Horizontal Directional Drilling is arguably the most efficient method for the trenchless installation of underground pipelines. It is certainly the method that ensures the least damage to the local surroundings, by eliminating the need for open trench work and subsequent reinstatement.
The ability to install a pipe or ducting under and around obstacles, such as roads, rivers, trees and buildings, ensures disruption is kept to an absolute minimum and depending on the size and nature of the job, there is an increasingly wide choice of machinery and contractors that can undertake these precision drills.
TRACTO UK is the British subsidiary of the German trenchless pioneer, TRACTO. From the flagship New Generation GRUNDODRILL, with its touch screen, remote-control operation, comfortable operator environment and unique ability to operate productively in complex geologies and rock, to the smaller GRUNDOPIT PS40, there is a TRACTO solution for any HDD drilling project.
Originally, The GRUNDOPIT PS40 was developed for near-surface house connections. The extremely compact Mini-HDD rig can work from 1 m x 1.25 m pits and fits neatly into a standard pavement width which makes it a highly suitable machine for FTTP connections. With fibre optic infrastructure often located beneath the pavement and the low distance between the bore axis and bottom of the starting pit, a PS40 can bore directly above the existing underground network from its flat starting pit. The compact machine also facilitates the connections of other utility services, such as water and electricity, right up to the core bore hole in a building. With thrust and pulling forces up to 40 kN the GRUNDOPIT PS40 can install pipes up to 125 mm diameter and 50 m in length, even challenging soil conditions.
Thanks to its versatility, there are plenty more unusual jobs that requires its combination of small physical footprint and impressive power.
At the popular British theme park, Chessington World of Adventures, a PS40 GRUNDOPIT was recently specified to complete the underground installation of two x 110 mm diameter drainage pipes. The job, which was part of wider works completed by trenchless technology specialist, Impact Utilities Ltd, required a machine with a small footprint, that could be positioned in a pit underneath the Pirate Ship, to re-direct water away from the concrete open chamber beneath. Prone to flooding, the chamber had to be pumped out regularly with submersible pumps. This was not only inconvenient, but disruptive to the smooth operation of the ride. The installation of new drainage pipes with a 1 in 40 gradient fall was designed to ensure the floodwater could drain naturally and eliminate surface water around the attraction.
A 1 m x 1.25 m launch pit was prepared under the ship and the GRUNDOPIT PS40 was positioned inside ready to drill the path for the pipes. The correct fall for
the first pipe was quite difficult to achieve, but thanks to the experience of the operator, the first day resulted in the successful installation of a 110 mm diameter pipe to direct surface water to a large bank near the rollercoaster opposite.
A further challenge occurred during the drilling of the second drainage pipe. Solid concrete was encountered on the bore path, which had to be removed before the installation could be completed. Nonetheless, the second 110 mm diameter pipe was successfully installed in order to sustain the water height in the surrounding lake. As part of this project, a valve was fitted to empty the lake if required. The whole job was completed in just two days and was only possible thanks to the compact nature of the GRUNDOPIT PS40.
For businesses and operators interested in finding out more about this innovative technology, TRACTO UK offers an ‘Introduction to HDD’ course that can be delivered at a TRACTO Training Centres in Bedford, Cheadle and Kircaldy (Scotland) or on site at the customer’s premises.
www.tracto.com/uk