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:
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Conceptual design for the drill route and
profile for a 24” gas pipeline crossing 2.5km of disused industrial wasteland. |
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Topographical survey of the area. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Settlement calculations generated to satisfy the landowners
that there would be no damage to surface structures. |
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Strip plans drawn for planning consent purposes, and
detailed construction drawings made. |
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Survey work to set out entry and exit points on the ground,
and the line of the drill on the surface. |
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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
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