World Tunnelling and Trenchless World September 2014

Australasia

Investigating the expense of regional tunnels

Drill & blast

Ear to the ground on Rio’s Metro expansion

Roadheaders

Finding success in North America

ISSN 1756-4107 CovI_WT1409.indd 1

September 2014

www.world-tunnelling.com 22/08/2014 09:26

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CONTENTS

1

Crying over spilt ice cream

S

ummer… nothing happens in summer. People go on holiday, leave home with the complexion of a polar bear, return looking like a lobster, buy ice creams, fend off seagulls and exhaust themselves battling that tickly sweat that constantly dribbles down your nose.

As a magazine editor, obtaining content in the summer months can be like trying to prise said ice cream from the beak of a ravenous gull, whose ear-piercing squeals rival those of excited children in that ‘adults-only’ resort you thought you booked.

It doesn’t matter that the ice cream has seagull saliva on it; it doesn’t matter that half the once-solid vanilla is now a sweet but sticky soup on your arm, while the other half pools on the floor, pecked at by cooing pigeons. What matters is: You. Want. It. No, this summer has been an exception to all that nonsense. While most of Europe sweltered under a sustained heatwave, some company executives in an air-conditioned room decided to start throwing their millions around in their hundreds in pursuit of the tastiest-looking ice cream on the market.

“It didn’t matter that the offer was too tricky to get – they still needed to nab their bird”

In the UK, construction outfit Carillion’s top suits drilled in a merger offer and rival company Balfour Beatty’s board blasted it away. As I write this, today was the third strike and, you guessed it, Carillion is out – after valuing its rival at £200 million (US$332 million) more than it did a few days before – to see that £2.1 billion offer melting away on the pigeon’s playground.

It didn’t matter that the offer was too tricky to get – they still needed to nab their bird, but Balfour’s board unanimously decided that Carillion’s sweetened offer was not in the best interests of its shareholders and did not address its concerns over the sale of its US engineering business Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB).

Balfour said it was concerned about Carillion’s plans to retain Parsons and reduce Balfour’s UK construction business, which has endured a tough 18 months scarred by profit warnings and the departure of chief Andrew McNaughton.

Balfour wants to sell PB, which it says does not fit with the rest of its plans for its US operations. And it looks like there’s still plenty of buzz about that one. What would the summer be without a WASP, no, make that WSP? The Canada-headquartered engineering consultancy’s cool £717 million deal for PB is the deal that’s flying high at the moment. Watch this space.

LUKE BUXTON, EDITOR luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com

News

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Features Australasia Drill & blast Roadheaders Shaft sinking BTS interview Contacts

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2

NEWS

Felice named as tunnelling chairman In the US, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) has named Dr Conrad Felice (pictured) as chairman of the Tunnels and Underground Structures Committee.

TRB standing committees play a vital role in facilitating the exchange of transportation research information and results.

The committee members work together to develop research problem statements in their area of interest, review and recommend papers for publication and for presentation at TRB Annual Meetings, and organise committee meetings, workshops and other activities.

Felice is president and CEO of ILF Consultants and has more than 35 years of experience in delivering project and programme management, engineering and design, and construction engineering services on above- and belowground engineering projects, including tunnels, pipeline crossings and bridges.

TBM breaks three records A Robbins TBM set three new records as it broke through at the Indianapolis Deep Rock Tunnel Connector (DRTC) Project.

The Indiana, US, project was put in place by Citizens Energy Group and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the amount of raw sewage overflows in the city’s neighbourhoods and clean up tributaries along the White River.

The 6.2m (20.2ft)-diameter Robbins Main Beam

TBM breakthrough in Indiana

TBM, owned by Shea/Kiewit (SK) JV, was refurbished and redesigned for the job. The

machine cut a 12.2km (7.6-mile) tunnel through limestone and dolomite 76m (250ft) below the city.

The DRTC project was launched in 2013, with breakthrough on July 11, 2014. Multiple world records in the 6 to 7m (20 to 23ft) diameter range were broken on the job, including ‘Most feet mined in one day’ (124.9m/409.8ft), ‘Most feet mined in one week’ (515.1m/1,690ft) and ‘Most feet mined in one month’ (1,754m/5,755ft).

Double breakthrough in India Two Terratec TBMs have broken through on Delhi Metro’s phase III. On July 31, the S23 TBM working on contract CC-07 completed excavation on the down line from the Jama Masjid station to the Lal Quila station for contractor joint venture (JV) Metrostroy OS of Russia, ERA Infra of India and client DMRC. Two days later, the S25 TBM working on contract CC-24 accomplished another breakthrough from the Hazarat Nizamuddin station to the Ashram station. The TBM has advanced a total of 1,665m.

The CC-24 contractor is a JV between India’s J Kumar Infraprojects and China Railway Third Group (CRTG).

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The next drive for TBM S25 is scheduled to complete the line between the Vinoba Puri station and the Ashram station.

The Terratec S23 and S25 EPBM TBMs are

10 μm

6.61m in diameter and include the 900kw VFD electric-driven cutterhead.

16 additional breakthroughs are scheduled over the next few months in Delhi.

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4

AustrAlAsiA

Counting the cost of tunnels Are tunnels in Australia and New Zealand really more expensive to build than in the rest of the world? Kate Taylor investigates Grand design: the Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7) in Brisbane, Queensland

“Costs for Australian tunnelling projects, in general, appear to be higher but are not necessarily the highest in terms of estimates”

I

n order to investigate this claim, design, engineering, and construction company AECOM conducted research to identify and quantify variables that influence tunnelling costs.

A global tunnel-cost database was created where costs of tunnels were converted into Australian dollars during the third quarter of 2011 using a method that included applying country-specific constructionprice indices.

Qualitative research was conducted through a series of interviews with key industry experts and an online survey was sent to a wide range of experienced and specialist tunnelling personnel. It is important to note that after the first few interviews, it was apparent that Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) should not be considered a single entity.

Total project costs were collated as well as ‘tunnel costs’ where possible. Tunnel costs were defined as being those required for the purpose of the tunnel but excluded items with high variance and impact on cost such as rolling stock for rail tunnel projects.

Whether a cost item is included or not in tunnel cost analysis can have a significant impact on the conclusions made and, for this reason, the findings in this study should not be directly compared with other cost-research studies.

Estimates as well as final costs were collated for completeness.

Of the total 157 tunnel project costs collected across 35 countries, 65 were estimates, 64 were final costs and 28 were both.

Through the process of creating the database, a number of key variables (shown in the table) became apparent to better categorise, quantify and compare the various projects.

Counting ContrAdiCtions After removing outliers for clarity, data from the 2010 British Tunnelling Society Study, which looked at UK and European tunnelling projects, was overlain

by AECOM data (Figure 1). This graph confirms the hypothesis that tunnels in Australia are marginally more expensive than the rest of the world.

There are numerous factors

associated with constructing tunnels, all of which can significantly influence the total cost of tunnelling. However, separating the influence of these factors on the out-turn cost is difficult.

All cost information was converted into cost/m³ to provide a more accurate level of comparison than cost per metre run, the most common method of citing tunnel costs.

Analysis showed that costs for Australian tunnelling projects, in general, appear to be higher than most of the world for final costs, but are not necessarily the highest in terms of estimates.

These results confirm the current perception in ANZ that tunnelling is more expensive.

However, as final costs include

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grAnd designs

actual costs rather than predictions, the evaluation of other influencing factors focused on final costs.

Figure 2 contradicts the previous speculation that Australia is more expensive with respect to transport tunnelling; it shows that for transportation tunnels, costs per cubic metre are below the global average.

Figure 3 shows that global utility tunnels average out to be more expensive per cubic metre than the global average for transportation tunnels. This is unexpected given the systems involved in transportation tunnels but it may be that economies of scale come into play.

These results demonstrate that a blanket conclusion that “ANZ is expensive for tunnelling” cannot be supported without a detailed analysis of the data and factors.

Geological conditions vary throughout the world but it was commonly recognised among interviewees that the conditions in Australia are generally not overly difficult to excavate in comparison with the rest of the world, and in fact, are often favourable.

Interviewees and survey respondents described a direct correlation between the amount of site investigation and potential cost savings (Figure 4).

Some Australian tunnels were described by interviewees as “over designed” and “over specified” with regards to both construction and operational safety features, and the removal of excess systems may help to reduce unnecessary costs.

From the interviews, it was discovered that an option to reduce costs in materials and plant is being investigated in Asia, which moves towards standardisation instead of optimisation for each project.

This would allow tunnelling plant to be re-used and would result in standardised mass-produced segments, which could potentially reduce costs.

Given that interviewees quoted that 30-40% of the cost associated with constructing a tunnel comes from the cost of labour, it is evident that this parameter may be the single most important source of cost discrepancies across international borders.

Countries with high wages, including parts of Europe and the US, will often import labour in order to reduce labour costs, but this is not always a viable option in Australia due to labour

5

Figure 1: cost/m³ in Australian dollars (AUD) compared with tunnel outside diameter (OD)

Figure 2: transport tunnels final cost/m³ comparison

and immigration legislation.

According to interview responses, although public private partnerships (PPPs) only make up 5% of Australia’s infrastructure spending, the majority of large, recent transportation tunnel construction has been procured by this method.

PPPs are controversial because of their high transaction costs

Figure 3: Utility tunnels final cost/m³ comparison

Variations in tunnelling database Background

Design Inputs

Cost Inputs

Contractor Contract type Location Locality (urban vs. rural) Geology

Diameter/face area Lining type Excavation type Length and depth End use

Tunnelling works tender Whole project tender Tunnelling works out-turn Whole project out-turn

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FEATURE NAME AustrAlAsiA

Figure 4: level of influence of cost factors in tunnelling

and possible lack of competition in the bidding process. In addition, PPPs often require much higher levels of design input at the bidding stage.

However, PPPs can effectively deliver tunnelling projects in a shorter timeframe and also draw extensively on public-sector knowledge.

The key advantage of PPPs is an expedited start to a project, where there is less chance of project delay due to political intervention.

In many other countries, major tunnelling projects would have

bids from approximately 10 or more contractors, while in Australia this rarely exceeds four.

The lack of competition in the Australian market may result in increased costs for tunnelling works since contractors do not have to be as aggressive in their bidding. An alternative would be to spread the risk by splitting larger contracts into multiple, smaller ones.

Survey respondents were asked where they thought cost-saving opportunities existed in the tunnelling process and the results (Figure 5) indicate a strong sentiment that site investigation, procurement, client leadership and labour are the priorities.

not so blACk And white The number of variables makes it very difficult to establish unequivocal patterns or make comparisons of tunnel costs across regions. This study has

“The lack of competition in the Australian market may result in increased costs for tunnelling” Figure 5: cost reduction opportunities identified by survey respondents

also found that conclusions are difficult to ascertain due to: • the scarcity of data (mainly due to confidentiality); • the reliability of data (the internet is not a moderated source of information); and • the accuracy of the data (difficult to compare like with like due to small data sets).

