Information Last Revised: 4 August 1993
TTP Reference Number: AL221116
1. Technical Name of Technology: Hybrid Directional Boring and Horizontal Logging
2. Common Name of Technology: Directional Drilling
3. PI and Telephone No: Robert P. Wemple, 505-844-2230, Fax:505-844-3952
4. Affiliation: Department 6611, Sandia National Laboratories-NM
5. Technology Category: Drilling
6. Developers: Charles Machine Works, Inc. & Sandia National Laboratories
7. Application
7.1. Where (in-situ/ex-situ): In Situ with minimal intrusion of site
7.2. Media: Wide range of geologies
7.3. Targeted Contaminants: Heavy metals, radiological materials, VOCs, and other contaminants.
8. Scope of project (feasibility study, treatability, bench, pilot, field):
Field
9. Integrated Demonstration (ID) Need/Requirements:
Directional access is needed for site characterization and evaluation of appropriate remediation technologies.
10. Objective:
10.1. Objective of technology (e.g., This technology will destroy VOCs in groundwater.):
Develop capability to cost effectively emplace usable cased/screened directional boreholes in desired locations at environmental problem sites.
10.2. Baseline (baseline technology to which it is compared):
No Baseline Available
11. Process Description:
Hybrid directional boring machinery capable of exerting hydraulic thrust forces greater than 80,00 pounds are used to push directional boring heads into the earth. Directional control is obtained by proper positioning of the non symmetric face of the boring head. Slow rotation of the boring head will cut and compact the geologic material. Pushing a non rotating boring head will cause directional change. Machinery is capable of initiating a borehole at ground or shallow pit level, steering down to the desired horizontal depth, continuing at that depth and the steering back to the surface at a down range location. Casing and/or screen material can be installed in the borehole by attachment to the drill rod being retrieved from the exit point through the borehole to the launch point.
11.1. Input: Torque and thrusting movement, emplacement of hardware down the hole.
11.2. Output: Hole ready for use
12. Summary of Technology Advantages (relative to the baseline: faster, better, cheaper, safer):
Estimated costs are on the order of $25-75/ft compared to $300+ for larger rigs, minimal fluid (water) is added to the site, and since cuttings are compacted in the borehole, very little material is returned to the surface as secondary waste. This also provides quality access beneath landfills, buildings and buried tanks.
13. Limitations of Technology (relative to the baseline: faster, better, cheaper, safer):
Depth will be limited to approximately 80', currently in development at 40'. Maximum horizontal reach is estimated at 1000', compared to several thousand feet for oil and gas rigs. On-board position sensing less sophisticated the larger, more powerful rigs. Use may ultimately be limited to compactable soils although hardrock air drilling may eventually be an option.
14. Major Technical Challenges:
Adequate steering control in a variety of geologic materials, adequate position sensing in environment of high frictional heating and mechanical stress, proper boring head design for penetration of various geologic materials, and extension of depth capability while keeping technology affordable.
15. Technical Effectiveness:
15.1. Performance
15.1.1. Remaining Contamination: (contamination mobility reduction, volume reduction, toxicity reduction)
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable. Technology only provides access for environmental characterization, monitoring and remediation activities.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.2. Process Waste:
15.1.2.1. Status of waste (mobility, volume, hazard, recyclability)
Summary (20 words or less): Volume scale of typical boring waste is on the order of several barrels, not enough to justify a large suction truck.
Further Description (unlimited length): Small amount of water for drilling and electronics cooling. Cuttings are compacted into the formation, and very little is returned to the surface.
15.1.2.2. Treatment (needed, available)
Summary (20 words or less): Depends on site contaminants entrained in the minimal waste stream.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.2.3. Decontamination / Decommissioning
Summary (20 words or less): Hardware being retrieved from a borehole at a contaminated site would need to be decontaminated.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.2.4. Disposal (needed, available)
Summary (20 words or less): According to appropriate regulations and site protocols.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3. Practicality
15.1.3.1. Foreclose Future Options
Summary (20 words or less): Compaction forms a denser layer around the hole. This does not preclude any future efforts but may require different approaches.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.2. Reliability
Summary (20 words or less): Unknown, still under development.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.3. Failure Control
Summary (20 words or less): If the drill breaks underground, it is irretrievable and the hole is lost.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.4. Ease of Use
Summary (20 words or less): When commercialized, this will require drilling experience and computer background.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.5. Infrastructure
Summary (20 words or less): This is self-contained, hydraulically driven (a diesel engine turns a hydraulic pump)
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.6. Versatility
Summary (20 words or less): This works in very rocky boulder zones (which are the hardest) and also in clays (the easiest). The judgment of the driller is most important.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.7. System Compatibility
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.8. Off-the-Shelf (procurement ease)
Summary (20 words or less): Current system is a custom built prototype. Will eventually be commercialized.
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.9. Maintainability
Summary (20 words or less): Still under development
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.3.10. Safety Measures
Summary (20 words or less): Designed to industrial standards for the underground utilities installation industry
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.1.4. "Works" (functions as intended):
Summary (20 words or less): Progress for the past two years has been encouraging.
Further Description (unlimited length): A new generation of hybrid machinery has evolved to prototypical stages.
