expansion

Next Project: Maggiora & Ghilotti - Bunker & Mitchell Roads and Alexander Ave

What makes it interesting?

The reason this pipeline construction project is so challenging comes from the length, number and size of pipelines, and resources needed to accomplish. At project completion, more than 500,000 feet — or 95 miles — of ditch will be dug. This equates to almost 900,000 yards of material moved and over 250 mils of pipe laid in the ground.

How HCSS Software assisted with this project

The time, material, equipment, and manpower were managed through a collaboration of HCSS software, including HeavyBid, HeavyJob, HCSS GPS, and Equipment360. With such a massive project, the software systems easily showed their advantage to older methods such as paper time cards, spreadsheets, and pin boards.

• HeavyBid created the initial foundation for job planning, tracking, and cost codes.
• HCSS GPS helped locate the necessary equipment for job mobilization.
• Using HeavyJob, engineers in the field kept track of production, time cards, project estimation and projection, while managers in the office kept an eye on progress and billing.
• Equipment360 was utilized to keep equipment and mechanics in sync on repairs, maintenance and forecasting of future issues on the project.
• HCSS GPS was used to show utilization and location of equipment along the project as well as providing a background for future productivity analysis.

Together, the suite of HCSS products kept tracking and managing this “Goliath” of an undertaking within the capabilities of our employees.

The Helms Rotors Project was an immediate repair to the large rotors on 3 Helms Units near Fresno, Ca. Repairs included grinding out the cracks and in one case, indexing the 20 7.5-ton poles to new positions on the rim that had not experienced any stress or cracking. The units were then returned to service with a Justification for Continued Operation (JCO) that set a number of start-stop cycles before the rotor must be permanently decommissioned. PG&E also initiated a massive project to replace all three rotors, the successful contractor being Alstom Power, a multi-billion-dollar, world-wide, French-owned consortium.

The first replacement effort kicked off in Fall 2014 with the delivery of the 50-ton hub that forms the core of the rotor, also known as the spider. Around this hub, 4,500 laminations have been placed, each weighing 150 pounds. Each lamination makes up a 60-degree circumference, six being required to form one layer about 1/8-inch thick. The 750 layers of laminations are held together by 240 through bolts, torqued to hold the laminations in compression. The whole stack of laminations, once completed, was then heated to expand the inside diameter of the rim, allowing keys to be placed in grooves in the spider and the back of the rim. As the rim cooled it shrank, creating compression on the keys, fixing the 325-ton rim to the spider. The new Brazilian manufactured poles were installed, and the rotor was nearing completion.