Nevertheless, the main conclusion is that Australian tunnels do appear to be more expensive than in some parts of the world.

Based on the data available from surveys and interviews, the most significant factors that influence tunnel cost are considered to be geological conditions, tunnel end use and region; which seems reasonable.

Utility tunnels are the more costly (by m³) type of tunnel globally, so it seems worthwhile to look at efficiencies and standardising smaller-diameter tunnelling projects.

There is also clearly some merit in investigating other cost-reduction solutions, such as restructuring or revisiting PPPs as a delivery method, increasing site-investigation scope early on in projects, setting clearer and more defined scope for designers, encouraging clients to be more knowledgeable in tunnelling and inciting more competition between contractors in the market.

This article was written by Kate Taylor, senior tunnel engineer at AECOM NZ September 2014 Aus1_WT1409.indd 6

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AustrAlAsiA

shifting from steel Macro-synthetic fibres have fully supplanted steel in Australian mine shotcrete works. It was only a matter of time before they debuted in the tunnelling sector

M

acro-synthetic fibres were first used in Australian mines in 2000 and have become the standard form of reinforcement in the industry, with about half a million cubic metres of macro-synthetic fibre-reinforced shotcrete (FRS) sprayed each year.

This year marks the end of steel reinforcement use in shotcrete with the last Australian mine making the switch from steel to macro-synthetics. This transition is a consequence of the highly performance-based nature of the industry in which engineers constantly monitor lining behaviour and adapt design and construction methods to achieve improvements in outcomes.

Macro-synthetic fibres have proven more effective than competing forms of reinforcement in every ground condition encountered in metalliferous mines, and are now becoming the standard form of reinforcement for shotcrete used within coal mines.

And now macro-synthetic fibres have made their way into the country’s tunnelling sector.

“The T2E project in northern New South Wales is the first large tunnel in Australia to use macrosynthetic FRS as the main lining,” Stefan Bernard at Shotcrete Engineers tells World Tunnelling.

“This is an interesting innovation as the lining is free of any metallic reinforcement and only uses synthetic fibres as post-crack reinforcement in the event of cracking.”

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Macro-synthetic fibres are replacing steel for reinforcing shotcrete

bypass at Ross Lane and extending to the Ewingsdale interchange.

The project was approved for construction in January 2010.

st HElENA sHOWCAsE The A$862 million (US$801 million) Tintenbar to Ewingsdale (T2E) section of the Pacific Highway upgrade is approximately 17km in length, starting at the northern end of the Ballina Sept 2014 Aus2_WT1409.indd 7

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AustrAlAsiA

Lend Lease, awarded the contract to design and build the project, started major construction in the middle of 2012. The expected completion date is the first half of 2015 (weather permitting).

The upgrade included the construction of two side-by-side 434m tunnels – the St Helena Tunnel. The tunnels each measure 19m wide and 12m high with a provision for three lanes southbound and northbound. The tunnel was included to ensure that motorists avoid the steep grades of St Helena hill and it removes a dangerous accident black spot.

Contractors drill and blasted through 155,000m3 of highstrength basalt. Due to the size of the tunnel, the excavation face was split into six sections, comprising two top headings, two bench blasts and two invert blasts. Each blast required between 100 and 140 holes charged with explosives.

The drill-and-blast programme lasted around 15 months. Once the blasting fumes dispersed and the dust settled, the broken rock was removed by underground loader and truck to a stockpile close to the tunnel portal. The tunnel was then supported after each blast by a layer of sprayed concrete or shotcrete and rockbolts.

Northbound tunnel breakthrough was completed on January 24, 2014, and excavation of the northern portal was finalised at the end of February 2014. Final lining works are due for completion soon.

Elasto Plastic Concrete (EPC) supplied approximately 13,000m3 of macro-synthetic fibre reinforced shotcrete in thicknesses varying from 100mm to 350mm depending on ground conditions.

“I believe the cost of synthetic fibre over that of steel fibre was more than competitive,” Craig Wright, civil and industrial

manager, Elasto Plastic Concrete Australia, tells WT. “BarChip macro-synthetic fibre met the required performance targets during trials versus 45kg per cubic metre of steel fibre.

“The experience EPC’s Australian team gained from exposure to this project was a highlight to our 2013/14 year. From all reports the contractor’s technical and supply requirements were met on time due to the commitment of all team members at the EPC business in Australia. It was a credit to our administration/ logistic team keeping contractors apprised of delivery schedules.”

EPC is currently supplying the Macmahon and Bouygues Travaux Publics Australia’s North Strathfield Rail Underpass project in New South Wales. It is a 148m-long rail tunnel designed for freight trains up to 1.5km in length.

While short, the tunnel was technically complex. The 9m-wide, arched-roof single tunnel was excavated by a roadheader underneath opera-

tional passenger and freight railway lines with a maximum cover of 3m. Ground support in the tunnel consisted of a 250mmthick macro-synthetic fibre-reinforced single-pass (wet mix) sprayed shotcrete lining, which is also the permanent support.

Steel sets or lattice girders are not specified as part of the shotcrete lining.

“We are very pleased to have broken into the civil tunnelling industry in Australia after supplying BarChip to the Australian mining industry for nearly 15 years,” Andrew Ridout, COO EPC Holdings, comments.

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Macro-synthetic fibres are claimed to be cheaper, more durable and easier to handle than steel equivalents

Main drivers behind adoption of macro-synthetic FRS • Economy: macro-synthetic fibre•

•

•

reinforced shotcrete (MSFRS) costs less than alternatives for the same level of performance.

Effectiveness: MSFRS works better in stabilising deforming ground. The combination of a strong layer of concrete that locks the surface together and high ductility that allows movement without structural collapse is the most robust form of ground control presently available.

Design flexibility: the thickness and fibre dose rate can easily be varied to suit requirements, and it is easy to apply additional layers to repair or upgrade existing ground support.

Ductility: MSFRS exhibits better toughness than alternative forms of reinforcement when contained inside the concrete. Mesh and straps placed

•

•

over the surface of the shotcrete provide additional ductility at very large deformations but low rigidity.

Handling: synthetic fibres are lighter and more readily transported and handled than steel fibres. They also present a lower risk of scratches and injury to personnel, cause less wear on equipment, are easier to pump, and have less effect on slump for the same performance. They also avoid the issue of puncturing on trailing cables for electric boggers (LHDs).

Durability: water percolation and salt have proven highly destructive to steel mesh and steel fibres in underground environments throughout Australia. Despite laboratory-based studies claiming that steel fibres are durable in tunnel linings, this has not proven to be the case in situ.

This article features extracts from the paper ‘Development of Macro-Synthetic Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete in Australia’ by Stefan Bernard of TSE (Australia), Matthew Clements of EPC (Australia), Stephen Duffield from Newcrest Mining (Australia), and Rusty Morgan from AMEC (Canada) September 2014 Aus2_WT1409.indd 9

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FEATURE drill & blast NAME

Having a blast in rio In Brazil’s Copacabana life is a beach, while under the sand rock is being blown up on Rio de Janeiro’s Metro expansion Figure 1: map showing tunnels for expansion of General Osório station in red

S

everal infrastructure projects are being carried out in the city of Rio de Janeiro and for the 2016 Olympics, and some were completed for the 2014 World Cup. The works to expand General Osório station aim to optimise and enhance the flexibility of the Metro’s Line 1 operation, as well as to provide the job-site for the construction of Line 4 with space for the installation and operation of a tunnel boring machine.

The work is being performed under the Cantagalo Hill, a rock mass that divides three southern neighbourhoods of the city: Copacabana, Ipanema and Lagoa (see Figure 1).

The project includes the

development of new interchange routes, parking decks, service areas and ventilation tunnels where more than 1,800m of tunnels are being excavated by drill and blast.

stations and slums The predominant geology of the rock mass is gneiss with a granitic composition (Augen gneiss), which is sometimes in contact with sedimentary-origin gneisses (Kinzigite gneiss). Both kinds of gneiss are divided by a fault zone with water percolation. All this rock was excavated by drill and blast to meet the project’s cost and scheduling targets.

The widespread use of the drill-and-blast method in con-

struction projects around Brazil provided Odebrecht and Infra 7 with a know-how that ensures the safe achievement of this kind of project in an urban area.

However, the proximity of metro lines and stations, the presence of numerous residential buildings around the site and slums on top of the rock mass that is being excavated necessitates a greater control of noise and vibration limits.

Such control aims to ensure that the resulting vibrations generated by blasting do not exceed 50mm/s, as defined in the standard NBR9653, that vibations are kept lower than 40Hz in frequency, (because the natural resonance of the buildings lies below this value), and that the air overpressure does not exceed 134dB (see Table 1).

“The proximity of metro lines and stations, numerous residential buildings around the site and slums on top of the rock mass necessitates a greater control of noise and blast issues As previously mentioned, vibration limits” although it is a more effective

method than other mechanised methods, drill and blast has limitations due to environmental issues. The practice requires

Table 1: limits for peak particle vibration Frequency

Velocity limit for peak particle vibration

4Hz to 15Hz

Starting at 15mm/s, rising to 20mm/s

15Hz to 40Hz

Over 20mm/s, rising to 50mm/s

Over 40Hz

50mm/s September 2014

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drill & blast

that are used with the conventional primer should be well dimensioned because overuse reduces the force of the shockwaves from the blast.

tecHnical solution

greater management attention to keeping within limits.

Several measures can be implemented to limit disruption caused by vibration: strict control of the charge weights and their relative initiation times; reducing the drill depth; increasing the number of holes to improve explosive distribution; and reduction of the contained load.

The air overpressure in a tunnel is normally managed by adding blast doors and an effective ventilation system.

Another important element that needs to be managed well is the use of primers. Conventional pyrotechnic initiation systems have limited delay numbers, causing multiple blasthole fires on the same delay.

Sometimes this can result in a delay scatter unlike the original excavation design. This increases vibration waves, which propagate along the rock mass, increasing the strength and frequency of vibration. The detonating cords

Before starting the detonations, the vibration parameters were established by determining an equation of the dynamic behaviour of the rock mass, represented as: PPV = K(R/Wβ)α where PPV is the peak particle velocity (mm/s), R is the distance from the blast (m), W is the maximum instantaneous charge (kg) and K, α and β are site constants.

For this study, the empirical values were used based in Li & Ng (1992) and Müller et al.

(2007). Based on these authors, the blasting data and associated vibration measurements were analysed in order to show the relative compatibility with

empirical correlations (see Figure 2 and Figure 3).

Finally, some adjustments on the empirical coefficients were proposed with the aim to better adjust the characteristics of the rock mass (see Table 2).

Blast design was then carried out for each section to be excavated. As the work consisted of several tunnels with different sections, blast design ranged from pilot tunnels (2m x 2m) to step-by-step sections in five steps in order to keep within environmental standards and address the geological conditions.

