METHOD STATEMENT

HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

SMALL RIGS
The guided pilot hole:

The first step in the HDD Installation is to drill a guided pilot hole that delivers the drill bit
and bore head to the surface at the specified entry point to exit point. This pilot head is
designed in such a way that it can be steered horizontally or vertically based on the
requirement of drill path design.
To drill in the soil the rotating drilling head has to cut a micro tunnel into the soil
supported by a high-pressure jet of bentonite Slurry. This equipment is called jet
assembly. The drilled soil material flows back into the start pit transported by the drilling
mud

Pilot Housing with Transmitter

To follow the designed drill-run the drilling Tool is

equipped with a transmitter, which is giving
permanently information about the depth, the
distance, the inclination and the direction of the
drilling tool. This information is reported on a drilling
report to provide the as-built documents. The
transmitter gives a signal to the surface above,
where a receiver is picking up permanent
information

To follow the drilling tool one person has to walk

and stay over the tool and hold the receiver. On
road crossings one line has to be blocked for a few
minutes while the drilling-Tool is moving under it.
The receiver sends the information to a remote
control panel on the drilling rig. The driller can
correct the position of the drilling tool and can keep
it on the designed curve.

Receiving the signal from Transmitter

For long distance drilling like River Crossings, Highway Crossings or to a drill under
buildings where the tool cannot be located with the Radio Detection System, a Wire line
Steering Tool is installed behind the Drill head. All the information about depth, distance,
inclination, azimuth, are sent from down hole through a wire line in the Drill
rod into a computer. The Steering Engineer and the driller can keep the Drilling tool on
the designed curve. The size of the pilot-hole is approx. 150 mm and the mudflow is
approx 35-40 Gallons per Min

Pilot bore

Reaming the pilot hole:

Reaming is a process to enlarge the pilot hole to suitable diameter for the product pipe
line. The Reaming operation consists of using an appropriate tool to open the pilot hole to
a slightly larger diameter than the carrier pipeline. Generally reamer is attached to the drill
string on the bank opposite the drilling rig, rotated and pulled back through the pilot hole.
Large quantity of slurry are pumped into the hole to maintain the integrity and to flush out
the cuttings.
Final Installation of Product Pipe (Pull back)

The pull-back operation involves pulling the entire pipeline length in one segment back
through the drilling mud along the reamed-hole pathway. Proper pipe handling, cradling,
bending minimization, surface inspection, and welding procedures need to be followed.

Pipe Pulling

The pipe is connected to the reamer with a towing-head and a swivel. The swivel is
prevents any translation of the reamer’s rotation in to pipe string, allowing for the smooth
pull in to the drilled hole.

Pipe Pulling Process

As the pipe comes through the bentonite filled hole, it will create a hole in the
bentonite. The excess material will come out on the other side assuring a complete seal
for around the pipe and the hole. Within few days, the water will dry out of the bentonite
mixer leaving a hard surface around the pipe and the hole.

Drill Mud

“Drilling mud” is normally utilized to lubricate the cutting head during the drilling
operation and stabilize the reamed bore path prior to and during pull-back. The “drilling
mud” usually consists of a mixture of fresh water and bentonite clay; however, other
materials such as polymers are sometimes used. Bentonite is a naturally occurring clay
mineral that forms a mud when mixed with water. Drilling fluids are characterized by
their viscosity, gel strength, filtration, fluid loss, fluid density, pH, and lubricity. The
principal functions of drilling fluids used in HDD are,

Transporting drill cuttings to the surface by suspending and carrying them in slurry that
flows in the annulus between the bore wall and the drill/product pipe.

Cleaning build-up on drill bits or reamer cutters by directing fluid streams at the cutters.

Cooling the down hole tools and electronic equipment

Lubricating to reduce the friction between the drill pipe/product and the bore wall.

Stabilizing the bore path, especially in loose or soft soils, by building a low-permeability
filter cake and exerting a positive hydrostatic pressure against the bore path wall. The
filter cake and positive hydrostatic pressure reduce obstruction of the bore path and
prevent formation fluids (i.e., groundwater) from flowing into the bore, or drilling fluids
from exiting the bore path into the formation (loss of circulation).

Providing hydraulic power to down hole mud motors.

For HDD, the proper drilling fluid mixture and delivery pressure is heavily dependent upon
the type of soil encountered. It must be formulated for the anticipated geological
conditions. For simplicity, soil conditions may be defined as either a coarse soil (sand and
gravel) or a fine soil (clay, silt, and shale). In general, for coarse soils bentonite should be
used, while for fine soils polymers added to a bentonite

Pump Volume and Pressure:

For each Project, a Drilling Fluid calculation is made according to the ground conditions,
the hole size, hole length, pump volume and pump pressure.

The pump volume of JT8020 Ditch Witch machine is 870 lt/Minute and JT4020 Ditch
Witch machine is 450 lt/minute. The volume and pressure is maintained / controlled as
per the soil condition. The jets facing forwards make a tunnel with approximately 100mm
to 150mm diameter.
 DATA SHEET FOR BENTONITE
Bentonite used was BENTONIL® CF is a high quality bentonite with well-balanced
rheological properties, provides viscosity, fluid loss control and gelling characteristics to
freshwater-based drilling fluids designed to fit with all necessities of Horizontal directional
drilling works

Mud Mixing Unit

Specification at 60 g/l
• Marsh-funnel time: min. 42 sec
• Filtrate: ax. 20 ml
Mud properties in fresh water, tested on production average:

® 3
Concentration Bentonil CF [kg/m ] 40 45 50 55 60
• Mud density [t/m³] 1.02 1.023 1.026 1.029 1.032
• Marsh-funnel time [sec] 32 34 36 39 42

Applications/Functions

1. Form a thin filter cake with low permeability

2. Seal down hole instrumentation in test and observation holes
3. Reduce filtrate invasion into permeable formations
4. Improve hole-cleaning capability of drilling fluids
5. Provide lubricity for drilling fluids
6. Mix with fresh water to form a low-solids drilling fluid for general drilling applications
7. Mix with foaming agents to make "gel/foam" drilling fluids for air/foam drilling
applications

Advantages

1. Single-sack product and cost effective

2. Mixes easily and quickly reaches maximum viscosity
3. Excellent for environmental exploration drilling and in drilling potable water wells
Yields more than twice as much mud of the same viscosity as an equal weight of API
oilfield grades of bentonite

Typical Properties

  Appearance - Tan powder

  Bulk density, lb/ft³ - 68 to 72 (as packaged)
  pH (3% solution) - 8.9
 Yield, bbl/ton > 235

Recommended Treatment

Mix slowly through a jet mixer or sift slowly into the vortex of a high-speed stirrer.
Approximate Amounts of Bentonite added to Freshwater

Approximate Amounts of Bentonite Added to Freshwater

Application/Desired Result lb/100 gal lb/bbl* kg/m³

Normal Drilling Conditions 15-25 6-10 18-30

Unconsolidated Formations 35-50 15-21 42-60

Make-Up For Gel/Foam Systems 12-15 5-7 14-18

*1 bbl = 42 U.S. Gallons

Notes:
For optimum yield, pre-treat make-up water with 1-2 pounds of soda ash per 100 gallons
of water (1.2-2.4 kg/m³).