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The technology of installing the compressor directly on the screw pile makes it possible to construct the entire compressor plant almost without concrete. As the industry continues to focus on reducing costs, maintaining progress, and reducing carbon footprint, Alpine Site Services provides unique and innovative solutions for industrial construction projects.

Screw pile foundation systems have been used in the construction industry for decades to support static load equipment under all soil conditions. Screw piles are increasingly used in equipment that supports dynamic loading and reciprocating motion.

Josh Bolling, Alpine’s engineer and project manager, said that screw piles are well known in the construction industry to speed up construction in some of the harshest weather and soil conditions.

Screw piles can withstand axial loads up to 200 kips and large lateral loads using larger and/or broken piles, so screw piles are being effectively designed to manage and reduce vibration and resonance in dynamic loading systems while saving time and costs .

The general rule of thumb is that the traditional plate foundation requires a mass about five times the mass of the skid itself to stabilize the vibration of the compressor in operation. Boards of this size may take up to four weeks to fully cure.

The screw pile foundation of the reciprocating compressor can be in place in just two to three days without any delay in forming, pouring and curing. He said that the spiral pile foundation of the turbine can be in place in just half a day.

In cooperation with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), an engineering and design agency located in San Antonio, Texas, Alpine used its patented direct mounting system to provide screw pile foundations for reciprocating compressor units.

Alpine installed 1800 to 4800 horsepower reciprocating compressors and turbo compressor units without structural concrete or grouting.

Alpine Site Services uses screw piles to install large reciprocating equipment without the need for concrete or grouting. The company has more than 20 years of experience in screw piles and more than 10 years of experience in installing large reciprocating compressors on them.

Alpine has proven that screw piles are a viable solution to the challenges faced by the compression industry.

For reciprocating compressors above 1800hp, SwRI conducts on-site pile/soil dynamic tests under the guidance of Alpine. Bolling said these tests were designed to determine the natural frequency and spring constant of the piles used in the compressor foundation design.

SwRI integrated these data into a finite element model to design the screw pile foundation of the compressor. This ensures that the compressor will operate as designed after operation and avoid long-term maintenance and efficiency costs.

SwRI conducts additional post-run tests to ensure that the foundation is functioning as designed. The first round of testing is performed after the compressor and skid are installed, and the second round of testing is performed after all pipes are connected.