During excavation of the sections, some adjustments in the blast design were necessary. The

11

“Blast design ranged from pilot tunnels (2m x 2m) to stepby-step sections in five steps”

Table 2: empirical coefficients Parameter

Li & Ng

Müller et al

Proposed

K

644

206

450

β

0.5

0.8

0.5

α

1.22

1.3

1.45

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Figure 2. Graphical analysis using the parameters of Müller (red line) and the proposed coefficients (blue line).

Brisbane, Australia Tunnel: Photo by E rikt9

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drill & blast

Figure 3: graphical analysis using the parameters of Li and Ng (red line) and the proposed coefficients (blue line)

tools used for identification and refinement of blast design were seismographs, the control chart for the detonations and the electronic initiation system.

Employing sEismographs Four seismographs were deployed in the midst of the densely populated urban area.

One seismograph was placed at the structure closest to the blast face, a second on the existing metro structures, and a third in the working environment.

These instruments analysed the vibrations as the blast face approached new structures or and were used to check vibrations reported by the community, complemented by technical surveys (see Figure 4).

dEtonation Control Chart The service control chart (FVS) contains the main information about the blast design, which can be entered, detailed and then

loaded. It registers the blast and potential changes occurring, in order to accomplish the objectives of the project. At the end of blasting, this record makes it possible to review all changes and settings of the face blast.

ElECtroniC initiation systEm The use of electronic fuses instead of pyrotechnic fuses is another important factor that helped to both reduce vibrations and increase productivity (Kay and Song, 2005).

One of the main advantages of

this type of fuse is the reliability of its timing, which achieves an accuracy of within Âą0.1% of programmed delay time. This ensures that each delay will be programmed to detonate effectively at the right time.

As a comparison, pyrotechnic fuses achieve an accuracy of Âą5%, causing the undesirable effects mentioned above.

Furthermore, it was possible to adjust the blast design for a lower expected maximum charge weight per delay, reducing the vibration, improving energy dissipation and enabling greater advances.

Electronic fuses have a longer load time (each individual fuse must be programmed separately before detonation), but this is compensated by a larger volume of blasting. Moreover, the system identifies any problems before the fuse is detonated, preventing hot flashes because of any blast failure.

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drill & blast 13

ConClusion The proposed guidelines have demonstrated excellent results through the practical application of methodologies and procedures, having a positive effect in reducing environmental risks.

The use of seismographs proved effective in understanding the vibrations of the rock mass and structures, while the FVS favoured the control and logistics of explosives.

When analysed together, this contributed to the improvement of the blast design and showed that the use of electronic fuses allowed the work to be performed within the required safety standards.

At the end of the project, it was found that no surrounding structures suffered any damage related to the vibrations and the use of blast doors proved to be effective at reducing the air overpressure.

The successful use of these technical solutions has therefore contributed to improved urban construction and the management of the use of explosives against the environmental risks involved.

Figure 4. Seismography Plan.

“No surrounding structures suffered any damage related to the vibrations and the use of blast doors proved effective at reducing the air overpressure”

This article is an edited version of the paper ‘Rio de Janeiro Metro – vibrations due to blasting in urban environment’, authored by FSA Saliba, MT Holanda and IJ Gropello from Odebrecht, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and FM Kuwajima from Infra 7, São Paulo, Brazil September 2014 Drill-blast_WT1409.indd 13

22/08/2014 09:36

14

RoadheadeRs

Clean-cut choices

Mechanised tunnel excavation: where the wrong choices could be costly Sandvik MT720 tunnelling roadheader at work on the New York East Side Access 2 project

“Roadheaders, originally designed for mining operations such as coal mining, had the reputation of being one-dimensional.

Lately this has changed”

T

he need to understand the rock-cutting process in an intensive way has become an absolute necessity due to the various options for mechanised tunnel excavation equipment that are available today.

The selection of the right rock-cutting and excavation method is the starting point for every project and determines the project’s success or failure.

Over the last decade, major changes have occurred not only in the development of tunnel boring machines (TBMs), but also with the technology of rock cutting via roadheaders and hydraulic cutters (ie. roadheader attachments, rock grinders, hydraulic cutters, etc). This article concentrates on the latter.

Roadheaders were introduced to the tunnelling sector in the 1950s and were implemented successfully for a variety of small tunnel-excavation projects, mainly throughout Europe, working in relatively soft rock.

In the coming decades, the use of roadheaders expanded rapidly and the machines became progressively larger and stronger, increasing their production rates and capability to cut harder rock.

As the use of mechanised tunnelling equipment increased in relation to traditional drill-andblast methods, there was of course a significant learning curve in the use of such machines. In

particular, it was necessary to identify the feasibility and efficiency of using roadheaders in different ground conditions.

Therefore, the evolution of customised machines with variable options, along with the increase in power and size, became the driving force for the further development and improved efficiency of mechanised tunnel excavation in general.

Roadheaders are now offered with operating weights from 13t up to 180t with a cutting power of up to 400kW, making it possible to cut harder rock with the largest units. The Sandvik model MT720 roadheaders, for example, can cut rock up to an unconfined compressive strength of almost 30,000psi.

Still, roadheaders, originally designed for mining operations such as coal mining, had the

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reputation of being one-dimensional. Lately this has changed.

Versatile equipment Due to the realisation that the rock in tunnels changes frequently, the roadheaders were built in such a way that the same machine could be used as a drill rig, be equipped with different cutterhead styles, operated with various cutting speeds or be equipped with a hydraulic breaker and alternatively a bucket (shovel).

Roadheaders were – and continuously are – being made more versatile. In many projects roadheaders are the hardestworking and most heavily challenged machinery and naturally need support and parts.

A key consideration in roadheader tunnelling is the availability of spares. If spares are not available within 24 hours, the cost

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16

RoadheadeRs

An Antraquip AQ4 cutter on a Liebherr 924 compact tunnel excavator

“Roadheaders were – and continuously are – being made more versatile”

of delays substantially increases as the excavation cycle is stopped.

Modern roadheaders are designed as simply as possible, but offer many features including, but not limited to, computerised guidance control, remote-control system, onboard generator, hydraulic breaker and hydraulic drill.

Hydraulic cutters or roadheader attachments, driven by the hydraulic system of excavators or other carriers, initially introduced in the early 1970s, have created even greater versatility as a complement and in some cases even an alternative to standard roadheaders.

Currently, these attachments are available for excavators with an operating weight from 2t up to 180t and cutting power as high as 500kW (dependent on the carrier output).

Due to the continuous development of hydraulic excavators and

their auxiliary hydraulic systems, the performance of these roadheading attachments has substantially improved.

The robust design of these modern hydraulic cutters contains rugged spur gears and powerful radial piston motors that are capable of withstanding hardrock applications without concern for mechanical failure, as production rates and consumable wear rates will generally dictate the limitations of such an attachment.

For tunnelling and underground mining applications, traditional roadheaders generally provide higher production rates with more powerful electrically driven cutter transmissions than their hydraulic counterparts relative to the size of the excavator that can be used for similar cutting profiles.

Roadheaders can work successfully in smaller tunnels with space limitations, load and convey the cut material from the front of the

machine to the rear, and provide greater stability due to mounted tracks. In addition, new models have increased flexibility. For example, on-board generators allow cable-free movement.

For certain tunnels, however, depending on rock conditions, tunnel profile and length, hydraulic cutters (possibly combined with hydraulic hammers) offer another alternative to excavate a tunnel.

For example, a large-profile tunnel that is relatively short with soft to medium-hard rock may be suitable for excavation utilising a

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22/08/2014 09:37

RoadheadeRs

cutter attachment mounted on an excavator.

Otherwise, such attachments are extremely flexible in tunnels for shaft excavation, scaling, profiling, cutting manholes, utility trenches and grouting.

ContraCtor Considerations Comparing production rates between roadheader performance and hydraulic cutters is extremely difficult. The net cutting performance in cubic yards per hour is not the only factor; the removal of muck, any necessary tunnel-support work and the size of the tunnel also have to be considered.

The decision as to what machine to use is therefore determined by the contractor using detailed analysis in co-operation with the equipment manufacturers.

In addition to considering

equipment performance, mobilisation and operator/maintenance training costs also need to be considered. Both roadheaders and hydraulic cutters are quite easy to operate in general as they are not as specialised as TBMs and, above all, much easier to mobilise.

To select the appropriate machine, there are numerous considerations including: desired production rate, investment cost, cutting profile capability, hardness of material and, above all, availability of space.

Sometimes the choice is confusing to contractors and therefore it is highly recommended to choose a manufacturer that produces both roadheaders and hydraulic cutters to ensure an unbiased opinion when comparing these two alternatives.

For example, Sandvik of Sweden and Antraquip of the US are

manufacturers of both types of such machinery.

Roadheaders and hydraulic cutters should generally not be viewed as competing tools for excavation, but more commonly and effectively used complementary to each other. As such, they are major contributors in making mechanised rock cutting more popular. Sometimes both machines are used at the same project very successfully.

However, the use of roadheaders and roadheading attachments remains limited by the cost and efficiency of cutter tools (bits).

Research is being conducted by reputable companies such as Kennametal to improve the quality of the carbide cutting tools, as well as trying to find a way to introduce diamond-coated tips in a practical and efficient way within a real tunnelling environment.

17

“Roadheaders and hydraulic cutters should not be viewed as competing tools of excavation, but complementary to each other�

This article was written by Karl H Mitterndorfer, president and chief executive officer at Antraquip

Roadheaders_WT1409.indd 17

22/08/2014 09:37

18

shaft sinking

the need for speed Collaboration results in new ‘vertical TBM’ for sinking shafts

“The machine concept allows significantly higher sinking speeds compared with earlier generations of shaftboring equipment”

The SBE sinks a shaft in three phases: first a pilot hole is created from the top downwards; then a reamer enlarges the hole from bottom to top; finally, the shaft-boring machine enlarges the hole from top to bottom to the final diameter and installs the primary lining

R

obbins, Terratec, Caterpillar, Hitachi Zosen, Herrenknecht, NFM Technologies, Kawasaki... This is a small list of a few companies who do very big things. These companies are synonymous with tunnel-boring machine technology. These manufacturers are adapting their equipment to suit the needs of modern construction projects, whether they are in the mining or tunnelling sector.

Top of today’s wish list are: time, money and safety. Herrenknecht has developed what it calls next-generation rodless shaftenlargement machines that have been established on the market for decades as so-called V-Mole technology.

The company worked closely with two experienced companies highly renowned in the mining industry – Thyssen Schachtbau and Murray & Roberts Cementation – to update and adapt the technology to current conditions and requirements. The result is the Shaft Boring Machine for Shaft Enlargement (SBE).

that complies with the highest standards of efficiency, safety and reliability, the company says.

With this new-generation machine, shaft boring diameters of up to 9.5m can be realised under optimum conditions in hard rock.

The machine concept allows significantly higher sinking speeds compared with earlier generations of shaft-boring equipment. It is robustly designed to handle the tough working conditions found in

sinking of shafts. Qualified personnel can easily operate the system.

The SBE works like modern hard-rock TBMs, but vertically.

Advance and primary shaft lining are carried out simultaneously.

