Canada debut for microtunnelling system
07 Jan 2014
Herrenknecht News Release
- A pipeline crossing of the Beaver River in Alberta, Canada, is achieved in just 13 days using the Direct Pipe system from Herrenknecht.
- The system - which combines the best of microtunnelling and horizontal drilling (HDD) technologies for rapid excavation on drive lengths of up to 1.5km without the need for a launch or reception shaft - has never been used in Canada before.
Installation of 330m x 1.06m pipeline in trenchless mode in one step at Beaver River, Canada
- "Direct Pipe is gaining more and more attention among trenchless tunnelling specialists in North America and we look forward to completing more high-quality projects," said Patrick O'Donoghue, Trenchless Crossing Manager for the contractor, Michels Canada. "We were at the machine seven days a week to get the project finished quickly and efficiently, achieving an impressive 68m on our best day," added machine operator Wes Linger felt.
- Michels Canada ordered the Direct Pipe system for the Beaver River crossing section of the 240km Cold Lake Pipeline Extension between La Corey and Hardisty in the province of Alberta. The client, Inter Pipeline Limited, is expanding capacity for the transport of bitumen from oil sands at Cold Lake.
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Direct Pipe system from Herrenkncht enables one step installation
- For the Beaver River crossing, contract specification was for installation of a pipeline with a diameter of 42in (1,067mm, double FBE coating) over a length of 340m. The drill was carried out with an entry angle of 4° and an exit angle of 8°, with an overburden of approximately 5m below the riverbed.
- From a shallow launch pit, the soil was excavated using a slurry-supported Herrenknecht Microtunnelling Machine (MTM). This pumps the excavated material through a slurry circuit inside the prefabricated pipeline, to a separation plant located above ground. The pipeline, which is laid out on the surface on rollers and welded to the end of the MTM, is pushed into the borehole at the same time as excavation takes place. The necessary thrust force of up to 750 tonne is provided by the pipe thruster, which pushes the machine forward together with the pipeline - in increments of 5m. The push force is transferred to the pipeline through the pipe thruster's clamping unit and then to the MTM's cutterhead. During excavation the tunnel face can be controlled consistently and safely using slurry-supported tunnelling technology even in heterogeneous, water permeable soils. Uphill and downhill slopes, as well as curved drives along the alignment, can be managed precisely by guidance systems.
- The entire jobsite infrastructure, including the prefabricated pipeline, is located on one side of the crossing only, reducing footprint and costs, and making the technology especially well suited to locations where space is at a premium. To date, 35 projects have been completed successfully using Direct Pipe; in Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, the USA, and now Canada.
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