Michels sets record HDD
Publicerad: 29 november, 2019
A 4.2 km project using horizontal directional drill (HDD) has set the world record length in North Dakota, says Michels.
Michels used the pilot-hole intersection method for the project, which requires two rigs to drill simultaneously toward one another from opposite sides to eventually meet near the middle.
To stay precisely on the predetermined path, gyroscopic guidance tools were used and to minimise disturbances to the area, the bore path extended 82 m below the bottom of the Lake Sakakawea Reservoir in the Missouri River.
Additionally, the Michels crews assembled and handled the pipe string which took 38 hours to pull into place in three sections.
The installation forms part of a 16 km pipeline between a compressor station and a natural gas gathering system in the Bakken shale oil fields in Williams County, North Dakota.
The project is significant not only for the record-length, but also for providing North Dakota customers with a delivery outlet to an untapped energy resource in the Bakken area.
For more information visit the Michels website.