In February 2023, Brownline surveyed an intersect crossing of over 1.5 km / 5,000 ft. With this crossing, HDD contractor Klever installed a new gas pipeline under the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest).
Protected nature
The pipeline was installed parallel to the Bosbaan, where national and international rowing competitions are held. The Amsterdamse Bos is a protected natural area and as such, the environment had to be protected as much as possible during the project. This is the reason the pilot was drilled as an intersect. This reduced the annular pressure build-up compared to drilling the distance from one side.
Drills started on either end of the crossing and drilled towards each other. Near the eastern entry, a small waterway had to be crossed. Using the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool, the drilling progress could be monitored very accurately.
A smooth intersect with Radar
Near the intersect point, the Radar add-on was activated to see the two drill heads’ position relative to each other. This allowed for a smooth intersect at a depth of 30 m / 98 ft, while maintaining the design radius.
It was important for the two bore holes to connect as smoothly as possible. If there was an abrupt bend or “dogleg” in the pilot bore, this would cause issues when pulling back the steel gas pipeline. As a result of an accurate pilot bore and intersect, the pipeline could be installed without excessive pullback forces.
This 1584 m / 5197 ft crossing is a record length for contractor Klever. Brownline is happy to have made a contribution to this.
Watch a video by Klever about this project below: