Drilling Fluid Considerations in Design of Engineered Horizontal Directional Drilling Installations

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Baumert ◽  
Erez N. Allouche ◽  
Ian D. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling

Horizontal Directional Drilling as a Solution for Crossing of Ridges in the Serrana Province, Mato Grosso, Brazil

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Pellerin ◽  
Alaide M. Dura˜o ◽  
Jose´ E. F. P. Jardim ◽  
Carlos Pimenta ◽  
Kazumi Miura
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Steering System ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽  
Environmental Preservation ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Pilot Hole ◽  
Clastic Sedimentary

The crossing of a series of high, parallel, elongated and with steep scarp mountains in the Serrana Province, between Ca´ceres and Cuiaba´, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, constituted a great technical challenge for implementation of the Bolivia - Mato Grosso gas pipeline. Due to environmental preservation, the gas pipeline could not cross the crest of some of these mountains using conventional surface methods and the alternative of surrounding the mountains would have caused an extended additional path, with appreciable additional cost. The economically viable alternative was the horizontal directional drilling through the most critical mountains: Piraputanga Ridge with 850m, Cachoeirinha Ridge with 943m and Palmeiras Ridge with 867m. One of the difficulties was the drilling of the very compact and abrasive Alto Paraguay Group Proterozoic low metamorphic rocks intercalated with clastic sedimentary rocks. The horizontal directional hole intersects in high angles the strongly dipping layers of rocks. The layered sequences of sandstone capped by siltstones provide the aquifer condition to Raizama Fm. with strong water flow. To prevent any environmental damage, the conventional hole design was modified, which allowed the drilling with water, instead of bentonitic drilling fluid. The horizontal directional drilling consisted of a pilot hole with 10.14 inches diameter, drilled with down hole motor and an electromagnetic steering system. The first enlargement of the pilot hole went to 22” diameter and the last one to 30” using special reamer tools. The pipes of the Bolivia - Mato Grosso gas pipeline have 18” diameter, with a special line coating to prevent damages during pulling in contact with rocks. No problems occurred during the pulling operation of the pipes along the holes. The proposed three horizontal directional holes were very successful and the projected designs of the well were fully achieved, with a very small offset in the forecasted exit points. After long weeks of hole opening and preparatory works, all three pulling operations of the pipestrings along the holes went very smoothly.

scholarly journals Introducing Bentonite into the Environment in the Construction Stage of Linear Underground Investment Using the HDD Method

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urszula Kwast-Kotlarek ◽  
Maria Hełdak ◽  
Jakub Szczepański
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽  
Construction Stage ◽  
Alder Forest ◽  
Drilling Technology ◽  
June July

The study discusses the issue of introducing drilling fluid (bentonite) into the environment during the construction of linear underground investments, considering the example of the construction of the high-pressure gas pipeline, Czeszów—Kiełczów DN1000, which involved the use of the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method. The analyses concern the drilling stage as a low-waste technology, indicating the use and management of bentonite drilling fluid in a closed circulation cycle in the area of Pęciszów, poviat Trzebnica (Poland). The loss of drilling fluid in valuable natural areas during the construction stage of the gas pipeline has been analyzed. Drilling fluid is an element of the horizontal directional drilling technology (HDD). The analyzed area included a section of the route of the strategic gas pipeline, realized in June–July 2017 in an area of lowland ash and alder forest 91E0-3, a probable breeding site of the Bluethroat for a detailed description and common frog. The loss of the drilling fluid used in the drilling phase has been determined, depending on the type of soil and the related fraction as well as the possibility of treating the drilling fluid used to construct the drilling.

scholarly journals Land Application of Urban Horizontal Directional Drilling Residuals to Established Grass and Bare Soils

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10264
Author(s):  
Joshua Daniel ◽  
Chad Penn ◽  
João Antonangelo ◽  
Hailin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Sodium Absorption ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽  
Significant Difference

