OUR PROCESS FOR DIRECTIONAL DRILLING TO THE JOB DONE RIGHT.
The process generally includes five distinct phases as follows:
Planning, Preliminary survey.
Selecting the drilling units and drilling tools.
Drilling a small pilot bore hole, using technology that allows the drill to be steered and tracked from the surface.
Enlarging the hole by pulling back increasingly large reamers.(Backreaming or upsizing bore)
Pulling in the pipe.
A well planned HDD Operation includes preliminary survey of the bore path area, concerning other existing lines and the soil condition. Locating all existing services and plotting them on a Drawing, then Planning the best drilling path and plot that also on the drawing, avoiding all existing services.
Survey of existing services and planned directional drilling route
The Choice of the drilling unit depends upon the bore length, the diameter of the pipe to be installed and the soil quality. It is important to choose the correct Drilling unit and tools to suit the bore length, and conditions. Site operation starts with Drilling of the pilot hole from the surface on one side of the obstacle to be crossed. Drilling continuous along a designed profile below and beyond the obstacle, to exit at the surface on the other side.
Drilling pilot bore hole
The pilot bore is launched from the surface at an angle between 6 and 15 degrees to the horizontal, and transitions to horizontal as the required depth is reached. A bore path of very gradual curvature or near straight alignment is normally followed to minimize friction and to stay within the allowable joint deflection and the allowable bend radius for the pipe. This minimizes the chance of getting the pipe string “hung up” in the soil or damaging the pipe string.
Drilling pilot bore hole
The fourth phase entails the reaming of the pilot hole to a diameter sufficiently large enough to accept the pipeline or conduit.
Enlarging pilot hole
The pilot hole is enlarged by pulling back increasingly larger reamers, or reaming heads, from the pipe “Exit Point” to the rig side, conventionally defined as “Entry Point”. To achieve the appropriate bore path size it may be necessary to perform several reaming operations. Generally, all reaming procedures prior to the actual product pipe installation are referred to as Pre Reaming, and the final ream to which the product pipe is connected is referred to as the ‘Back Reaming’.
Enlarging pilot hole
Finally, the pipeline or conduits is pulled into a place within the enlarged hole. These processes are discussed in greater details in the method statement.
Pulling in the pipe(s)
After the pre reams procedures, the Pulling Head and connecting product pipe are attached to the reamer using a Swivel, a device that isolates the pipe string from the rotation of the HDD drill pipe “Rod”.
The product pipe is then pulled behind the final reamer back through the horizontal directional drill path to the exit pit on the rig side.
Pulling in the pipe
There are numerous advantages of the directional drilling installation method over alternative construction methods. Environmental issues are minimized as operations are limited to relatively small areas at each end of, as opposed to the complete length of, the installation.
“In many cases HDD is called for by project owners simply because they want to avoid trenching because of the negative social impact of open-cut construction and to avoid the impact it causes to businesses and damage to meticulously-landscaped properties. In addition, HDD often reduces the time needed to complete a project and actually reduces the cost of construction.”
Our Directional Drilling crew are experienced and professional. Safety is the top priority on every job.
HDD has become the first choice when installing pipelines and underground utilities without disturbing the local environment and existing infrastructure.
Our Horizontal Directional Drilling is the ideal trenchless solution for underground installations.
Clear Choice
Whether you are installing gas lines, fiber optics, telecommunications, hydro or water main Horizontal Directional Drilling is the way to go. Your project will benefit from the experienced crews and state of the art equipment employed by us..
Our Underground Utilities Projects Include:
Water Lines
Water Mains
Sewer Lines Gravity & Force Mains
Power Lines
Phone Lines
Cable Lines
Fiber Optic Lines
Gas Lines
Irrigation Lines
We have seen firsthand how advantageous this technique can be in certain situations. What follows is a brief list of just some of the advantages that horizontal drilling can bring to a project.
Faster Installation — By eliminating the need to dig cumbersome trenches, projects can be completed much faster than many people realize.
Lower Installation Cost — A smaller crew means less manpower, which will significantly lower the costs of the overall project.
Flexibility — Terrain, landscaping, and geographical features are no longer considered insurmountable obstacles when horizontal drilling is used. This means that your ideas or needs can come to life when preciously they would have been impossible.
Little Soil Contamination — Because the piping used may be seamless with this method, soil contamination is virtually eliminated.
Maintains Environmental Integrity — Disrupting an environment can have negative consequences that go far beyond mere cost and expediency. Horizontal drilling makes it possible to preserve the surrounding environment in its pristine state without having to compromise your ideas or spend a fortune on mitigation.
YOU CAN TRUST CORE ENGINEERING INC. WITH ALL OF YOUR HORIZONTAL DRILLING REQUIREMENTS
It doesn’t matter whether we are working for a contractor, homeowner, or government agency; we make it a point to adhere to the following business principles:
Stay on Schedule
Keep Costs to a Minimum
Stay on Budget
Ensure that All Workmanship is of the Highest Standard
Our highly skilled team utilizes our state-of-the-art equipment to complete any Bay Area horizontal directional drilling job no matter how difficult or challenging, and we are eager to put our more than ten years of experience to work for you.
We recognize that your situation is unique, and will require a great deal of personalized care and attention to detail. From our initial inspection, until the job is complete, we will provide you with unparalleled experience and attention to detail. We are proud to serve Silicon Valley and the surrounding region.
