HERRENKNECHT AG | UTILITY TUNNELLING | TRAFFIC TUNNELLING HDD

HD D – H O R I Z O N TA L D I R E CTIONAL DRILLING.
TR E N C H L E S S I N S TA L L AT I ON OF PIPELINES WITH STATE OF
TH E A RT E Q U I P M E N T F R O M HERRENKNECHT.
HORI Z O N TA L D I R E C T I O N A L DRILLING –
HOW D O E S I T W O R K ?

Entry Point Exit Point

Pilot Drilling. In the first working step of the drilling process a drilling head is driven through the ground
on a predetermined alignment starting at an entry point close to the drill rig to an exit point on the
other side of the obstruction to be crossed. Therefore established surveying and steering techniques as
well as proven drilling tools for different types of soil are available.

Entry Point Exit Point

Pre-Reaming. The pilotbore is then enlarged by one or more reaming passes until it has reached the
final diameter. For this purpose, suitable tools like barrel reamers, fly cutters or hole openers are used.
During the process, drill pipes are continuously connected behind the reamer to ensure that there is an
entire drillstring from the entry to the exit point at any time of the operation.

Entry Point Exit Point

Pullback. In the final step of the operation the prefabricated pipeline is pulled into the reamed and
cleaned borehole starting at the exit point on the other side of the obstruction. Therefore the drillstring
in the borehole is connected to the pipeline with special tools like pullhead, swivel, shackles etc. As soon
as the drill rig has pulled the whole pipeline into the ground and the pulling head shows up at the
entry point the pipeline has reached its final and safe position deep in the ground.
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DRILL RIGS –
T H E M A I N PA RT S O F M A C H I N E RY I N H D D .

Rig Sizes. Herrenknecht designs and manufactures drill rigs with pullforces reaching from 600kN up to
6,000kN. These standard machines can supply rotary torque between 30kNm up to 150kNm.
The rotary drive operates with up to 80rpm while the carriage can travel up to a maximum speed of
35m/min. The breakout unit can apply 100kNm up to 310kNm. Herrenknecht drill rigs have an indepen-
dent power supply consisting of one or two diesel engines (redundant design) housed in soundproof 20ft
containers. The installed power varies between 300kW and more than 1,300kW.
Depending on the special demands of the customers the optimum solution for any kind of project
can be selected from the above mentioned basic designs. Additional features such as electrically driven
machines etc. can be designed according to the customer’s specifications.

Rig Capacities.
pipe diameter (mm)
Rig Capacities. 1,600
The diagram shows the capa- HK 600
city of the most popular rig 1,400
sizes as far as diameter and
HK 400
length of the pipeline to be
pulled are concerned. The 1,200
given figures correspond to HK 250
suitable ground conditions 1,000
such as sand or clay. HK 200
800
HK 150
600
HK 100
400
HK 60
200

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400 2,600 2,800 3,000
drilling length (m)
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Rig Types. All Herrenknecht rigs are extremely robust rack & pinion type drill machines and come
together with an air-conditioned control unit in a 20ft container and one or two power packs.

Four basic types of drill rigs are available:

Trailer Rig (series T)

Frame Rig (series F)

Crawler Rig (series C)

Modular Rig (series M)

 Trailer Rigs are in demand
thanks to their low weight
and mobility.

T RA I LE R R IGS .

General Information. For easy transport over long distances Trailer Rigs are the ideal design
configuration. Herrenknecht’s trailer-mounted drill rigs are based on a 2 or 3-axle unit and
can be towed by any kind of truck with standardized king pin and pneumatic and electric
supplies. These rigs are mainly used in projects with suitable road access.

Design. Herrenknecht has optimized the Trailer Rig design in a way that positioning on site
as well as set-up in the proper drilling angle can be done easily and fast without any crane
support. Due to the new design, further benefits like reduced total weight have been achieved.

