CASE STUDIES
EDMONTON/ HARDISTY PIPELINE
Horizontal Directional Bore
PROJECT SUMMARY
Our customer required multiple crossings be completed along the Edmonton Transportation Utility Corridor. This oil and gas pipeline was 914 mm (36 in) diameter, requiring a 1,219 mm (48 in) ream. The methodology used in these crossings is known as Horizontal Directional Bore which differs from Horizontal Directional Drilling in that there is no “belly” in the bore, and the drill path is a “straight shot” (versus a curved path). With the drilling rig being set further back, and drilling to depth, a catch pit was excavated for tooling changes and tie-ins.
KEY CHALLENGES
The timeframe to complete this horizontal directional bore pipeline crossing project was extremely limited. To accelerate the drilling schedule, six rigs were utilized. Working around the clock, three 45,360 kg (100,000 lb) rigs were assigned to complete the pilot hole and first ream passes. This was followed by three additional rigs (81,646 kg, 99,790 kg and 149,685 kg units) tasked with completing the final ream passes and product pull backs. We successfully completed work at all 18 crossing locations (3,700 m/12,139 ft total length) within 84 days.