With the help of laterally extendable hydraulic cylinders, the 15m-high, 350t machine braces itself before every drilling stroke in the shaft, steadying the machine, allowing the thrust cylinders to push the rotating cutterhead against the borehole floor.

The hydraulic cylinders ensure precise vertical alignment of the shaft-boring machine to the target axis. This is constantly transmitted

the new offering SBE facilitates high sinking speeds and maximum working safety for shaft boring using the pilot borehole.

With the newly developed shaft-enlargement machine, Herrenknecht offers a modern version of shaft-boring machines

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shaft sinking 19

to the machine operator by a laser aiming device.

The rotating anchor platform is located on the drilling deck above the cutterhead. From there anchors and steel mesh can be put in place by two powerful hydraulic drill rigs. If required, a shotcrete unit on the shaft-boring machine secures the shaft wall immediately after exposure of the rock outcrop. The machine operator controls all operations safely and conveniently from the interior of the machine.

The sinking of a shaft with the new SBE occurs in three phases: First a pilot hole is created from the top downwards, which sets the vertical target axis.

Once at the bottom, workers in the cavern replace the drill bit with a reamer, which then enlarges the pilot hole from bottom to top until the pilot borehole diameter is reached. The muck is continuously loaded at the foot of the borehole and transported away.

Thereafter, the shaft-boring machine enlarges the pilot borehole from top to bottom to the final diameter and installs the primary lining of the shaft in parallel. The shaft depth is only limited by the technically feasible length of the pilot borehole.

With the SBE shaft-boring technology using the pilot borehole, the shaft-sinking time is reduced by 20% to 30% compared with conventional shaftsinking technology.

The high precision in terms of verticality and circular shape of the shaft cross-section as well as the virtually vibration-free ground treatment are further advantages of the shaft-boring technology compared with the conventional shaft-sinking method using drilling and blasting or other mechanical methods.

The sinking cycle runs continuously and is not interrupted by drill-and-blast times or dispersal of explosion gases. The new shaft-boring technology brings about high levels of efficiency and greater levels of safety and ergonomic working conditions.

SBE technical data Drive power approx. 800kW Cutterhead speed 0-5rpm Torque max 3,300kNm Feed force 12,000KN Gripper bracing force 36,000KN Drilling stroke 1,000mm Machine weight approx. 350t

“With the SBE shaftboring technology using the pilot borehole, the shaftsinking time is reduced by 20% to 30%”

• • • •

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September 2014 Shaft_WT1409.indd 19

22/08/2014 09:40

20

BTS inTerview

new horizons Roger Bridge, new chairman of the British Tunnelling Society (BTS), talks to WT about career ups and downs and the forthcoming BTS Conference

“We always have something, however small, to learn from the work of others”

WT: Talk us through the highlights of your career so far.

RB: Starting my tunnelling career on the Channel Tunnel holds many special memories, both good and bad. Most recently, as tunnel manager on Hindhead I stood watching both tunnels break through on the same day, which was special.

WT: What notable challenges have you or colleagues faced?

RB: I think the one that you never get over is a fatality. I was unfortunate to lose a colleague many years ago and have always strived to ensure that it never happens where I have any power to ensure that is the case.

WT: How has the tunnelling industry changed since you started your career?

RB: Project scope and scale haven’t changed that much.

There is still a large number of small and medium projects for utility work, which I consider the unglamorous backbone of the industry. TBM sizes grow steadily ever larger and the improvements in technology permit tunnels to be formed in increasingly onerous ground conditions.

WT: What is your view on UK industry trends?

RB: The industry still lacks acting in a totally cohesive manner. The BTS is excellent at representing

individuals but I would like to see us offering greater benefits to our corporate members and have greater input from them.

We are seeing more and more instances of government depart-

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BTS inTerview

ments and clients seeking advice and collective feedback relating to policies and projects, and I would like to see this communication grow.

The potential workload over the coming years is greater than anything we have faced for a very long time. The workload will attract significant interest from tunnelling companies worldwide, and if UK tunnellers are to be successful, they will have to ensure that efficient, attractive solutions are submitted to clients.

WT: What do you feel the BTS represents?

RB: Very few societies are open to all individuals of that industry, with many only open to professional engineers.

We are very different in that aspect and I feel it makes us a stronger society with a more open outlook.

We are a forum to assist in the dissemination of information and to act as a catalyst in the development of new technologies and standards that benefit the industry by improving knowledge, sustainability, efficiency, quality and safety in the design, construction and use of underground space.

It is true to say that the UK tunnelling industry is globally recognised. Our standards and guidance are regularly adopted by projects around the world and our ability to call on our membership in the development of guidance

and best practice is a significant benefit to the industry.

WT: What are the aims of the BTS looking ahead?

RB: We hope to continue the work to spread awareness of the BTS throughout the industry, government and academia. The BTS Young Members are growing in numbers.

We are beginning to develop an underground survey course permitting young engineers to attend a residential course that will be designed to give an understanding of the techniques and methods used in sub-surface works that differ greatly from those system used on traditional civil-engineering projects.

WT: What can we expect to see at the BTS conference?

RB: We hope that the papers and discussion topics provide fresh and interesting information for the attending delegates alongside the usual opportunities to network.

We will naturally have papers from Crossrail and feel that the extensive successful work being undertaken and achieved is worthy of coverage at the conference. We also look to have papers from around the world that will give insights into how work is undertaken beyond these shores. We always have something, however small, to learn from the work of others.

The BTS Conference and Exhibition 2014 will take place at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London from September 23 to 24 Editorial Editor Luke Buxton T +44 (0)20 7216 6078 E luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com Head of production Tim Peters Senior sub editor Jim Adlam Sub editor Woody Phillips Editorial enquiries T +44 (0)20 7216 6078 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 www.world-tunnelling.com Advertising production Sharon Evans T +44 (0)20 7216 6075 E sharon.evans@aspermontmedia.com

21

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The voice of the global tunnelling industry now available on tablet www.world-tunnelling.com Annual subscription – UK and Europe £95.00 (160.00 euros) Rest of the world US$170.00. Additional current copies are available to subscribers at £12 (US$21; €18) each World Tunnelling (ISSN 1756-4107) USPS No: 023-551 is published monthly (except January & July) by Aspermont Media, 120 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1AR, UK. Printed by Stephens & George Magazines, Merthyr Tydfil, UK The 2014 US annual subscription price is US$170. Airfreight and mailing in the US by Agent named Air Business, c/o WorldNet Shipping USA Inc, 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431

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CONTENTS

1

The CUIRE to those winter blues

F

resh mountain air, eggs, the sun, a nice cup of tea, videos of cats doing silly things… these are some of the things to cure what ails you, whether they be city pollution, hangovers, desk duty or your sports team’s continued losing streak.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere right about now, you can probably feel the first of the autumnal winds hit you in the morning. Yes, I know it’s still August and it’s likely to be 20ºC (68ºF) outside, but I’m British and it’s my birthright to comment on the weather.

Anyway, your big sunny holiday is probably gone with the summer wind and you have those colder, darker months ahead when your car doesn’t start and your frozen toes refuse to fit inside your boots.

I’ll bet you need a new hobby, something to look forward to, and if you’re one of those people loosely looking for a New Year’s resolution, this might be for you.

Instead of letting those skills you learned go rusty, you could attend classes to sharpen them up. Or you could suggest to a colleague with perhaps less experience to go and brighten their “Your big sunny holiday career prospects and boost their confidence in being not just familiar with but in command of various is probably gone with trenchless technologies and techniques. the summer wind and

News

2

Features UK HDD Auger boring No-Dig UK Live preview Contacts

4 9 21 24 27

Classified advertising

27

It’s becoming a broken record that skips to the beat you have those colder, of the same chorus: ‘lack of skills and lack of thrills’. darker months ahead” Yes, fewer people are getting into construction (you can probably blame video games and the Internet) and more are choosing more ‘glamorous’ e-tech vocations. But there are courses and events out there that can still tell the young otherwise.

From January 25 to 26 the Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE) will host a series of trenchless ‘certification schools’ under one roof in Houston (Texas).

In the Pipe School students can learn about the applications, advantages and limitations of each type of pipe and new developments in pipe materials and jointing systems.

The Geotechnical School will teach geotechnical requirements for both trenchless and open-cut applications, soft soils and rock investigation methods, and how ground conditions will impact trenchless feasibility and productivity.

If it’s drilling fluids you want to learn about, the Mud School for Trenchless Technology will fill you in.

Further subjects include auger boring; advanced horizontal directional drilling; pipe lining and renewal; and pilot-tube microtunnelling.

Don’t be the blunt tool in the box; sharpen up!

LUKE BUXTON, EDITOR luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com

Next month Western Europe Lining CCTV & pipeline inspection International No Dig Madrid preview

COVER Using 20ft (6m) drill pipe, the newest Mid-size HDD rig from American Augers on the job in West Union, West Virginia. The DD-155T, owned by Oil & Gas Transfer Ltd, has proven to be quite the performer on this project with 30,000ft lb (40,674Nm) of rotary torque and a 12˚ to 22˚ drilling angle. www.americanaugers.com

September 2014 01Trench1409.indd 1

22/08/2014 10:07

2

NEWS

TT-UK reveals new HDD rig Manufacturer TT-UK has released a new horizontal directional drilling rig to work in various sand, soil or rock environments.

The Grundodrill 18ACS rig is intended to combat the problem of creating a consistent bore when faced with complex and difficult soil conditions, the company says.

Once the pilot bore is prepared, the pilot bore head is removed from the first drill-rod string, which can then be exchanged with a suitable borehole opener for each specific soil/ rock condition.

The rig works with a twin-tube drill rod. The inner tube is mounted inside the outer tube and prevents wearing

02-03Trench1409.indd 2

TT-UK’s Grundodrill 18ACS can create consistent bores in tough soil conditions

contact with the outer tube while boring.

The inner tube drives the bore head with the roller chisel transferring a torque

of up to 500Nm at speeds up to a maximum of 350rpm for the pilot bore.

The outer tube sonde housing steers the rock

breaker (rock bore head) by rotating the angled casing to enable directional control.

In hard rock and stony grounds the outer tube also has a protection function, which prevents the rock bore head from blocking; this does not, however, compromise the bore operation.

Without impairing the drilling performance, only a small quantity of bentonite is required, keeping the costs for purchase, treatment and disposal down to a minimum, TT-UK added.

The inner tubes are quickly and firmly plugged together with the plug-andturn connection. This saves time during the drilling process.

22/08/2014 10:09

NEWS

Kier wins two water deals UK-based civil-engineering player Kier Group has been awarded two water-infrastructure maintenance contracts.

Sembcorp Bournemouth Water (SBW) has named Kier as its new partner for the £3.5 million-a-year (US$5.82 million) Asset Management Programme 6 (AMP6) planned and reactive maintenance programme.

The contract is for two years with a potential five-year extension, and will include trenchless repair and maintenance, and mains meter installation. SBW supplies drinking water to nearly half a million people in Poole and Bournemouth in the west of England.

