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Isle of Grain 24” Gas Pipeline Horizontal Directional Drill

 
   

Bennett Associates has a long history working in the Horizontal Directional Drilling industry. As well as the mechanical design of drilling rigs, we also carry out design work related to specific drilling projects all over the world. The Isle of Grain Horizontal Directional Drilling provides a good example, where Bennett Associates performed the following services for Stockton Drilling Ltd:

Conceptual design for the drill route and profile for a 24” gas pipeline crossing 2.5km of disused industrial wasteland.
Topographical survey of the area.
Development of the drill route and profile through various iterations as new information came to light on the soil conditions and the presence of buried structures.
Calculations produced to prove the feasibility of the drilling and pullback operations, and to design the temporary works necessary to support the drilling rig against significant horizontal forces.
Settlement calculations generated to satisfy the landowners that there would be no damage to surface structures.
Strip plans drawn for planning consent purposes, and detailed construction drawings made.
Survey work to set out entry and exit points on the ground, and the line of the drill on the surface.
Continuing advice and support during the drill.

This project was unusually complex due to the large number of buried structures on the site. The poor soil on the Grain peninsula means that nearly all structures have piled foundations, which the drill must steer underneath or around. The most significant of these is a cryogenically cooled LNG pipeline, which is very sensitive to ground settlement.

The location of buried structures and the arrangement of the wayleave made the routing of the drill difficult, and it was necessary to introduce a horizontal curve into the drill and also to string the pipe out in two sections prior to pullback.

Though not a straightforward drill, the surface structures, vast number of buried services, contaminated ground and ecological significance of the site meant that Horizontal Directional Drilling was still a preferable technique to traditional pipe laying methods. Bennett Associates’ ability to react quickly to changing requirements and new information were invaluable to the success of the project.

http://www.stocktondrilling.com

For more information, contact us on 01709-373782
 
   

M G Bennett and Associates Ltd is now part of the Atkins - the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Group
Atkins - the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
 
Isle of Grain - Horizontal Directional Drilling for 24" gas pipeline
Isle of Grain - Horizontal Directional Drilling for 24" gas pipeline

Stockton Drilling Horizontal Directional Drilling rig (designed by Bennett Associates) working at the Isle of Grain
The pipe is held in the designed entry profile during pullback into the reamed hole
The pipe is held in the designed entry profile during pullback into the reamed hole
     
The pipe is held in the designed entry profile during pullback into the reamed hole
Isle of Grain site, littered with underground obstacles from redundant structures
     
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