Page 36 - October 2019

igem news – yppc

HORIZONTAL DRILLING

THROUGH A PE BALL VALVE

ENABLING REDUCTION OF EXCAVATION AND TIME ON SITE

By Scott Rendall, Lead Design Engineer of Project PEmDrill at ALH FIGURE 3 MOVING TO A NEW CONNECTION METHOD
Systems (in partnership with SGN) and YPPC second runner-up

THE CURRENT METHODS for installing The challenge: how to reduce this footprint
a take-off to a feed, for example to a new Analysing the existing methodologies
build site, is to apply a flow-stopping gives us an insight into the challenge
method to the parent main and cut out a faced by networks. They both require a CURRENT METHOD
section of the PE, or to use a squeeze-off lot of components to produce a simple
technique. These are time-consuming output (i.e., a branch-off/tie-in within
exercises and can lead to disruption to the network) and they require a lot of
the local community. excavation, which carries time and
cost implications, including those
FIGURE 1 TYPICAL SITEWORKS relating to backfilling. CUT OUT SECTION
SGN’s first thoughts on the proposed solution NEW METHOD
Conceptualisation drawings led to
the following option, whereby a new
method would incorporate drilling
equipment, thereby negating the need
for flow-stopping. Reducing the length
of the excavation would require the use
of existing approved fittings, including
the PE ball valve, thus minimising
implementation time and costs.
To enable SGN to realise the
proposed solution in Figure 3, I was
tasked with designing a drill to be
attached to the offtake of the PE pup
for the purpose of live drilling.
Once the drilling was complete, the
operative would be able to remove the proposed assembly (Figure 3) be added
drill and extend onto the network. to the live network.
As we can see in Figure 1, at either SGN requested that, in order to This would then have a drill attached
side of the works section a flow- reduce the impact of large excavations, to the end (designed by myself) capable
stopping and bypassing method has reduce the number of components of a live drilling operation.
been applied, creating a total excavation and increase community buy-in and
size of approximately 5m in length. environmental enhancements, the new Project scope
Following initial discussions, I
FIGURE 2 LAYOUT USING SQUEEZE-OFF TECHNIQUE requested an overall scope of the
project to pick up any technical aspects
I felt could potentially be enhanced or
in some way optimised. The following
specification came from SGN and
allowed me to explore any potential
optimisations from there:
Live drilling
Medium pressure host main (up to
2bar pressure)
Full bore drilling (maximising the hole
cut into the network)
Consistent and concentric drilling

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IGEMNews_YPPC.indd 1 19/09/2019 14:35