In August Kier announced it had been named as the sole provider of Bristol

3

Jacobs Associates promotes Smith

Water’s £20 million-a-year network maintenance services programme.

The contract, which will start on October 1, is for five years with a potential five-year extension. It will cover repairs and maintenance, metering, new connections, developer mains, trunk mains support and small-diameter mains rehabilitation.

Kier has been delivering maintenance for Bristol Water since June 2013.

“Kier brings a wealth of experience not only in water, but also from the wider utility and construction sectors, and is delivering similar services to other water companies,” Gary Freake, Bristol Water director of network, commented.

Underground-structure expert Rick Smith has been promoted to the position of senior associate at Jacobs Associates.

Smith has 27 years of geotechnical engineering experience for heavy civil design and construction, including underground structures for water, wastewater and transit, highway and railway bridges, support of deep excavations, landslide stabilisation, and earth and rock-fill dams.

Smith is currently managing geotechnical and trenchless services for the Rainier Valley Wet Weather Storage Project in Seattle, and the foundation design for several bridges for the

Rick Smith

Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads.

He has been a key team member on several large underground projects in Seattle, including the Brightwater Conveyance System, University Link Light Rail Extension, Northgate Link Light Rail Extension, North Creek Interceptor Sewer and the Fremont Siphon.

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4

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Graphic of a pipe-laying vessel

on the crest of a collaborative wave A new patent for shallow-water pipe-laying technology could open up the UK market

“By 2017 investment in the subsea pipeline installation market is expected to reach US$9.6 billion”

T

he subsea pipeline market is constantly evolving thanks to innovations in the expediting of ultra-deep hydrocarbon production, exploration in emerging markets such as the Arctic and increased levels of recovery from existing oil and gas reserves.

According to published reports, a peak investment of US$9.6 billion is expected throughout the subsea pipeline-installation market in the next three years.

The growth in this area, particularly in the North Sea and Norwegian waters, reflects an increased level of productivity across brownfield and greenfield work, including enhanced oil recovery.

The subsea market is one of the key drivers behind the increase in production and the new technology available to lay subsea flowlines on the seabed.

New market Cortez Subsea, a subsea services company and technology specialist, has recently been granted a UK patent for its Modular Pipelay System (MPS), making new shallow-water pipe-laying technology available to the North Sea market for the first time.

It is the culmination of three years of research and development and is rapidly garnering interest with operators in the UK Continental Shelf. The company has been working with oil and gas services company National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) Tuboscope to find a cost-effective solution and bring it to the marketplace.

“We were looking at ways to further enhance the pipe-laying side of our business and came up with the concept of incorporating the already proven Zap-Lok technology into our plans,”

Alasdair Cowie, managing director of Cortez Subsea, tells Trenchless World.

“The mechanically advanced Modular Pipelay System is the result of our innovative engineers and Tuboscope’s Zap-Lok pipeline-connection technology.

We believe it is set to revolutionise the subsea pipeline industry.

“Zap-Lok has been used both onshore and manually offshore for many years. We saw the opportunity to make the technology readily available to the offshore market by way of automating the process.

“We believe that this will make a large impact in some sectors of the pipe-lay market and through partnerships we intend to make this available worldwide, particularly in areas that do not have support bases or large development infrastructure.”

New versus old Traditionally, pipelines are connected offshore by welding the sections together and installing in an S-lay configuration. Recently the market has seen extensive development for deep-water using the reel-lay method, whereby pipes are welded on land and reeled onto specialist vessels.

The Cortez Subsea system is designed to compete with the traditional and reel market, as it can facilitate the storage, handling, connection and deployment of the pipeline in an S-lay configuration onto the seabed at a speed of three to five minutes per joint, which gives a daily installation rate of up to 5km.

NOV Tuboscope owns the Zap-Lok technology. Dr Ben Chapman, director for the eastern hemisphere, says: “The Zap-Lok connection came about in the 1970s and, since then, more than 8 million joints have been made with this method.

Around 2,500km of pipeline has been laid to date in waters over 100m deep in the Gulf of Mexico, South East Asia and West Africa.

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“The market for shallow-water and replacement pipe is significant in the North Sea where operators are always looking for ways to improve productivity.

Hundreds of thousands of corridors of pipeline a year need to be installed or replaced with new ones. The Zap-Lok technology coupled with the Modular Pipelay System provides the market with a cost-effective and safe option.”

Using the patented Modular Pipelay System with Zap-Lok pipe gives contractors the flexibility to lay pipe from any suitable vessel.

The MPS is constructed from pre-fabricated modular components, which are adjustable to suit and allow fast and efficient assembly on the back deck of the host vessel.

With pipe prepared onshore, once the vessel is at the exact location, the pipelaying begins.

The Cortez Subsea system can install up to 5km of pipe each day

Cortez Subsea MD Alasdair Cowie

Firstly, the pre-prepared pipe rolls off the automated rack into the Zap-Lok press where lengths of pipe are pushed through the joining system.

The joints can be externally and internally coated according to client specification. A key advantage is that there are no coating holidays, therefore no field jointing offshore, which saves time when installing the pipeline.

“What also makes this unique is

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that the mechanical interface joint is considerably quicker than the reeling process, which involves pre-welding on shore,” adds Cowie.

“It’s also a safer option as there is no welding carried out offshore, so fewer personnel are required on board.

“You also have better control over the pipe’s alignment dimensions with this system as it is cold-worked and essentially a manufactured joint.

“By having the equipment needed for the pipe-laying task designed to be installed and operated from a vessel of

“There are plans to expand ZapLok technology for pipelines up to 16in (406.4mm)”

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suck it and succeed On a recent clean and repair job, suction-excavation technology helped put a brick-egg sewer back together again

A

Zap-Lok technology is currently available for pipelines from 2in to 12in (50.8mm to 304.8mm) and will expand to 16in (406.4mm)

opportunity rather than hiring a specialist pipe-lay ship, the savings to an operator are eye-catching. We can do the engineering analysis, carry out the work and then allow the contractor to tie the pipeline in and complete the commissioning. All you need is a DP2 vessel around 100m long.

“At present, Zap-Lok technology is available for pipelines from 2in to 12in (50.8mm to 304.8mm) but there are plans to expand on this in the future up to 16in (406.4mm),” Cowie reveals.

“Three of the major international operators and numerous independents have approved the use of Zap-Lok for global subsea operations in the past two years.

Operators need to make tiebacks and completions cheaper in the North Sea. “We are now progressing towards fabrication and trials of the first of the MPS units for operations at the beginning of 2015. This is a significant step in the development of our company towards advancing technology and maximising value for the subsea market.”

large contractor working for a national utility supplier was tasked to replace 150m of collapsed and damaged brick-egg sewer running the length of a residential street in Cardiff, Wales (UK).

The sewer was six to seven metres below street level, meaning that the only approach was to open-cut the entire length or open-cut sections, support the excavation sides and attempt to clear the lengths between excavations by use of hydro-jet vacuum.

Once cleared, these sections could be repaired by relining, connected to the new sections in the open-cut access pits and the sewer re-commissioned. This method would reduce the amount of excavated material across the project, the movement of muck-away vehicles, the amount that needed reinstating and the time needed to complete the project.

However, the contractor soon found the brickwork of the sewer was in such poor condition that the power of the water-jetting process with the hydro jet vac machines was dislodging bricks and causing further damage.

In addition, the company discovered that some areas of collapse had allowed small boulders, large pebbles and silt

The sewer was located about 7m below street level

from an old river bed to enter the sewer, adding to the problem.

Due to the size of and weight of this debris, it became too difficult to continue to use the hydro machines.

Trenchless approach The contractor decided to investigate an alternative to the hydro-jet vacuum or total open-cut approaches in an attempt to control costs and reduce disruption to residents.

Force One was contacted and a site visit was arranged.

Once Force One met with the site management team and understood the requirements of the project, a method of

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approach using the company’s dry-suction system was agreed and a trial arranged.

Due to the depth of the excavation and length of brickegg sewer to be cleared, Force One’s most powerful machine, capable of moving material from depths of 55m and horizontal distances (at ground level) of 150/200m, was allocated to the project.

As the dimensions of the sewer were only 900mm high by 600mm at the widest point, the only option was to insert rigid 250mm ID 3m lengths of pipework into the sewer while connected to the suction vehicle. The company would work with a large 360º excavator fitted with a pipe-pushing attachment that lowers pipe sections into the access pit, connects and pushes each pipe section into the sewer, thereby increasing the machine’s reach and clearance ability.

As manual handling was

7

Access pits 60m to 70m apart were excavated to allow the crew and machine to set up

needed at set-up, Force One developed a dedicated lightweight extension pipework with a fast coupling system.

Progress success The initial trial highlighted the difficulties of connecting each

section of pipe together while working in conjunction with the pipe-pushing mechanism due to lack of working space in the access pipe. Reduced-length sections of pipework overcame this.

Another issue was pushing the

“The sewer was in such poor condition that the power of the waterjetting was dislodging bricks and causing further damage”

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Small boulders, large pebbles and silt from an old river bed entered the sewer; the suction machinery successfully removed the debris

The vacuumexcavator hose goes into place

pipework into the sewer in a continuous action, which resulted in the intake nozzle riding up and over the material blocking the sewer. Applying a rocking approach together with fitting a weighted steel intake nozzle to the lead pipe solved this.

Following the trial and having ironed out the main difficulties, using suction excavation proved a viable approach. The machine and clearance method was used to clear 35m sections of the sewer at a time.

Access pits 60m to 70m apart were excavated to allow the crew and machine to set up and working from these Force One was able to reach both ends of the exposed sewer sections, clearing up to 70m lengths.

The powerful dry system removed all material within the bottom of the sewer without further damage being caused to the structure. Any bricks, small boulders, rubble and silt were removed from the extraction point along the extension pipes and into the suction vehicle’s 10m3 storage tank.

Once full, the vehicle tipped its content into 20-yard roll-on-rolloff low-sided skips, ensuring that material was contained ready for removal from site. This allowed the machine to remain on site and continue working to ensure that the project could be completed in the fastest time possible.

The project and suction method used was deemed a success. Total open-cut was avoided, reductions were achieved in muck-away, vehicle movements on site, disruption to local residents and reinstatement costs.

Early pionEErs Force One was one of the early operators of suction technology when it started trading back in 2004. At that time, there was a degree of resistance to, and lack of awareness of, suction excavation as an alternative to traditional dig methods.

Most operators of suction vehicles worked in the utility sector. However, Force One saw the potential of these machines and made a concerted effort to introduce this technology into different areas including highways, airports, ports, civil engineering, tunnelling and rail, to name a few.

The company’s success and growth within these and other sectors and a willingness to invest in new more powerful machines, develop ancillary equipment such as extension pipework and remote tracked mini vehicles for distance excavations, have resulted in the company’s ability to tackle the more unusual challenging projects.

This year Force One celebrates 10 years of trading. During these years the company has seen the acceptance of the technology grow and the machines improve in power, type and size. More operators have entered the marketplace, ensuring greater competition and choice, which in most cases is a good thing.

