HDD ( Horizontal Directional Drilling)

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a construction technique whereby a tunnel is drilled under a waterway or other designated area, and a pipeline or other utility is pulled through the drilled underground tunnel. The drilling mud also helps coat the walls of the tunnel and remove drill cuttings. It is undoubtedly a unique preposition of installing underground pipelines, cables, and service conduit through trenchless methods. It involves the use of a directional drilling machine, and associated attachments, to accurately drill along the chosen bore path and back ream the required pipe. Horizontal drilling is a commonly used technology because drilling at an angle other than vertically can stimulate reservoirs and obtain information that cannot be done by drilling vertically. Horizontal drilling can increase the contact between the reservoir and the wellbore.

In India, HDD is commonly used for laying of pipelines across Rivers/Canals/Roads/Bridges/unaccessible areas for fresh laying and expansion of Oil/Gas/Water pipelines.

Advantages of HDD Method

1. Horizontal Directional Drilling method is the most commonly recognized trenchless utilities method as a preferred construction method in this age. Among the advantages of HDD method offers less disturbance on traffic, the public, business activities and neighborhood, lower restoration cost, less noise, dust and minimum import/export of the construction materials.

2. Horizontal Directional Drilling method can drill through congested utilities areas with minimum cutting and shorter time. This paper aims to appraise the benefits and obstacle of HDD method in construction industry.

3. It is an endeavor to fulfil the local authorities need for alternative method that less damages to the roads, road furniture's and public complaints compared to the conventional open cut method.

4. In addition HDD method is seem to be in line with sustainable development requirements e.g. reduce, reuse, recycle and etc. Hence, it is important to determine the benefits and obstacle factors of HDD implementation.