Horizontal Directional Drilling and its Application in Underground Construction

Let us have a quick look at the horizontal directional drill and its benefits compared to the other underground construction tools.

What is Horizontal Directional Drilling?

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a kind of angled drilling employed to get to natural assets like natural gas and oil. Right now, horizontal directional drilling is also popularly used for doing crossings beneath rivers and other water bodies. This method is employed for various applications including pipe construction for gas, drinking water, sewerage, and also electrical and communication cables. Horizontal directional drilling is very much safe for the surroundings. It is also a cost effective and fast method.

Typically, a horizontal directional drilling process starts with a survey of the area to be drilled; this includes a careful study of the soil and any existing drill paths. Based on the study, a horizontal directional drilling unit is selected and the rod pusher and hydraulic power unit is selected as well. This selection is based on various factors including the diameter of bore to be made, the length of the bore and the existing soil conditions.

Another factor to be considered for horizontal directional drilling is the data concerning the direction and slope of the drill. Precise Localization is carried out using the source receiver principle. This allows a worker to keep track of the direction of the bore head throughout the drilling process. Thus, all the corrections in direction are communicated instantly to the drill operator through a radio phone.

Now that we have gone through the HDD process, let us have a look at the various elements used in Horizontal directional drilling:

Rig - This supplies the torque and thrust for making the hole and heaving the product in.

Drilling Fluid - This provides the cooling for the HDD gear, and also helps to remove waste from the drill hole.

Drilling Fluid Delivery & Recovery Mechanism - This is an arrangement comprised of pumps, mixing arrangements and tanks. It also has cones, shakes, filters, et cetera for eliminating waste material carried to the outside from the fluid.

Down-hole Gear - This includes the drill bits, drill pipes, and reamers, used for translating the rig’s physical properties to make the hole and push the product in.

Transmitter and Receiver - This is an arrangement employed for tracking the bore’s position.

Why you should go for Horizontal Directional Drilling:

You don’t have to break roads or damage nice places for doing the drilling
It is more feasible to observe the position and gauge the pulling force
Faster completion of construction and drilling
Extremely cost-effective for watercourse crossings
Broad range of use
Scientifically approved method

Apart from these advantages, the Horizontal directional drilling method continues to develop to futuristic proportions. Some of the current HDD tools use a remote control vehicle to steer the drill bit. Although drilling can be completely automated in this way, this is quite an expensive method. So, we should only wait and see whether this technology becomes cheap enough to be accessible for the common man.

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Poweram.com is the authorized website of POWERAM, a plant that specializes in the utility construction industry. It focuses on designing and building readymade equipment for underground construction and drilling. It also offers customized equipment to meet the unique requirements of customers.

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