The continuous drive within the industry for safe approaches to excavation and material removal has been a great driver for growth during these years and Force One has seen more and more project requirements at the tender stage stipulate the use of suction/vacuum-excavation methods.

Large UK projects such as the Olympic Park, Nottingham Express Transit and Crossrail all utilised suction excavation and have helped raise its profile. As more projects and industry sectors use this safe no-dig and material-extraction technology, it could become a preferred method.

Force One continues to expand its vehicle fleet, invest in staff specialist training, design and develop additional equipment, allowing Force One to build on its reputation for specialist service provision.

This article was written by Sean Strohman, business development manager at Force One September 2014 UK_Trench1409.indd 8

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9

Success underwater Oil company Sarpom recently decided to replace an overground pipeline with a pipe under a river in northwest Italy using HDD

P

reviously, Sarpom’s TrecateQuiliano, a DN 8in (200mm) pipeline, crossed the Bormida di Spigno River in Mombaldone, Asti Provence, attached to an existing railway bridge. In order to provide greater safety and security, Sarpom planned to run the pipe underground instead.

Following a subsoil investigation, the route under the river was decided with works scheduled at a safe depth.

SubSoil cHaracteriSticS The geotechnical investigation revealed the subsoil stratigraphical situation. Fluvial deposits were found at the entry side with sand and silt at thicknesses of around 3-4m. Gravel and cobbles

with a silty-sandy matrix, up to the top of the rocky substratum, were recorded at a depth of 7.5-8m.

The rocky substratum showed compact marl, at times limestone marl, horizontally stratified. At the top a 20-30cm thick layer of weathered marl is present. This substratum was encountered at the HDD entry point at 7.5-8m, while at the exit point it is covered by 3-4m thick eluvial-colluvial deposits. Such soil is present at the base of the hill next to the HDD exit point, and mainly consists of silt and sand covering the marly substratum.

Location of drilling site for Bormida river crossing

Hdd profile

Aerial view (HDD route in yellow)

The HDD profile was defined on the base of the subsoil character-

Photo: Google Earth

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Hdd

(1,000m radius) had to be adopted in order to have the final straight section of the profile aligned with the pipe string (prepared in two sections), which could not be located elsewhere due to local constraints.

An exit angle of 12° was defined to keep a low height of the pipe overbend at the exit point.

Adopting a vertical radius of 440m and a horizontal of 1,000m, the resulting combined radius was 400m, a value that is the minimum consistent with mudmotor use and at the same time adequate for the geometric and mechanical characteristics of the pipe.

Top: bottomhole assembly with 12.25in bit

drilling cHaracteristics

Above: 80/50 rig with 1,000kN pull/push force Above right: 18in hole opener Right: parameters recorded during drilling

Table 1: HDD profile Entry angle Exit angle Straight entry section length Bending section length Straight exit section length Vertical bending radius Horizontal bending radius Combined radius Drilling horizontal length Drilling real length Below: geological and drilling profiles

12° 12° 42.63m 182.96m 96.78m 440m 1,000m 404m 322.37m 328.17m

istics, the geometric and elasticity parameters of the pipe to be installed and the local constraints.

In particular, due to the presence of very coarse material in the cover layer (7.5-8m thick), a steel protective casing pipe had to be installed for the whole length of crossing this soil. At the same time an entry angle of 12° was adopted in order to keep the length of the casing within adequate limits for an easy installation (50m).

The profile had to guarantee a safe depth under the river bed, even in case of the evolution of the hydraulic water course.

A slight horizontal bending

The HDD profile, defined in the final design on the base of the above listed items, consists of a straight entry section, a bending section, and a straight exit section, as specified in Table 1.

The exit point elevation was 11.5m higher than the entry one.

Contractor LMR Drilling used an 80/50 HDD drill rig with 1,000kN pull/push force and 55kNm torque. The company also used 5in drilling rods with a 12.25in tricone drill bit and an 8in mud motor.

The first section, crossing the gravelly layer, was reamed with a hole-opener up to 18in and then a 13³/8in casing pipe was installed for a length of 50m, entering around 5m into the rock substratum.

drilling pHases LMR undertook a comprehensive drilling plan. Pilot drilling bored through all the cover soil extension up to the entrance at an ade-

September 2014 HDD1_Trench1409.indd 12

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quate length into the rock substratum. Works included: • Tripping back the drilling pipes, disconnection and installation of the 18in holeopener, reaming of the pilot hole up to 5m inside the rock; • Tripping back the pipes and disassembling the hole opener; • Installation into the enlarged hole of the casing pipe for a total length of 45m, of which 4m was in the rock; • Restarting the pilot drilling for the remaining section, as long as punch-out occurred precisely at the exit point, at a horizontal distance of 322m; • Pull-back of the preassembled pipe string in two sections.

During the break caused by the connection of the two pipe sections, the casing at the rig side was pulled out.

bit and of the mud composition.

It has to be noted that marly rock, rich in clayey minerals, when crushed during drilling enhances fine particle accumulation in the drilling mud, which could not be separated by the recycling unit.

This caused an increase in the weight of the mud unit. For this reason, mud had to be dumped on more occasions and replaced with fresh mud.

13

133/8in casing installation

Final considerations The activities for drilling the hole and installing the 8in pipeline under the bed of the Bormida di Spigno River at Mombaldone were successfully carried out over six days. The drilling reached the exit target with high precision and the pipeline was installed in the hole easily, and without any damage.

The main expected difficulties were the crossing, at the entry side, of the cover layer with loose and very coarse soils (gravel and cobbles) 8m thick, which could have caused serious problems for the hole stability and for drilling progress.

The solution LMR adopted, the installation of a protective casing pipe by means of the rig itself, was successful and allowed drill progress and the pull-back of the product pipe without any difficulties, such as hole collapse and obstruction.

The drilling progress in the marly rock section (around 75% of the whole length) was carried out, even if with adequate slow speed (20-25min/joint), without any particular problems thanks to the proper choice of the drilling

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Hdd

Near right: punch-out takes place at the exact planned location Centre column: disassembling the bottom-hole assembly

Mud pressure in the hole during drilling reached a maxi-

mum value of 300kPa. No mud loss or inadvertent return to surface occurred, thanks to a compact rock structure without fractures and joints.

Drill push force and torque during drilling were low, in the order of 100-130kN and 6-8kNm respectively. Also, in the pull-back phase the applied pull force was moderate, not exceeding 60kN.

Table 2: project timeline March 25 March 26

12.25in pilot drilling to 57m; Pilot drilling to 124m, trip out six joints, 18in HO assembling and hole reaming to 45m; March 27 Trip out the drill pipes up to disassembling the HO, installation of the 13³/8in casing pipe to 45m (4m below the soil cover-rock contact); March 28-29 Pilot-hole completion and precise punching out at the exit point; March 30 Pull-back of the 8in pipeline with a break of around 3.5 hours for connection of the two string sections and for pulling out the casing at entry side.

This article was written by Giovanni Polloni of LMR Drilling

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15

From paper to the pipeline Planning for gas-pipeline installation is key, but a twist down the line can throw you

A

s contractors, we are the hewers of wood and drawers of water. No one argues with you when you put a new sewer under a road, but mention the word ‘pipeline’ and there will be a reaction.

What is clear, though, is that once you have worked for an energy company as a contractor, you soon realise just how seriously they take both environmental and general safety issues.

Their level of best practices and due diligence in these important areas are impressive and ongoing.

Industry insiders argue that even the heated North American debate surrounding the Keystone pipeline agreement and its (short-term) failure has had little

HDD2_Trench1409.indd 15

Cradling the carrier pipe in preparation for pull-back on the Ottawa project

or no impact on the Canadian industry as a whole. It is clear that it is just one avenue and

demand for energy will always create alternative routes to a market. Whether it is by smaller

“No one argues with you when you put a sewer under a road, but mention ‘pipeline’ and there will be a reaction”

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pipelines or by rail, the reality is that energy producers and transporters will adjust their supply strategy to capture the available business opportunities.

What remains clear is that companies that are involved in large-diameter HDD work have seen the number of pipeline projects show incremental growth over the past few years.

Driven by consumer and investor confidence in the global demand stability for energy products, the industry sector’s fiscal strength has enabled them to pursue new eastern and northern markets.

And while there has always been work in this sector, in Canada contractors have sensed the wave rolling eastward as the mid- to long-term supply strategies are rolled out.

The ‘for and against’ debate continues to run in the media and courts, and it is clear that both sides need to continue to

17

Centre column: the pilot hole completed. The team pre-reamed to 24in. The hole remained open and in good shape in preparation for the largerdiameter back ream

work closely together to foster an honest and productive dialogue.

Under the creek bed Marathon Drilling recently completed a 24in gas-line project for Enbridge Gas in Ottawa under a municipal drain and creek bed.

Although it was a small project, it was an indicator of the general

energy market push towards an expansion of service.

Success in HDD, as in all projects, is determined by having a few critical things in place: the right people, appropriate equipment and good planning.

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Near left: preparing to increase the hole to 32in with a new reamer and pull the carrier pipe through

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hdd

the high water table (less than a couple of feet below surface) and even then, a dewatering programme would take care of that.

On paper it seemed as if it would be textbook.

Straightforward drilling

The carrier pipe slid into the hole without obstruction

Grundoram Taurus pipe rammer in action

planning room before a sword is drawn. You can overcome many unforeseen difficulties if you have the right assets.

This particular site presented subsurface conditions perfect for HDD methods. The geotechnical information, while not extensive in terms of number of boreholes, indicated a solid layer of lean clay with a shear strength of about 30kpa at the right elevation for the drive.

It also seemed to be free of any big cobbles along the bore path.

The only fly in the ointment was

The launch and coupling trench was dug to just over a yard (91.4cm) in depth and equipped with sump pits and dewatering pumps. Marathon Drilling’s section of HDD project involved two short drives of about 300m, each under existing infrastructure and the creek bed.

Once the company pulled the 24in pipe back, natural-gas distribution contractor LinkLine would make its connections to the newly trenched pipeline.

Everything went according to plan. Marathon got site safety and frack-out safety procedures in place. The company piloted with its standard 6in head and passed unobstructed to the exit pit. It then back-reamed with its 24in and 32in reamers with few hiccups.

The ground conditions remained excellent for HDD and beyond modifying the bentonite slurry mix to accommodate the water-saturated ground, the drilling proved relatively easy.

Once the hole was completed, Marathon pulled its 24in steel carrier pipe in and its part of the project was finished.

a helping hand

Project facts Customer: LinkLine for Enbridge Gas Project: Installation of 600m of 24in steel gas carrier pipe Equipment: DitchWitch 8020 and TT Technologies Taurus pipe rammer Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

As team members were packing up their gear, they received a call from another contractor which was doing similar HDD work as part of the ongoing contract. This company had won a section of the project a few hundred metres down from Marathon’s site and was struggling with a problem.

The ground conditions were the same but on the other company’s carrier-pipe pull-back the pipe got stuck on something and refused to move forward or backwards in the ground.

