What is Horizontal Directional Drilling.
Horizontal directional drilling is a way to get utilities from one point to another without destroying the existing ground or obstacles that are in between the two points. There are different types of machines and systems to help one in achieving this goal but the outcome is always the same. Directional drilling goes above and beyond traditional trenching; connecting utilities and services in places that trenching could not. Common uses are getting services under roads, waterways, drains, and construction areas that have already been sodded. Directional drilling is not limited to the previous mentioned activities and throughout this site you will get an understanding of its limitations and its benefits.
How is directional drilling accomplished.
There are many different machines and tooling to accomplish horizontal directional drilling. We will cover the basics here and you can check the links on the right side for more information on types of boring machines and rigs also the types of tooling and accessories needed to complete the work. SO lets dive right in and get the basics down. Directional drilling teams usually consist of 2 people; the operator and the locator, in some cases more people are used but for this session we will be covering these two. The operator will run one of many machines available; these machines have high torque and high horsepower and are almost consistently powered by hydraulic force. The locator uses one of many locating systems; these locator systems provide information on where the drill head is, where it is headed and what angles it sits in the ground. The operator and locator are constantly in communication to guide the drill through the ground.
Brief description of the machinery.
As mentioned above there are many types of machines but the concept is always the same. The horizontal directional drilling machine - rig consists of hydraulic driven motors and systems. The machine comes with additional rods that can be from 5' to 20' or more on some bigger systems. These rods are added each time to extend the drill distance; the machine will stay in one position while each additional rod will move through the ground without disturbing the ground above. The first rod usually has a quick connect and a directional drilling head. The head has an angled bit on it to control the direction in the ground. The head will also consist of a sonde; this Sonde will send information to the locating systems to let the locator know where the drill head is headed. As each new rod is added at the machine end the drill can be pushed or drilled further through the ground. The only restriction at this point is how many rods you have and how powerful the machine is. Common midsize machines can usually handle, but not restricted to, 500' bores or shots as they are commonly called.
Brief description of the locator system
There are a variety of locator systems; you can check the links on the side of the page to get more details on them. The general idea is the locator communicates with the previously mentioned sonde. It relays information to the locator through the locator system. Most all locator systems will show the depth of the drill head, angle at which it is descending or ascending, and yaw or which way the drill head is pointing to. It will also show what is commonly called the clock, this is the angle that the bit on the drill head is facing.(12 o' clock for going up, 6 o' clock for going down, 3 o' clock for right and 9 o' clock for left) Many locators will give the drill head temperature or alarms for too much heat.
What is horizontal directional drilling.
Types of directional drilling boring machines and rigs.
Directional drilling tooling and accessories.
What are the benefits of directional drilling.