Drilling Method

Horizontal Directional Drilling is a surface

launch technique, the machine drilling from
a small entry pit at one end of the shot and
pulling the pipe back through the ground
from the reception pit at the other.
A pilot bore is drilled between the two end
points. The drill head contains a transmitting
device by means of which the drill head can
be monitored from the surface. Adjustment
to the line and level can be made
throughout the process achieving accuracy
to within 100mm.
When the pilot bore is complete, the drill
head is removed and replaced with an
appropriate reamer. This is pulled back
increasing the diameter of the bore. For
small pipe a single ream might be sufficient,
for larger pipe stage reaming is necessary,
the size of the bore being increased
incrementally, reaming as many times as
required using reamers of increasing
diameter.
Drilling fluids, muds, are used throughout
the drilling and reaming process. Muds
libricate and cool the drill head, flush away
the cuttings and stabilise the bore.
When the bore is of sufficient size the pipe is
attached by means of a swivel and towing
head and is pulled in through the bore as
the drill string is retracted.
There are specialist techniques, which
together with specialist tooling and muds,
are capable of installing pipe whatever the
ground conditions.
Horizontal Directional Drilling can be used to
install pipe or duct under any structure or
around any obstacle. Installation under
roads and motorways, rivers and canals,
railways and airport runways are routine.