Whether the problem was hydrolock or a rock pinch remains uncertain. The contractor attempted to free the pipe up but could not get it loose.

The options for the team were limited because they did not want to risk damaging the pipe in the process. It became clear that they required an alternative approach. It was at this point that Marathon was once again contacted to see if it could suggest a solution.

After a quick site meeting to discuss what they had tried, the companies decided to use Marathon’s TT Technologies 24in Grundoram Taurus pipe rammer to hammer-assist the pull-back operation.

The hammer was set up and the rings connected to the carrier pipe on the back end, and the HDD machine was in pull-back mode. The two operators worked in tandem to minimise shock to the HDD drill.

The Taurus hammer has up to 4 million pounds of strike and strikes up to 190 times a minute.

If the operator is not paying close attention to how the energy is being transferred through the pipe, it can cause a serious damage to equipment behind or in front of it.

The hammer provided the extra boost the HDD machine needed to break the suction or binding force around the carrier pipe and the pull-back operation was successful.

One of the lessons we learn every day in HDD (and trenchless projects in general) is that even the easiest and most straightforward projects can provide a twist.

Having tools and contacts to help you get out of a sticky situation can be a deciding factor in your project’s success or failure.

As much as we believe in ourselves and strive to do the best to manage our projects, inevitably there will come a time when we all need to work together to move forward.

This article was written by Andrew McPhedran, vice-president of business development at Marathon Drilling September 2014 HDD2_Trench1409.indd 18

22/08/2014 10:16

hdd

A history of firsts Trenchless Utilities has covered many innovative projects during its history: from the dawn of HDD in Australia to the world’s largest fibre-optic rollout. James Johnson talks to TW

I

n 1986 RockBusters was one of the first companies to specialise in rock-trench excavation offering that era’s latest technology of rock breakers and rock saws to utility installers throughout Western Australia.

A decade following that, Trenchless Utilities was born as one of only six contactors

HDD3_Trench1409.indd 19

selected by Telstra (Australia’s largest telecommunications and media company) to provide the brand new horizontal directional drilling technology for the rollout of cable television in Western Australia.

Trenchless Utilities was also the first company to introduce a system of live main replacement

by directional drilling to Western Water.

In June 1996 the company installed its first mains power cable for Western Power at Cottesloe Beach. At this time Trenchless Utilities developed a process that became the blueprint for the ongoing underground power programme that is still running.

One year later, Trenchless Utilities combined these skills with the refined accuracy of its steering systems to make it possible to consistently drill within 100mm of live gas mains.

Trials in February demonstrated the minimum-disruption benefits of live gas main replacement on the old hemp jointed system.

In 1998, the contractor began R&D involving extensive trials to achieve the ‘holy grail’ of HDD: on-grade sewer installation for the Water Authority of Western Australia at an accuracy of +/-5mm by directional drilling

19

A Ditch Witch JT3020 Mach 1 all-terrain drill rig ready for work

“Trenchless Utilities was the first company to introduce a system of live main replacement by directional drilling to Western Water”

22/08/2014 10:17

20

hdd

Trenchless Utilities has worked on an array of global trenchless projects

and tunnelling using tooling designs and procedures it had developed after an extensive 12-month field study.

InternatIonal consultatIon In 2000, Trenchless Utilities was appointed as lead trenchlesstechnology consultant for Reliance Industries, India’s largest corporation, to advise on all aspects of the installation process and methodologies of the Infocom project, which was the largest fibre-optic rollout in the

ogy. This took place within the extremely harsh, isolated environment of Australia’s northwest.

The communications system has the capability to handle true autonomous control and dawnof-the-age driverless trains, haul tucks and remote-control operations from thousands of kilometres away.

Last year, Trenchless Utilities applied for a patent for its utility-installation system. The patent was for one of six identified mainstream uses for its radical milling-auger excavation design. Another application includes ocean-floor pipe and cable installation.

Trenchless Utilities is also in the frame for the National Broadband Network scheme, which aims for mass fibre-optic broadband connectivity to be completed in Australia by 2020.

world – 72,000km linking the whole Indian sub-continent at a total cost of US$6 billion.

Two years later, Trenchless Utilities won another major contract managing over 100 directional-drilling rigs throughout the Indian sub-continent.

In 2011 the contractor worked as consultant to Bombardier Transportation. This involved the installation of the fibre-optic backbone system for automated heavy-haul rail signalling and train monitoring, which services the 2.4 billion-tonne A$10 billion (US$9.4 billion) debt-funded project at Roy Hill mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Services included delivery of full scope and feasibility on all civil aspects of sub-site installation of the backbone and localised distribution systems by trench and trenchless methodol-

James Johnson is the head of business development at Trenchless Utilities

Pipeline inspection

Canada

From robots to the sea

Money-saving alternatives on sewer project

Pipeline rehab

Auger boring

Repairing damage in Christchurch

Electrifying the market

HDD

Pipe bursting

Battles with the underground

You need the industry’s leading publication!

Speeding up adoption of installation techniques

Western Europe Switzerland and UK

HDD DIP pull-forces

Microtunnelling Means and methods

ISSN 1756-1407

September 2013

www.trenchlessworld.com

ISSN 1756-1407

October 2013

www.trenchlessworld.com

ISSN 1756-1407

November 2013

www.trenchlessworld.com

is the ONLY highly specialised trenchless technology Why? – Trenchless Worldmagazine providing you with in-depth coverage on all technical and operational aspects in this sector

equipment reviews, technical papers and site What? – Topical news,reports on trenchless projects around the globe worldwide, with Who? – Read by topandecision-makers estimated readership of 21,000 with regular When? – 10 issues per year, monthly updates

How? – Register for your FREE subscription online at:

www.trenchless-world.com/free-subscription HDD3_Trench1409.indd 20

22/08/2014 10:17

auger boring

21

battling red shale, mud stone and blue stone Tough rock called for tough equipment on a pipe-installation project

T

he owners of a private development in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania (US), recently contracted Blooming Glen Contractors to install water and sanitary pipes.

The company rented a Bohrtec BM600LS pilot-tube machine from Icon Tunnel Systems.

Blooming Glen planned to use the 16.5in (42cm) auger-driven, front-steer pilot-tube microtunnelling system for the trenchless installation of two 240ft (73.15m)-long drives of 16in dia. steel casing through a difficult area located in the Perkiomen Watershed.

The installation of the pipes was vital to the project’s overall water and sanitary supply system, which was planned to cross under a major roadway and a 30ft wide, 3ft deep stream bed while maintaining a 2ft cover from the stream bottom to the top of casing.

The rock-like conditions, which were found to consist of red shale and moderately hard mud stone known to the area, complicated the task at hand.

The team deemed that the front-steer system from Bohrtec would do the best job and provide the greatest advantages because of the tight line and grade requirements and the non-displaceable conditions versus conventional laser-guided microtunnelling.

Conventional microtunnelling would typically be chosen for a job as difficult as this one was, but the advantages and cost-savings could not be ignored.

The front-steer pilot-tube microtunnelling system from Bohrtec has been field-proven and has installed over 5,000 linear feet of pipe in varied soil/

Pipes have been installed on the development near Perkiomen Creek

rock conditions since 2010. Icon offered its experience and knowledge of the equipment and was confident in completing this project on time and under budget.

‘non-displaceable’ Pilot tube microtunnelling has been widely used all over the US on trenchless projects and continues to grow each year.

Unlike the standard pilot-tube rods that pierce the ground and ‘displace’ the surrounding soil, the front-steer pilot-tube microtunnelling system (known as FSPTMT) is launched into the ground with a cutting head that excavates the ‘non-displaceable’

hard-soil and soft-rock conditions.

The FSPTMT uses a digital theodolite camera and LED illuminated target with hollowstem augers and an articulated steering head to make corrections to the intended line and grade instead of a simple angled face, as with the standard pilot-tube rods. The machine operator can monitor these changes in real time from the jacking pit on a CCTV monitor.

“Red shale and moderately hard mud stone complicated the task at hand”

additional support Icon Tunnel Systems supplied Blooming Glen Contractors with the rental of the FSPTMT equipment and a qualified and

Project facts at a glance 240ft

Length of the two auger-steered drives

60ft

Highest recorded production level in a day

BM600LS

The model of Bohrtec pilot-tube machine

5,000 linear feet

Proven installation distance of the Bohrtec machine on a previous job

Perkiomen watershed

Encompasses 362 square miles (231,680 acres) and 55 municipalities in four Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery

September 2014 Auger_Trench1409.indd 21

22/08/2014 10:18

22

auger boring

Bohrtec BM600LS pilottube microtunnelling machine

“35-40ft into the drive we hit harder mud stone and a blue-stone formation along the bottom half of the casing, causing the machine to rise slowly”

experienced tunnel operator for the duration of the project. In addition, the company designed and rented the necessary slide-rail shoring for the jacking pit.

After the slide-rail pit was installed and Blooming Glen Contractors received the surveyed dimensions for the line, Icon proceeded to set up and brace the BM600LS machine inside the pit.

After launching the front-steer microtunnelling head into the ground, confidence was high and production was speeding along through soft shale better than expected.

This changed rapidly about 35-40ft into the drive by hitting harder mud stone and a bluestone formation running along the bottom half of the casing, causing the machine to rise slowly, eventually ruining the grade.

going for grade Luckily for Blooming Glen Contractors and Icon, the FSPTMT system was able to be pulled back at 80ft into the tunnel and removed entirely for re-correction of the grade.

This allowed Icon to modify the head slightly in order to aggressively steer down into the rock and continue driving past all

the way to the receiving pit.

Knowing the difficult nature of the rock conditions and what needed to be done, the second drive for the waterline went a lot smoother and was completed without delay. Icon and Blooming Glen Contractors’ lowest production achieved in any given day on this project was 6ft and the highest was 60ft.

After completion of both lines, a survey was conducted and the 16in-diameter steel casings were better than expected, within 0.25in of required line and grade. Over the next two days Icon Tunnel Systems and Blooming Glen Contractors pushed the 8in carrier pipe on spacers into the 16in-diameter steel casing pipe using the BM600LS machine and, when completed, the equipment was removed from the pit, cleaned and returned to Icon’s yard for the next rental project.

This article was written by David Crandall, vice-president of Icon Equipment, Icon Tunnel Systems

THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON

INTERNATIONAL NO-DIG MADRID

IFEMA Convention Centre 13-15 October 2014

MadriASdIT HOSTS 32ND INTERNATIONAL NO-DIG 2014 World Class Exhibition

32nd International NO-DIG

Companies from around the world will display the very latest trenchless technology products and services.

Hosted by

Organised by

International Society For Trenchless Technology

Platinum sponsor

Gold sponsor

Silver sponsor

Bronze sponsors

Media partners

Supported by

Country pavilions already booked by Spain/Portugal, Germany and China.

World Class Conference

International experts will present an insight into many groundbreaking innovations being developed and available for the renovation and new installation of underground utilities.