Project References. India is one of the new power markets. However, without the necessary
infrastructures, no sustainable growth is possible. That is why the country’s pipeline network
is rapidly being extended – with high-tech made in Schwanau. Trailer-based HDD Rigs are
the first choice in India because of their high degree of mobility. A HK250T type rig is drilling
a total of 4,044m for the Paradeep-Haldia Pipeline. A machine of the same type is success-
fully crossing beneath two rivers for the Chennai-Madurai-Tiruchirapalli Pipeline. And in
Ratnagiri, a pipeline is being laid, which crosses beneath a sea strait – despite high rock
strengths of up to 280MPa. These are success stories which give impressive proof of the
efficiency of HDD technology.
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Crawler Rigs are equally mobile Modular Rigs can be assembled and
in urban areas and difficult terrain, operated in highly built-up cities, without
thanks to their integrated crawler the need for mobile cranes, thanks to an
system. optional remotely controlled crawler.

Frame Rigs are available

with pulling forces of 60t
to a maximum of 600t.

FR A M E R I G S .

The most cost-saving version of Herrenknecht’s HDD Rig designs is the frame type drill rig.
Frame Rigs are of minimum weight and can therefore easily be loaded on common trailers by
any suitable crane.

CR AW L E R R I G S .

Besides the trailer-mounted or modular designed rigs, the Herrenknecht drill rig with inte-
grated crawler system is predominantly used in difficult jobsite surroundings, not accessible
by trucks or cranes. The concept allows the complete mobility of the entire system consisting
of drive unit and crawler. The Crawler Rig can easily be moved on the jobsite.

MO D U L A R R I G S .

General Information. Herrenknecht HDD equipment can be assembled on a modular basis.

This is a product innovation on a global scale, enabling transport of Maxi and Mega Rigs in
standard 20ft containers for easy transport and rig-up on site even in very remote places with
poor infrastructure.

Design. The modular designed drill rig consists of three separate modules, each with maxi-
mum weight of 28t, fitting into a 20ft container.
A D D I T I ONA L P OWE R F OR PI PE PU LLB AC K.

The newly developed Herrenknecht Pipe Thruster is an auxiliary device for Horizontal Direc-
tional Drilling Technology and extends its field of application. The Thruster is mounted at the
exit point and helps to push the entire pipeline into the ground. It is particularly suited for
extremely long pipelines, very large diameters or difficult geological conditions. Depending on
the project the Pipe Thruster can be used as a support tool, a rescue tool or as a pipe instal-
lation tool.
After finishing the pilot hole and the reaming procedures using a HDD Rig the Pipe
Thruster assists during the pipe pull. The Pipe Thruster is mounted at the exit point and pushes
the product pipe into the enlarged hole while the rig is pulling the pipe. This simultaneuos
process reduces the stresses on the drillpipe and the product pipe.
Beside improved safety the Pipe Thruster allows drill lengths of more than 3,000m and
makes the use of large pipe diameters more common.
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Ready for operation: the

Pipe Thruster is in great
demand thanks to its
innovation, mobility and
efficiency.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTION: THE PIPE THRUSTER.

Range of Application.
The Pipe Thruster supports the HDD process during pipe pullback and allows for longer and
more complex crossings. It is also considered to be promising as part of “Sea Outfall” projects:
With Pipe Thruster the product pipeline can be thrusted from ashore into the sea. Extensive
offshore works can be reduced. In addition, the Pipe Thruster can be deployed as “rescue tool”
to recover stuck pipelines.

Advantages of the Method.

The deployment of the Pipe Thruster allows a push force from the exit point to be added to
the pull force of the HDD Rig. Due to the flexible load distribution at the entry and exit point,
safety increases considerably during the trenchless installation of pipelines. Additionally, the
stress on drill pipes and rigsite equipment is reduced during pipe pullback. It is, therefore,
possible to extend the drill length to more than 3,000m and use large 48" product pipes more
frequently.

Advantages of the Herrenknecht Pipe Thruster.

