HDD Course Held in the Netherlands

Two days of presentations at the GEODELFT Institute took place Nov.7-8, 2007, in Delft, Netherlands. The GEODELFT Academy had organizedthe course, “Dealing with Challenges of Horizontal Directional Drilling(HDD).”

Both days began with a presentations of what is possible withdirectional drilling, be it a large pipe with a very long length or asmall pipe with a short length. The presentations showed that you needthe equipment and the personnel to use the technology in a safeway.After the opening presentations about HDD, other topics werepresented, such as the geology of the soil, engineering, type ofproduct pipe used in the industry, such as steel, HDPE, ductile ironand the required coating for the different pipes used. There wereadditional presentations on the survey tools available on the market tosteer the HDD rigs or to discover the obstacles in the ground prior todrilling.

There was also discussion about the drill pipe in which regularcertification of the pipe is necessary to prevent disasters duringpilot drilling, reaming and pull-in operations. Bentonite also wasdiscussed and a bentonite supplier showed the participants there mixingand storage area in Ijmuiden, Netherlands. Organizers say it was asuccessful course, in which a great deal of information and knowledgeavailable in the market was shared. GEODELFT hopes to repeat thesession in 2009.