A connection for the district heating system in Rotterdam needed to be installed under a part of the port of the city. Due to the significant disruptions that the drilling site would provide to the city, the city council had only provided three weekends to realize the drill. Our steering services enabled the drilling contractor to complete the drill within the limited time frame.
Complicating factors
- The drill path passed under a monumental building and a residential area requiring a minimalization of the mud pressure
- Two parallel drill tracks of 4593 Foot long each
- The drill was anticipated to have a horizontal curve of 65º
- There was a limited time window to complete the project
Connecting two neighborhoods across a harbor
Given the length of the drill, the passage under vulnerable areas containing a monumental building and a residential building and the anticipated horizontal curve, the drill needed to be executed using our Gyro steering tool in combination with our Radar Intersect system. By drilling from two sides in the Radar Intersect setup, the annular pressure in the bore hole could be lowered. This lowered the chances of damages to the foundations or structures.
The zero-tolerance areas were successfully navigated and a Radar Intersect performed in the middle of the harbor. Two parallel tracks were laid down besides each other to make a connection in the district heating system. We enabled the project to be completed well within the time window.