International Networking

The ISTT annual Conference and Exhibition is a unique event where the industry comes together to network with like-minded people.

Be in Madrid on 13-15 October to be meet the cream of the industry.

REGISTER NOW – Visit the show website to see the latest exhibitor listing, updated conference programme and to register for the event.

T: +44 (0) 845 094 8066 E: trenchless@westrade.co.uk Twitter: @WestradeGroup

www.nodigmadrid.com

NO-DIGMAD_Halfpage.indd 1 Auger_Trench1409.indd 22

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auger boring

23

The importance of mapping An instance of auger boring into the unknown prompts a utility to invest in safety features

T

he trenchless sector borrows principles from the humble mole, clawing his way through the soil. Despite sensitive whiskers and fur, that mole’s vision is poor. Under our feet is a metropolis of pipes carrying fluids, gases, cables and telecoms gear. In some ways we are tunnelling almost blind like the mole, and in that realm accidents are just a matter of time.

Whose responsibility is it to map and inform of these underground networks? Local authorities?

Contractors? Asset owners?

Home-owners?

A case from Minnesota (US) in 2010 has prompted one utility company to increase safetyrelated investments in its naturalgas system. A Highland Park homeowner hired a contractor to auger out her sewer line. The

Auger_Trench1409.indd 23

auger struck a gas line that had penetrated the sewer pipe. The gas ignited, burning the contractor and incinerating the home.

Xcel paid a US$20,000 fine, settled two lawsuits and expanded a programme to identify other sewer and gas-line conflicts.

These penetrations can occur when directional drilling equipment, instead of a trench digger, is used to install new pipelines.

“The locations of old, clay sewer pipes often are not mapped, and boring equipment can go right through them,” Cheryl Campbell, Xcel vice-president for gas engineering, comments.

Xcel has identified 138 sewer lines in the state with such penetrations and is now fixing them. New boring procedures require workers to take steps so that penetrations do not happen.

repair programme The utility announced its intention to spend $15 million in 2015 on pipeline safety improvements.

Looking further ahead, Xcel anticipates larger safety-related investments, reaching a high of $50 million in 2019.

The work includes replacing 11.5 miles (18.6km) of transmission pipeline in Roseville and St Paul, modifying other transmission lines so that CCTV robots can patrol inside, and replacing uncoated steel and early plastic polymer pipes that are not as sturdy as newer options.

Xcel is also planning to install more valves that activate remotely when gas lines are ruptured during construction work. The company will also check older mains, and replace ones that do not meet pressure standards.

“In some ways we are tunnelling almost blind like the mole, and in that realm accidents are just a matter of time”

22/08/2014 10:19

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No-Dig Live preview

a change of scene After a decade, No-Dig Live 2014 has found a new home Live demonstrations are a key part of the show

“The last event at Stoneleigh ended on a high with more than 100 companies represented”

NDUK_Trench1409.indd 24

F

rom 2002 to 2012 No-Dig Live ran at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry (UK). The 12th biennial trenchless technology exhibition, outdoor demonstrations and seminars will be held at Peterborough Arena at the East of England Showground from September 16 to 18.

A move was considered necessary due to proposed building developments at the Stoneleigh site, which would affect the future presentation of the show.

Visitors can look back with fond memories of the show at Stoneleigh. The last event at that venue ended on a high with more than 100 companies represented, and the outdoor demonstration area sealed its place as the biggest in the show’s history.

Attendance numbers were greater than at the penultimate No-Dig Live held in 2010.

In addition to the UK following, the show played host to visitors from 25 countries. Among the international visitors were representatives of the Iberian Society for Trenchless Technology (IbSTT), which will be hosting the ISTT International No-Dig conference in Madrid in October.

great expectatioNs In excess of 2,000 visitors including engineers, contractors and consultants are expected to attend the No-Dig Live 2014 event at the Peterborough Arena.

Almost 70 exhibitors are booked on inside and outside stands.

“No-Dig Live is a shop window for trenchless technology,” Caroline Prescot, managing director of organiser Westrade Group, says. “This event regularly brings together the industry to review the very latest products and techniques.

“The live demonstrations are a huge draw, not only for home visitors, but we have also seen an increasing number of international engineers who travel to the UK to see machinery in action. It is vital to have the best combination of facilities required for the various aspects of this event and we are confident that Peterborough Arena will rise to the challenge.”

22/08/2014 10:19

Horizontal Technology.indd 1

22/01/2014 16:41

26

No-Dig Live preview

About the UKSTT No-Dig Live is supported by the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT).

The UKSTT was formed in 1993 and incorporated the existing UK based members of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT). The ISTT was formed in 1986 and since that time has promoted the formation of national societies in many different countries. The formation of these national societies helped to give the local members a sense of identity and autonomy to pursue their own ideas.

UKSTT is structured as a company limited by guarantee, in which its elected council members act as directors and guarantors. It sets out its aims and objectives in much the same way as the international society but with more emphasis on the exchange and networking of information and ideas throughout the UK utility industry.

Ian Ramsay is the incumbent UKSTT chairman and director at plugging and test technology company Fluvius.

A LittLe bit of LeArNiNg Following registration, visitors are able to attend the free seminars. The organisers will

Above: visitors can attend breakfast briefings and trenchless masterclasses Above centre: an array of technology will be on display from 70 exhibitors Above right: outdoor exhibition at the penultimate show at Stoneleigh

host a series of breakfast meetings and a new element: two-hour Trenchless Technology Mini Masterclasses on each day of the show, run by the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT).

Each day’s session has a specific emphasis or specialist

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slant informed by the experience and detailed knowledge of the industry practitioner delivering the material. These sessions will use web-based communication encouraging active participation and interactive questions and answers.

On Tuesday, September 16,

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  

There’s a Steve Vick International Trailer for its safe, easy transportation, storage and dispensing. *From 40mm diameter pipe right up to 180mm diameter and coil lengths up to 500 metres.

Please contact us for more information: Steve Vick International Ltd Treenwood Industrial Estate Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire BA15 2AU Phone: +44 (0)1225 864 864 info@stevevick.com www.stevevick.com

NDUK_Trench1409.indd 26

 

 



   

 



22/08/2014 10:20

No-Dig Live preview

the breakfast briefing topic will address the subsurface vision of utility mapping. Although utilities and their contractors can use sophisticated techniques to record the location of new and renovated infrastructure, there are still a large number of pipes and cables that have not been recorded to the same level of accuracy, or even recorded at all.

Utility location and mapping can help to verify records and identify unrecorded infrastructure. More and more highway and utility projects are turning to utility mapping to inform initial design and ensure that the most efficient construction methods are used.

Until recently there were no standards laid down as to how a utility map should be prepared but PAS 128, due to be published by the BSI this summer, will set new standards that will help client organisations ensure

that utility maps are fit for purpose.

This seminar will seek to answer the questions: How accurate is utility mapping? How should the new standard be used? How can utility mapping be used to reduce overall project costs? Speakers include John Robinson, managing director of Subscan Technology, and Mark Beasley, head of planned interventions at Transport for London.

Tuesday’s Trenchless Mini Masterclass will be on the subject of investigation and pipeline condition assessment.

The subject of Wednesday’s breakfast briefing is ‘utilities, pipelines and trenchless technology’, followed by a masterclass on ‘new installation of cables and pipes’.

The breakfast briefing of the last day will inform delegates of new solutions for dense urban working. Working in congested urban locations, with higher regulatory and legislative pressures, utility companies, highway authorities and their contractors face a constant struggle to meet budgets, standards, deadlines and environmental targets while offering their customers absolute satisfaction.

How will the industry continue to achieve this better and faster, with less disruption and environmental damage in the future? Speakers include Bob Gallienne, chief executive officer of NJUG. The final masterclass of the show will cover rehabilitation and relining.

Editorial Editor Luke Buxton T +44 (0)20 7216 6078 E luke.buxton@aspermontmedia.com Head of production Tim Peters Senior sub editor Jim Adlam Sub editor Woody Phillips Editorial enquiries T +44 (0)20 7216 6078 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 www.trenchless-world.com Advertising production Sharon Evans T +44 (0)20 7216 6075 E sharon.evans@aspermontmedia.com

27

Supplies & Services USED EQUIPMENT

WANTED The following USED equipment: • CIPP Mobile Boiler / Steam / UV Curing Equipment Air Inversion Unit Wet Out / Impregnation Unit Robotic Cutters CCTV Equipment 150mm Ø Silent Pumps • PIPEBURSTING Grundo Burst 400/800/1250 G Pipe Coil Trailers Electro / Butt Fusion Equipment De Beaders • SUCTION EXCAVATORS • ZERO SWING MINI EXCAVATORS / RUBBER-TYRED EXCAVATORS • TEREX PS 6000 DUMPERS E-mail: jorourke@mmainline.ie or tiernan@mainlinesa.co.za

The voice of the global trenchless industry now available on tablet www.trenchless-world.com Annual subscription – UK and Europe £95.00 (160.00 euros) Rest of the world US$170.00. Additional current copies are available to subscribers at £12 (US$21; €18) each Trenchless World (ISSN 1756-4107) USPS No: 023-551 is published monthly (except January & July) by Aspermont Media, 120 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1AR, UK. Printed by Stephens & George Magazines, Merthyr Tydfil, UK The 2014 US annual subscription price is US$170. Airfreight and mailing in the US by Agent named Air Business, c/o WorldNet Shipping USA Inc, 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431

Advertisement offices Head office Contact: Richard Dolan Aspermont Media, 120 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1AR, UK T +44 (0)20 7216 6060 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 E richard.dolan@aspermontmedia.com Rest of World Contact: Marcela Ahmeti, Senior Sales Executive T +44 (0)20 7216 6053 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 E marcela.ahmeti@aspermontmedia.com

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T +49 2131 511801 E info@gsm-international.eu Japan Contact: K Yamazaki 6-10-13 Nishiogu Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-0011 Japan Kazumi Yamazaki/Accot Corp T +81 3 3800-3229 F +81 3 3800 3844 E accot@ga2.so-net.ne.jp

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US Postmaster: send address changes to Trenchless World, Air Business Ltd, c/o WorldNet Shipping USA Inc, 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434 Subscription records are maintained at Aspermont Media Ltd, Chancery Exchange, 10 Furnival Street, London EC4A 1YH, UK Aspermont Media, publisher and owner of Trenchless World (‘the publisher’) and each of its directors, officers, employees, advisers and agents and related entities do not make any warranty whatsoever as to the accuracy or reliability of any information, estimates, opinions, conclusions or recommendations contained in this publication and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the publisher disclaims all liability and responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage which may be suffered by any person or entity through relying on anything contained in, or omitted from, this publication whether as a result of negligence on the part of the publisher or not. Reliance should not be placed on the contents of this magazine in making a commercial or other decision and all persons are advised to seek independent professional advice in this regard.

Media © Aspermont Media 2014 ISSN 1756-4107 A member of BPA Worldwide

Publisher Robin Booth Chairman Andrew Kent

September 2014 NDUK_Trench1409.indd 27

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