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a non-invasive alternative to trenching used for the installation of many common utilities. The process involves drilling fluid used to stabilize the borehole, lubricate the bit, and float cuttings to the surface. A sustainable alternative to landfill disposal is land application. Two field studies were conducted to determine the optimum application rate of HDD residuals to both established bermudagrass and bare soil seeded with bermudagrass. Residuals were applied at six rates ranging from 0 to 112 tons solid ha−1 for both trials. Soils were sampled 7, 30, and 90 days after application. Saturated paste and Mehlich-3 extractions were performed on all samples. Grass biomass was measured at the end of the study. No significant amount of nutrients or trace metals were found in the treated soils. All concentrations were in the range of typical soils. However, total dissolved solids (TDS) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) increased with application rate. There was no significant difference in the yields of forage harvested on the established grass plots 110 days after application. Bare plots that received 22 tons solid ha−1 had higher percent ground cover than other rates. It is ecologically safe to apply HDD residuals up to 112 tons and 90 tons solid ha−1 to established bermudagrass and bare soil, respectively.

Does Open Cut Pipeline Installation Affect the Geomorphology of Rivers?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheldon Smith ◽  
Shannon Enes ◽  
Jackie Metcalfe ◽  
Rick Guthrie ◽  
Chuck Dubeau
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bed Scour

Abstract Open cut has traditionally been the preferred method of pipeline installation traversing watercourses. It is well understood and accepted that open cut excavation of the channel bed and banks during construction causes temporary disturbance to watercourse and aquatic habitat. Horizontal directional drilling, direct push and other subsurface installation methods can potentially avoid channel bed and bank disturbance but may have unique environmental effects such as frac-outs of drilling fluid. Although highly dependent on site conditions, open cut crossings are generally less costly than comparable subsurface installation methods. When a pipeline is installed in an open cut, the pipe is typically installed on a gravel or sand bed, laid in place, surrounded by a sand pack and surrounding soils placed back in the cut in a manner that attempts to replicate the soil lithology, horizons and native compaction of the cut. It has long been thought that this sediment and soil disturbance and backfilling has the potential create a zone of geomorphological weakness at the cut where soil and sediment become dissimilar to the surrounding channel bed and banks and can result in the acceleration of bed scour, bank erosion, widening and slope instability. In this paper we examine the longer-term effects of open cut pipeline installations on the geomorphic characteristics of watercourses. Over the course of four years of field investigation, nearly 750 pipeline watercrossings throughout Ontario were visited and assessed for geomorphic stability and depth of cover. The fluvial geomorphology of Ontario is diverse and ranging from alluvial, sinuous, unconfined, low gradient watercourses in the southwest to karst-influenced morphologies in eastern Ontario and often greater slope, confined and bedrock dominated watercourses in the north. By examining the field-based geomorphological characteristics of pipeline watercourse crossings in Ontario installed by open cut and crossing a wide range of fluvial geomorphological types we will explore and draw empirically-based conclusions on whether open cuts do in fact affect the long term geomorphological conditions of the watercourse.

Modeling of Annular Pressures in Horizontal Directional Drilling

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel T. Ariaratnam ◽  
Richard Stauber ◽  
Bruce Harbin
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Pressure Effects ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid Composition ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽  
Wide Range

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is an established trenchless construction method for the installation of underground utilities and pipelines. Subsequently, the method is becoming widely accepted as a cost-effective alternative to traditional open-cut construction. However, the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing, resulting in the migration of drilling fluid to the surface has placed the HDD process under scrutiny, especially when being considered for environmentally sensitive projects. Hydraulic fracturing results from an excess buildup of fluidic pressure within the borehole. Models have been developed to predict borehole pressures; however, there is limited information available on the relationship between drilling returns and fluid composition to these pressures. A research program was undertaken to model and determine flow characteristics for drilling returns under a variety of soil conditions and bore penetration rates. Nine soil samples were gathered based on the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and their respective rheological properties were obtained for different drilling fluids and target slurry densities. This paper presents, as an example, a comparison and analysis of the predicted borehole pressures of clayey-sand (SC) soil in a large directional drill rig application and provides recommendations for contractors when attempting installations in various geological formations. The pressure effects of pipe eccentricity within a borehole were analyzed using a computer model. The result of this research is a simplified approach for predicting downhole fluid pressures for a wide range of project parameters that can be used as a guide to minimize the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing.

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