Trenchless Pipeline Installation in Lloydminster

Trenchless Pipeline Installation in Lloydminster

An existing oilfield located adjacent to the west boundary of the city of Lloydminster, and over the years some of the production lines had deteriorated due to the properties of the product being produced. The lines were taken out of service and a completely new line was required to replace the existing lines.

There were two lines of concern; a distance of 600 meters and the second line was a distance was 300 meters. The area the lines traversed were farmland currently under crop production and small seasonal sloughs common to the area. Some of the existing rights of way were overgrown by small poplar and willow regrowth.

The owner company entered into a contract with us to utilize the BPC Trenchless Pipeline System for this work. The trenchless system would minimize surface disruption and protect existing crops in place thus saving on crop damage to the existing tenant.

Method

Preparations were made to begin the work by making up 3 joint drag sections for a pullback after the drill crew had successfully drilled the pilot hole. The crew drilled the area on the existing right of way from lease to lease. Once the bit excited at the prescribed target location, the bit was removed and a hole opener was installed. The product was connected to the reamer by way of a swivel and the product pulled back through the bore as the reamer progressed. Sections were welded on as each section was placed until the complete pipeline was installed. Crews excavated the tie in points and after a successful test, the new lines were connected to the existing facilities.

After the product was in place BPC used their walkover inspection system to verify the integrity of the external coating and provide a GPS map complete with the depth of cover survey for the owner’s records and quality control purposes.

Time and Cost

This work was completed in less time than would have been required to lay the pipe using conventional open-cut methods. Surface disruption and crop damage were negligible due to most of the work occurring on existing lease facilities.

The cost to complete this work was comparable to conventional open-cut costs but with no future reclamation concerns due to loss of topsoil, settlement of ditch lines, etc. utilizing this construction method essentially allowed our client to cost-effectively bring production back on stream without any land issues or time constraints.

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