UCT - Horizontal Directional Drilling Cont'd

Room 001B

Track VIII-B

HDD: OPERATIONS & PROFITABILITY

8:30 - 8:55 a.m.

Competitive Bidding Of Fused Pipe Materials & HDD Minimizes Disruption And Cost

Moderator: Richard Levings, The Charles Machine Works

Speakers: Leon Allen, PE, Associate Engineer and Andy Dettmer, PhD, PE, Senior Project Engineer, Carollo Engineers; Richard “Bo” Botteicher, PE, Senior Product Engineer, Underground Solutions

A summary of the installation of a 12” force main project through a developed residential area using HDD and fusible PVC will be presented. Project bidding was based upon a heads-up competitive bidding between fusible PVC and HDPE.

9 - 9:55 a.m.

DS-1: Preventing Drill Pipe And Downhole Tool Failures

Moderator: Grady Bell, Laney Directional Drilling

Speakers: Eric Skonberg, PE, President/Principal, Trenchless Engineering Corp.; Michael Gerdes, PE, Manager-R&D, TH Hill Associates

The oilfield has developed innovative standards to keep pace with the advancements in horizontal drilling. The standards, known as DS-1, were developed with the help of 36 sponsor companies. DS-1 addresses manufacturing specifications, string design, and inspection requirements. This session will address how DS-1 can benefit HDD contractors by illustrating standards in metallurgical and dimensional requirements, design and operating methodology, inspection of components, and quality control. This can benefit the HDD industry by maximizing tool life and reducing failures of string components.

10 - 10:55 a.m.

Advances In HDD Intersects

Moderator/Speaker: Grady Bell, VP-Business Development, Laney Directional Drilling

Speakers: Alan Snider, VP-Engineering and Paul Bearden, Director-R&D/Quality; Laney Directional Drilling

Several case studies will be discussed and evaluated that demonstrate the technological advances for HDD intersects. The method now makes it possible for the successful completions of extremely long distances and achieving difficult bend radii.

11 - 11:25 a.m.

California Water Utility Jumps Hurdles With Deep-Bore HDD Techniques, Restrained-Joint PVC Pipe

Moderator: Richard Levings, The Charles Machine Works

Speaker: Steven Gross, PE, Director-R&D/Technical Services, CertainTeed

The presentation will discuss the engineering, installation and testing considerations connected with installing a 3,800’ water transmission pipeline to increase groundwater distribution for the city of Carpinteria, CA. Also covered will be the factors such as economics and community impact that led to the use of deep-bore HDD techniques, given that the pipeline route ran in front of a school, through a residential area and two parks, and underneath a creek and U.S. Route 101. Selected as the best pipe solution were 8” and 12” cartridge-style restrained-joint PVC pipe. Special challenges included unusually high rainfall, drilling through saturated light clay soil and the need to deal with mudflows and borehole cave-ins.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26

Room 101B

Track VIII-C

HDD OPERATIONS & PROFITABILITY

8:30 - 8:55 a.m.

The Birkdale ‘B’ Project: 3,420’ At-Grade In New Zealand

Moderator: Randy Peterson, M-I SWACO

Speaker: Richard “Bo” Botteicher, Senior Product Engineer, Underground Solutions

In 1998, the North Shore City Council, near Auckland, New Zealand launched Project Care with the primary aim of resolving the beach pollution problem caused by an overburdened sewer and storm water system. As one of the measures to eliminate overflows, a new pipeline for extra system capacity was needed to carry the increasing loads of everyday sewage flows from the area. The Birkdale Pipeline Project was divided into three separate contracts and the center connecting section.

            The Birkdale ‘B’ pipeline extended 3,380’ under arterial roads and established residential housing. It was installed by on-grade HDD and has a 90’ depth to invert point as it passes through a steep hillside, before weaving through a wetland area and terminating at a newly installed manhole. The initial pilot hole was drilled using a bottom hole assembly configured for drilling through rock, utilizing a down hole mud motor and non-magnetic steering. The pilot drill took six weeks to complete, meeting the requirements for both grade and invert level tolerance. Reaming passes followed with a final diameter of 28” attained before final pullback of the 20” fusible polyvinylchloride pipe.

9 - 9:55 a.m.

Managing HDD Legal Risks, Disputes Due To Subsurface Conditions

Moderator: Randy Peterson, M-I SWACO

Speaker: Ted Roberts, Attorney, Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson

Unexpected soil and site conditions pose some of the biggest risks to a successful HDD project. When subsurface conditions are claimed to be different from either represented in the contract documents or expected by the contractor, costs go up. The question of who pays for these extra costs leads to claims and, all too often, lawsuits and soured business relationships. Many of these disputes could have been avoided and money saved, if those involved had a better understanding of the legal effect and limits of their contractors.