Counting Down the Top 50 Most-Read Stories of 2018: 20-11
As 2018 comes to a close, we’re sharing our Top 50 Most-Read stories of the year of 2018 from trenchlesstechnology.com. Some of these posts date back more than a decade and show the breadth of knowledge, about all aspects of the trenchless industry, that is contained in the pages of Trenchless Technology and on our website. Here is a look at stories 20-11. Check in Dec. 26 for a look at the Top 10.
In case you missed it, here is the link to: Counting Down the Top 50 Most-Read Stories of 2018: 30-21
20. Mud Pump Maintenance
Many things go into getting the most life out of your mud pump and its components — all important to extend the usage of this vital piece of equipment on an HDD jobsite. Some of the most important key points are here. The long and the short of it is to use clean drilling fluid and you will extend the life of your pumps expendables and downhole tooling, and keep up with your maintenance on the gear end of your pump. Avoid pump cavitation at all times. Read More
19. Trenchless Technology’s Top 50 Trenchless Design Firms of 2017
Topping the list on our 21st annual survey of the Top 50 Trenchless Design Firms, for the third straight year, is Englewood, Colorado-based CH2M, which reported trenchless revenue of $214.0 million over its last fiscal year—the first firm in our survey’s history to top the $200 million mark. The rankings are based on reported North American trenchless project revenue (USD). Read More
18. Drilling Fluids Critical to Successful HDD Jobs
Times have changed, and contractors now realize the importance of drilling mud
Jim Watland has been working in the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) industry for 26 years. But he acknowledges that it wasn’t until several years ago that he realized the importance of drilling fluids.
After “learning the hard way,” as he puts it, drilling mostly with water and occasionally a bit of polymer mixed in, he’s adopted modern drilling fluid practices. The results are night and day for the 15 HDD crews he oversees. Read More
17. 2018 HDD Showroom: Time to Buy
You’ve made the decision to add a brand-spanking new HDD rig to your fleet of drilling rigs — Fabulous! Now comes the time choose which rig and brand. Do you stay with the same manufacturer or do you check out what others have to offer? Where do you begin? This section can help you get started with your search. Each year, we invite the industry’s drill rig manufacturers to give our readers a basic look at what they have in their drilling rig showrooms. The information here covers the compact, midsize and maxi rig product lines of the top HDD rig manufacturers. Read More
16. Cobbles and Boulders: No Problem!
KS Energy Services recently completed a project that combined a rough and inconsistent terrain with subzero temperatures, two factors that made this project a challenge for the contractor. The project — which consisted of five crossings over 8,200-plus ft — took place in Janesville, Wisconsin, and involved relocating a steel natural gas pipe due to bridge repair work to the I-39 corridor. This project marked the first foray for KS Energy into the maxi drill HDD market and purchased a Prime Drilling 500,000-lb rig to handle the second of the five crossings. Read More
15. Trenchless Shines on Daunting Underground Overhaul Project in Halifax
Halifax Water, no stranger to cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) renewal projects, completed a successful pilot project along approximately 460 m of the easiest to access portion of Northwest Arm Trunk Sewer to test the feasibility of using CIPP on this large diameter trunk sewer. Halifax Water knew that trenchless was the best alternative, given the narrow linear easement and the location of the pipe a stone’s throw from the water’s edge. Of the $23 million, approximately $18.5 million was the trenchless renewal portion — including cleaning, assessment and post-installation inspections. Read More
14. Sunbelt Rentals Marks 35 Years in 2018
Sunbelt Rentals started out as a modest equipment rental business in North Carolina, providing general construction equipment in two locations. Fast forward 35 years and what a difference. Today, Sunbelt Rentals equipment — in its familiar bright green — can be seen dotting the construction landscape throughout North America. Just as the equipment rental market has grown over the last three decades, so too, has Sunbelt Rentals. The company now operates more than 700 locations and employs 10,000-plus workers in the United States and Canada. Read More
13. Avoiding a Deep Freeze: Tips for Horizontal Directional Drilling in Winter
Sitting at my desk and looking at the beautiful fall colors out my window, I can only think of one thing: “When will the first snow fly?” Being a permanent resident of the great white north, this is inevitable. For the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) industry, it signals higher labor costs, lower production rates, frozen fingers, toes, hoses, pumps and a boon to the -40C windshield washer fluid industry. Knowing that you will be sending drilling crews out in this weather, being prepared is key to keeping the drill turning. Keeping a careful eye on the temperatures at this time of year is a priority. Read More
12. A Brief History of Directional Drilling: The Birth and Development of the HDD Market
Martin Cherrington does not have a Wikipedia page explaining how he is an inventor of the original equipment and process that eventually revolutionized an entire facet of construction. But when trying to encompass the history of horizontal directional drilling, it’s only appropriate to start with the man who many veterans of the trade have come to recognize as the father of HDD. Horizontal directional drilling is an idea Cherrington first conjured up in the early 1960s when he was working for a utility installation company in Los Angeles. Read More
11. Rock Solid — Or Is It?
When you are told something is “solid as a rock,” that’s usually a good thing, understanding that you will know whatever that something is, that it will last. For a horizontal directional driller, that phrase takes on a whole other meaning, usually leading to a lot of questions. What kind of rock is it? What’s its psi? Is it layered with multiple rock formations? Whether it’s sandstone, cobble, gneiss, limestone or boulders, all these questions (and many more) are critical to the contractor successfully completing a bore on time and on budget. Read More
In case you missed it, here is the link to: Counting Down the Top 50 Most-Read Stories of 2018: 30-21