The Herrenknecht Pipe Thruster can be used for all pipe diameters ranging between 20" and
48" by just changing the clamping inserts. Due to a tilting clamping device the Pipe Thruster
can even be installed when the pipeline pullback is already in progress. The clamping device
is suitable for all types of pipelines and coatings. Because of its modular design Pipe Thruster
does not require special cargo transport. The equipment can be transported to any location
worldwide easily and inexpensively.
R A NG E O F H D D E Q UI P M ENT.
Basic Equipment. The basic equipment con-
sists of the drill rig, the power packs and the
control cabin. There are basically four differ-
ent rig layouts (Frame, Trailer, Crawler, Mo-
dular) with pullforces reaching from 600kN
to 6,000kN. The drill rigs are fully equipped
with all necessary equipment for HDD Drill-
ing, while the power packs are designed in a
redundant way for maximum safety on the
jobsite. All control cabins are air-conditioned
and have window protection systems for
safe transport.
Additional Equipment. Herrenknecht sup-
plies additional HDD equipment such as
mud mixing units, recycling units, pipe racks
with crane or stand-alone breakout units.
The pipe racks are equipped with hydraulic
cranes to lift and store the drill pipes during
operation. The stand-alone breakout unit is
mainly foreseen for pipe site operation or
safe and efficient thread connections of drill
pipes and reamers etc. It is fed by a small
diesel driven hydraulic power pack which
can also operate the mud transfer pump in
the exit pit.
High-Pressure Mud Pump. Herrenknecht
uses mainly triplex pumps and diesel engines
from top manufacturers. Herrenknecht high-
pressure mud pumps are driven by a hydrau-
lic motor without gearbox. The advantage of
this configuration is the continuous adjust-
ment from 0 to 100% capacity. All high-
pressure mud pumps are housed in sound-
proof 20ft containers and can be operated
from the control cabin of the drill rig. The
capacity of the pumps varies between 500l/
min and 2,800l/min with a pressure rating
of 100bar.

Tools, Bits & Pieces. At the customers’
request complete drilling spreads are offered
by Herrenknecht including drill pipe, drill
bits, reamers, survey systems, generator sets
and all other equipment needed to start the
HDD business successfully right from the
very first project. The expertise of Herren-
knecht HDD equipment ensures a maximum
of reliability, robustness and efficiency.
Engineering. The engineering department
of Herrenknecht HDD works with the latest
state of the art design and calculation soft-
ware in combination with a highly efficient
network within the Herrenknecht company
and its worldwide subsidiaries. All relevant
project information about equipment per-
formance on sites and customers’ experience
are integrated in future design in order to
achieve the best possible HDD solutions.
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More and more countries
are choosing trenchless
HDD procedures as a rapid
and cost-effective method of
laying oil and gas pipelines.
Training and Support. Today, Herrenknecht
drill rigs are in operation wherever under-
ground pipeline systems have to be modern-
ized or expanded. If required, our expertise
in daily tunnel and pipeline construction is
provided for our customers to maximize per-
formance. To keep the drill rigs running on
sites in China, Russia, the Middle East and
other parts of the world, experienced Her-
renknecht staff provides technical support.
Training of the construction team or field
support on site, wherever our technical
assistance is needed.
WWW.HERRENKNECHT.COM

Herrenknecht AG is a technology and market leader

in mechanized tunnelling. As the only provider of a
full range of services worldwide, Herrenknecht deliv-
ers high-tech tunnel boring machines for all ground
conditions and with all diameters – ranging from
0.10 to more than 16.0 meters.
Herrenknecht’s tailor-made machines create
pipeline systems for water and sewage, for gas and
oil (Utility Tunnelling) as well as tunnelling systems
for car, metro and railway traffic (Traffic Tunnelling)
around the world. Our tunnel boring machines are
forging ahead with the world’s longest railway tun-
nel and the largest metro lines. They help to cross
under water with supreme accuracy and to lay pipe-
lines throughout continents.
Herrenknecht sees itself as a partner in team-
work tunnelling throughout the entire project. Com-
prehensive services for all aspects of tunnel boring
activities complement our range.
The Herrenknecht Group employs more than
1,800 people and has 36 subsidiaries and associated
companies working in related fields, e.g. in logistic
solutions or deep drilling systems.

Herrenknecht AG
D-77963 Schwanau
Phone + 49 7824 302-0
Fax + 49 7824 302-364
utility@herrenknecht.com