15.2. Cost
15.2.1. Start-Up Cost
Summary (20 words or less): Approximately $250 K (one order of magnitude less than oil & gas or river-crossing drilling equipment).
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.2.2. Operations and Maintenance Cost
Summary (20 words or less): The goal is to drill for around $25-75 per foot.
Further Description (unlimited length): Oil and gas industry drilling is about $300-350 per foot, river-crossing industry is about $75-150 per foot, and utilities industry drilling is about $10-15 per foot.
15.2.3. Life-cycle cost
Summary (20 words or less): Unknown
Further Description (unlimited length):
15.3. Time
15.3.1. Years Until Available
Summary (20 words or less): In FY93, the goal is to validate near-commercial designs based on the performance of prototype machinery.
Further Description (unlimited length): A one year extension on the project has been granted and further extensions depend on the rate of progress.
15.3.2. Speed/Rate
Summary (20 words or less): Totally dependent on geology and formation.
Further Description (unlimited length): Typically, clays (such as at the Savannah River Site) can be drilled at approximately 600 feet in 3 days. In alluvial fills such as in Albuquerque, drilling can be as slow as 100 feet per day.
15.3.3. Years to Finish
Summary (20 words or less): The actual elapsed time for the drilling of a hole is approximately one week. However, there is a wide variance of time requirements.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16. Environmental Safety and Health
16.1. Worker Safety
16.1.1. Exposure to Hazardous Materials/Hazards
Summary (20 words or less): Standard protective measures for hazardous waste sites required. Some low level secondary waste.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.1.2. Physical Requirements
Summary (20 words or less): Standard drilling personnel requirements.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.1.3. Number of People Required
Summary (20 words or less): Commercially, four.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.2. Public Health and Safety
16.2.1. Accidents
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.2.2. Routine Releases
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.2.3. Transportation
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.3. Environmental Impacts
16.3.1. Ecological Impacts
Summary (20 words or less): Limited secondary waste.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.3.2. Aesthetics
Summary (20 words or less): Typical drilling rig noise. Ear protection for workers required.
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.3.3. Natural Resources
Summary (20 words or less): Water needed for hydraulic pump
Further Description (unlimited length):
16.3.4. Energy Demands
Summary (20 words or less): Diesel fuel
Further Description (unlimited length):
17. Socio-Political Interests
17.1. Public Perception
17.1.1. Proponent Reputation
Summary (20 words or less): SNL technical reputation and Charles Machine Works reputation in trenchless technology give the tool added credibility.
Further Description (unlimited length):
17.1.2. Familiarity / Understandability
Summary (20 words or less): Easy to understand. Perception should be positive.
Further Description (unlimited length): It is anticipated that the public will view this extension of underground utilities technology as it does trenchless underground utilities installation (under freeways, etc.): i.e., minimal intrusion in an area.
17.2. Tribal Rights / Future Land Use
17.2.1. Capacity for Unrestricted Use (terrestrial, aquatic)
Summary (20 words or less): Not applicable
Further Description (unlimited length):
17.3. Socio-Economic Interests
17.3.1. Economic Impacts
Summary (20 words or less): None
Further Description (unlimited length):
17.3.2. Labor Force Demands
Summary (20 words or less): None
Further Description (unlimited length):
18. Regulatory Objectives
18.1. Compatibility with Cleanup Milestones
Summary (20 words or less): Aids in achievement in cleanup milestones.
Further Description (unlimited length):
18.2. Regulatory Infrastructure / Track Record
Summary (20 words or less): Regulators present at several conferences where papers on this technology submitted.
Further Description (unlimited length):
18.3. Regulatory Compliance
Summary (20 words or less): The technology must be evaluated in light of current regulations, understanding that these regulations were written for vertical wells.
Further Description (unlimited length): Efforts have been made to try to adapt strategies for directional (mostly horizontal) wells. Emplacement strategies, boring methods and materials, completion materials, directional surveying of the completed well, and end use of the well are all factors impacting future regulations. The project staff has participated in information exchange workshops with regulators and will continue to do so.
19. Industrial Partnerships
19.1. Company Names:
Charles Machine Works, Inc.
19.2. Rationale:
19.3. Contract Mechanism:
No cost, 3 year contract. (pre-CRADA)
19.4. Other Potential Companies:
19.5. International:
The Charles Machine Works has an international marketing group.
20. Intellectual Property
20.1. Patent Ownership:
Several patent disclosures
20.2. Other Owners:
20.3. Patent Number:
21. Cost Sharing:
SNL through some initial internal ER seed money and sustained support in FY 91 and FY 92 has been supplying approximately $600K per year and Charles Machine has provided approximately $300K per year of private capital.
22. Background on this technology (Where did the idea come from? Who else is doing similar work? What have the results been to date? What is the most significant competitor to this technology?):
This technology was launched from existing technology used in underground utilities installation. Others are doing similar types of drilling, but with large amounts of water and mud. Others can also go deeper, while this technology is intended to be shallow.
23. Reference Documents:
DOE Model Conference Proceedings, Oak Ridge Operations, Oct/Nov, calendar years 1990 and 1991.