Underground Infrastructure - March 2023 - 20

Directional Drilling
our drill string was approximately 40 feet
long before making contact with the bottom
of the inlet, " explained Krantz. " The
casing helped prevent the drill rod from
flexing upon initial contact with the hard
subsurface material. This setup and tooling,
specifically designed for the cobble
we would encounter, was a perfect combination
for the conditions. "
After penetrating the seafloor, the
drill operator continued to drill down
until reaching a depth of 20 feet below
the surface. The bore leveled off between
the bridge fenders before ascending and
punching out on the other side. Crew
members ran a mixture of water and
AMC Gel throughout the bore. They
like this drilling additive because of its
hole-cleaning properties and filtration
control in fresh or brackish water.
After the Hillsboro Inlet pilot bore,
the crew swapped out the drill bit for a
fluted reamer, attached a bundle of four
3-inch HDPD pipes, and pulled back.
" In these conditions, we aren't working
with much space, and everything is
happening in the water, " said Krantz.
" Our talented people have a lot of experience
performing bores that can't be done
exactly how you would like the process to
go. They did a great job on this and on all
the other inlet bores we've worked on. "
After pulling back the HDPE pipe, the
K3 Directional Drilling team left around
200 feet on each side of the bore. Electrical
crews then connected the pipes to the
nearest piling or embankment and tied
them to the electrical system on each side
of the bridge.
K3 Directional Drilling completed
each inlet project in approximately a week.
The contractor has received a lot of inquiries
about completing similar projects.
To keep up with it all, Krantz added another
Vermeer D40x55 S3 drill to his fleet.
" We have been really happy with how
that drill model has performed on these
crossings. Plus, we always have plenty of
work for this size drill when we're not doing
inlet work, " he said.
Since many bridges up and down
Florida's coastline have similar electrical
issues, K3 Directional Drilling is anticipating
many more inlet crossing projects
in the coming years.
" What has made us successful at this
type of work is diligent planning, employing
great people and giving them the
equipment and tools needed to get the
job done efficiently, " said Krantz. " That's
what we've been doing since we started
K3 Directional Drilling in 2015 and will
continue to do, no matter where the
work takes us. " UI
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amy Olsen is a product marketing lead
for Vermeer Corporation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
K3 Directional Drilling, (772) 600-7118,
k3directional.com
Vermeer Corp., (888) 837-6337,
vermeer.com
AMC Gel, (801) 364-0233, amcmud.com
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Underground
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20 MARCH 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
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Underground Infrastructure - March 2023

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