HDD

Another HDD Intersect Record Set

A horizontal directional drilling (HDD) installation completed last summer under the Sabine River and nearby swamplands is believed to be the longest ever made at 11,065 feet.

U.S. Drilling Products - Directional Underground Boring Bit

Manufactured in the United States from the toughest wear-resistant tungsten carbide, U.S. Drilling Products’ new Directional Underground Boring Bit is gaining attention for its rock-busting capabilities.

2013 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census

<em>Underground Construction</em>’s 2013 census of large horizontal directional drilling contractors is an effective tool when selecting the right size of drill rig to fit specific project needs in managing a successful HDD operation.

HDD Rigs: Equipment Spotlight

HDD

HDD Rigs from TT Technologies, Toro, Vermeer, Ditch Witch, Barbco, American Augers and Universal HDD.

Editor's Log: HDD Initiatives At UCT

There was a time, back in the 90s, when the horizontal directional drilling market was a huge segment of the annual Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition. Since then, UCT has grown to truly encompass all aspects of the underground marketplace with construction and rehabilitation of sewer and water systems topping the list.

Underground Construction's 2013 Drilling Fluids Guide

A listing of both bentonite and polymer drilling fluids, divided by type and company.

2012 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census

Underground Construction’s 2012 census of large horizontal directional drilling contractors is an effective tool when selecting the right size of drill rig to fit specific project needs in managing a successful HDD operation.

Study Shows Trenchless Technology Suitable For Longer Pipe Installations

With the advent of new construction technologies comes the need for proven field tests to advance their use. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) using ductile iron pipe, first introduced in 1994, is a method of installing the pipe underground without digging a trench.

15th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey

Despite pockets of negativity, the majority of horizontal directional drilling contractors continue to enjoy a robust business atmosphere for 2013, and most expect that environment to continue for the foreseeable future.

Rain, Flood, Contaminated Soils Can’t Stop Gator Drilling

HDD

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) continues to solve problems for utility owners and operators by completing difficult installations of underground infrastructure that many times can be addressed by no other method of construction.

HDD Specs Developed For Ohio DOT

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is reviewing a draft of a proposed Standard Specification for Horizontal Directional Drilling which would ensure quality trenchless installations of underground pipelines and conduits.

Under The Pond

HDD

In a part of the country where rocky soils make underground construction difficult, Maine contractor Enterprise Trenchless Technologies, Inc. (ETTI) has built a solid reputation for successfully completing challenging horizontal directional drilling installations, many beneath bodies of water.

Downhole Directional Drilling Tools: Equipment Spotlight

Downhole directional drilling tools from Hunting Trenchless, American Augers, Radius HDD Tools, Melfred Borzall, Horizontal Technology, INROCK, Ballantine, Vermeer, Railhead Underground Products, Sharewell HDD Services, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Straightline, Condux Intl. and Ditch Witch.

Large Rig Market Profiles: Carving A Niche In Rock

HDD

Ohio-based H&H Enterprises is a directional drilling contractor specializing in making difficult installations, most of them in hard rock. These days, much of the company’s work is in energy shale fields of the Northeastern United States, making road, river and stream crossings on segments of pipeline routes where open-cut construction is not feasible or practical, says Jason Hockran, H&H vice-president/owner.

TT Technologies Offers New Line Of Prime Drilling HDD Rigs

HDD

TT Technologies is now offering the latest line of Prime Drilling HDD drill rigs ranging in size from 72,000 pounds through 135,000 pounds of pullback.

Thermal Grout, HDD Make 6,200-Foot Electrical Transmission Installation Possible

HDD

A recent project to install more than 6,200 feet of electrical transmission lines in Orange Beach, AL, included multiple challenges, including two intersecting horizontal directional drilling (HDD) pilot holes beneath Wolf Bay inter-coastal waterway channel to complete a single crossing.

Deep Drill Solves City’s Water Main Crisis

HDD

On Sunday, April 8, a water main beneath the Boise River near East 52nd Street burst when a dislodged tree floating in the river crashed into it. Immediately, water to supply hundreds of homes in the Plantation neighborhood of Garden City, a suburb of Boise, ID, was disrupted. The city worked quickly to patch the damaged pipe, which was originally installed in the riverbed during the 1970s, but knew a more permanent solution was needed.

Energy Growth Fuels Large HDD Rig Boom

HDD

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) as it relates to utility construction usually is dated from the late 1980s when the first compact drill units became commercially available.

Mississippi Pipeline Boasts Record Installation Of Ductile Iron Pipe

HDD

Sixty feet below the surface of Sowashee Creek in east Mississippi lies a new section of pipeline – 1,640 feet of 36-inch American ductile iron pipe – installed with little more than a ripple’s impact on the waterway. This section of pipeline marks the longest length of this size ductile iron pipe ever installed using horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

14th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey: Telecom, Energy Drive Market, But Is It Sustainable?

Depending upon where you are located and what niche drives your business, the horizontal directional drilling market for 2012 is a mix of strong, mediocre and stagnant. But where business is good, it is very, very good.

Laney Directional Drilling Record Crossing

Laney Directional Drilling Co., a leading provider of horizontal directional drilling services to the energy, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors, announced that it has successfully completed the horizontal directional drill (HDD) installation of nearly 11,000 feet of 6-inch steel gas pipeline in one pull under Lake Houston.

Downhole Directional Drilling Tools: Equipment Spotlight

Downhole tools from Ballantine, Vermeer, American Augers, Armadrillco, Melfred Borzall, INROCK, Railhead Underground Products, Sharewell, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Ditch Witch and Drillhead Directional.

13th Annual Directional Drilling Survey: Mixed Market Recovery For HDD

While the overall market recovery for horizontal directional drilling appears to be improving at the mid-year point of 2011, many contractors are still struggling with sluggish economic conditions.

Tight Urban Directional Drilling

CenterPoint Energy Inc., Houston, TX, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines and field services operations. It serves more than five million metered electric and natural gas customers in six states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Equipment Spotlight: Downhole Directional Drilling Tools

Downhole directional tools from Railhead, Sharewell, INROCK, Melfred Borzall, American Augers, Horizontal Technology, HammerHead, Vermeer, Ballantine and Ditch Witch.

2010 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census

When horizontal directional drilling (HDD) professionals discuss the size of an HDD rig, they usually refer to the maximum pullback force the unit can develop. The most common industry standard for a large directional drilling unit is defined as having a minimum of 100,000 pounds of pullback force. In addition to pullback, the most common specifications used to categorize HDD equipment are rotary torque of drill stem, rotation speed and the size of drill pipe.

UCT Exhibitor Spotlight: Kem-Tron’s About Face

HDD

In 2009, integrated systems manufacturer Kem-Tron Technologies barely broke even. Despite a market that’s flat in more ways than one, the company’s president says that as of September 2010 the company’s revenue has already matched the full year totals for 2009, with 30% growth expected by the end of the year. What made the difference?

Equipment Spotlight: Wireline Locators

HDD

Wireline tracking technology from INROCK, Underground Tools Inc., Sharewell and Horizontal Technology.

HDD Culvert Cleaning Proves Effective

HDD

Most travelers are unaware of the complexity of engineering and constructing modern highways and streets, and many of the most critical elements that make a roadway safe and able to withstand heavy traffic for years into the future are not readily apparent.

Downhole Directional Drilling Tools: Ballantine

Ballantine offers a complete line of backreamers for nearly all ground conditions.