A Pipeline Company had a project that was going late into October due to a 1250HP 4160V motor upgrade to a more modern frame. Once the original large existing GE 2300V motor was removed from the sled base, the surface was checked for flatness and it was found to be out close to .125”. This obviously was not acceptable for a 2 pole motor that was direct coupled to a Sulzer propane pump. Matt Phelps of Horner Fan&Fab had quoted a transition base for the newer 4160V more modern frame to meet the D dim. (shaft height). The general practice for the Pipeline was to bring in an “on site” milling machine to “true up” the base. These milling machines come in from Texas with their own machinists and crew. The cost to the Pipeline was approximately $45K and the timing was critical. Ralph Coonce, (Horner’s Mechanical Field Services Manager) was on site at the customer’s site and offered an alternative to speed up the base leveling issue. This was to install sole plates using the epoxy grout from Loctite. The product was selected by Loctite Engineers. They selected a product with the trade name of “Marine Chock”. The Pipeline needed a lot of additional, in depth, technical information to get this alternative solution approved by their Corporate Engineering Staff. The installation was completed on site by 2 Horner technicians in 5 full working days. This was not only a huge time saver for the Pipeline but it resulted in a significant cost savings as well. The Pipeline related to Horner that they have additional base projects with similar issues across the country and will use this as a benchmark for future installation of this nature. Mark Rosebrock, Gary Gobel, and Evan Baldwin, (Horner MFS Technicians), were all involved onsite and were significant contributors to the overall success of the project.
Thanks to all who had a part in this very successful alternative to utilizing a new technology in our trade.
