As part of a private power company’s Integrity Management Program, pipelines required replacement to make them piggable. As part of this program, the client scheduled the installation of a new 16-inch crossing of Onondaga Creek via Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD).
Kleinfelder was tasked with providing field engineering and quality assurance of the horizontal directional drill, which was based on a design completed by another firm. The designed HDD path pushed the recommended bending limits of the pipeline; and hard layers in the overburden challenged the drillers ability to steer the pilot hole. The drilling contractor was left with a small margin of error to meet the designated depth below the creek and reach the proposed exit and tie-in location, which was in close proximity to a wetland.
Without the ability to change the design due to permit constraints, Kleinfelder’s qualified field staff, with support from the firm’s national trenchless technology experts, oversaw the drill and provided real-time recommendations. In coordination with the drilling contractor, the drill rod azimuth, inclination and depth data were collected during advancement of the pilot hole. Early on the allowable radius was exceeded, our field staff notified the contractor and the issue was resolved and allowed the contractor to continue the drill and keep the project on schedule.
With real-time support and alerts, Kleinfelder provided the driller with the flexibility to pull back rods and successfully reattempt the pilot hole. This eliminated the need to reject and redo the pilot hole, which would have added several days to the project timeline. Based on the project’s success, the client has supplemented future scopes of work to include plotting the pilot hole rod by rod to streamline the HDD process.
Location:
Syracuse, New York
Owner:
Private power company
