This is neat...
As the world becomes more populated and the demand to install infrastructure over infrastructure without disruption, along with not disturbing environmental sensitive areas horizontal directional drilling is becoming ever more in demand and ever more sophisticated.
In the 90s, drills were tiny, steering was done by beeps from a walk over box... The science behind it was non existent, and it was as much guessing as anything.
Today, we have tools like https://www.drillguide.com/en/Tools/Gyroen Brownline GST. Super-precise Gyros that steer by dead reckoning.
They even have systems where two drills start drilling from either end, when the drill heads get close they communicate with each other and guide themselves to a dead-on, head-on position.
Even walk over steering systems have come such a long way. Digitrak F5 Falcons are almost completely unaffected by interference from underground infrastructure. Accurate to over 25 meters deep.
We can drill 500 meters of solid rock, 20m under a creak and slough and 4 hotlines, pop out on the other side, and pull pipe back in a mater of days... with zero surface disruption.
In downhole technology, we can extract oil from a 3KM radius, in multiple formations from a single surface lease no bigger (well probably way smaller) than your farm yard...
As the world becomes more populated and the demand to install infrastructure over infrastructure without disruption, along with not disturbing environmental sensitive areas horizontal directional drilling is becoming ever more in demand and ever more sophisticated.
In the 90s, drills were tiny, steering was done by beeps from a walk over box... The science behind it was non existent, and it was as much guessing as anything.
Today, we have tools like https://www.drillguide.com/en/Tools/Gyroen Brownline GST. Super-precise Gyros that steer by dead reckoning.
They even have systems where two drills start drilling from either end, when the drill heads get close they communicate with each other and guide themselves to a dead-on, head-on position.
Even walk over steering systems have come such a long way. Digitrak F5 Falcons are almost completely unaffected by interference from underground infrastructure. Accurate to over 25 meters deep.
We can drill 500 meters of solid rock, 20m under a creak and slough and 4 hotlines, pop out on the other side, and pull pipe back in a mater of days... with zero surface disruption.
In downhole technology, we can extract oil from a 3KM radius, in multiple formations from a single surface lease no bigger (well probably way smaller) than your farm yard...