Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology allows ‘trenchless’ installation of utilities such as power cables, fiber optic telecommunications and water supplies. This means pipelines such as butt fusion weld jointed polyethylene, can be installed underground over distances, without the need for open cut trench excavation, used to convey water or act as a conduit to allow power and data cables to be pulled.
Unlike Micro-Tunnelling, which achieves a straight-line installation, the beauty and unique selling point of HDD technology is that it offers the ability to steer the drill head with precision in multiple planes. For example, steering the trenchless pipeline installation down at any specific angle from its’ surface starting location, under a highway or pipe track say, before leveling off at the required depth for a distance, steering back up and even turning in plan direction as an obstruction or routing change before achieving its destination with extreme accuracy.
HDD technology can achieve trenchless pipeline installation for a range of pipeline diameters, structural ratings and underground lengths. The specific diameter and length possible are determined by several factors such as the ground conditions including the hardness of the rock and the capacity and specification of the directional drilling rig and its’ ancillary equipment. The success of any HDD trenchless project is achieved through advance planning and preparation by professional engineers and ultimately through the skill and experience of the equipment operators.
Recycling of water and bentonite using recycling units in tandem with the HDD rig and mud pumps will bring additional environmental compliance benefits by allowing soils recovery while minimizing and reusing water and inert bentonite products. HDD trenchless pipeline installation applications for power, water or telecom can benefit customer projects in the following industry sectors.
- Aviation & Defense
- Telecommunications
- Energy & Renewables
- Infrastructure, Roads & Utilities
- Oil & Gas Refining & Petrochemicals
Other value adds from HDD technology include avoiding the delays, disruption and safety hazards associated with traditional open cut trench construction. HDD thereby provides a faster and more environmentally friendly form of construction where customers cannot allow disrupting or shutting down of surface operations, be that for a major highway, an oil and gas pipe track where operational integrity is critical or for defense / aviation runways where closure is not an option.
Copyright, Al-Terra Trenchless W.L.L, February 2025
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