It’s said that everything is bigger in Texas, and that’s true when talking about the job that Hard Rock Directional Drilling performed in Midland, Texas. Using a Vermeer® D1000x900 and a D500x500 Navigator® horizontal directional drill (HDD) outfitted with an 8-inch (20.3 cm) mud motor and a pair of Vermeer R9x12T reclaimers, the San Antonio, Texas-based HDD specialists installed 8,414 feet (2,564.6 m) of 30-inch (76.2 cm) diameter steel pipe in rock along a busy highway.
According to Robert Myers, owner of Hard Rock Directional Drilling, the keys to completing this job were a lot of upfront planning, employing highly skilled and trained crew members and providing them with the resources they needed to get the job done. “As a company, we work in rock all of the time and we’ve done a lot of long drill shots and opened up some pretty wide holes,” he added. “But, this particular one is memorable, because it combines all of the traits that make a job challenging. The Midland bore is a project that I’m sure no one at Hard Rock Directional Drilling will soon forget.”
Project overview
The Midland bore is part of a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) long pipeline being installed by Fasken Oil and Gas. When completed, the pipeline will carry oil, gas and water from wells to a Fasken facility. When it was determined that part of the pipeline would have to go through Midland and cross two highways, the Fasken Oil and Gas team and general contractor Kingsley Constructors, Inc. called in Hard Rock Directional Drilling.
“We first started discussing this job around three years ago,” explained Cory Baker, general manager for Hard Rock Directional Drilling. “Between buildings being constructed near the planned pipeline path, existing underground utilities and making sure we didn’t restrict roadway access, the plans were altered several times until the bore eventually stretched to over 8,400 feet (2,560.3 m).”
The bore distance did not intimidate the Hard Rock Directional Drilling crew. In fact, Baker said they recently wrapped up an 11,600 foot (3,535.7 m) long bore in Kemah, Texas. It was the weight of the 30-inch (76.2 cm) steel pipeline they would have to eventually pullback that gave them a moment of pause. “We knew we could go the distance, and we also knew we would have a good hole to work with since it was in solid rock, but we had to make sure we had a rig that could pull that weight all back.”
By the team’s calculations, they would likely need an HDD rig capable of pulling back up to 800,000 pounds (362,873.9 kg), which is well within the range of Hard Rock Directional Drilling’s Vermeer D1000x900 HDD. “Normally, a crew will end up pulling less than the full calculation, so we knew a job of this size shouldn’t be an issue.”
Planned intersection
To perform the bore as efficiently as possible, Hard Rock Directional Drilling decided to use a drill on each side with a planned intersection near the middle of the bore. The Vermeer D1000x900 was set up on the Midland side of the bore path, and on the exit side the crew used a Vermeer D500x500. The drills were outfitted with 8-inch (20.3 cm) mud motors and 12 3/4-inch (32.3 cm) bits to perform the pilot bore through sandstone and limestone. It took 12 days for crews to complete the initial bore at an average depth of 60 feet (18.3 m).
Afterward, the crew continued to use both drills to open the hole to 48 inches (121.9 cm) in diameter. “We made a total of three passes with hole openers,” said Baker. “We made a pass with a 24-, 36- and 48-inch (61-, 91.4- and 121.9-cm) hole openers while pumping around 1,200 gallons (4,542.5 L) of fluid per minute down the hole. The crews on both ends were pumping to make sure we got all of the cuttings out of the hole, and we had a Vermeer R9x12T reclaimer on both sides so that we could conserve water as much as possible.”
Hard Rock Directional Drilling used a mix of bentonite and a larger molecular weighted polymer additive to help verify the cuttings would be flushed from the drill hole. And, crews used around 180,000 gallons (681,374.1 L) of water throughout the 84 days they spent on the project.
“The R9x12T reclaimers did a great job staying on pace with our drilling fluid needs” explained Myers. “They allowed us to pump more fluid per minute downhill, which helped increase production. And, as we increased the volume we pumped down the hole, the reclaimers did a great job keeping pace with our fluid needs.”
Pulling pipe
After three passes were made with hole openers, Hard Rock Directional Drilling was ready to connect the 1.7 million-pound (771,107 kg) pipe string to its Vermeer D1000x900 and pullback. It took the team just 23 hours to pull the 30-inch (76.2 cm) pipe to its final resting place, and a maximum pull force of just under 600,000 pounds (272,155.4 kg) — the drill had plenty of power.
“Everything went fantastic,” Baker said. “I couldn’t be any prouder of our crew and the job they did. Also, Fasken Oil and Gas, along with Kingsley Constructors were excellent to work with. All three of our organizations worked together to make this job a success. It’s a tale we’ll all be sharing for many years to come.”
Proud owner
Hard Rock Directional Drilling employs more than 150 people and operates a fleet of 25 Vermeer HDD’s. The company’s crews are active in pipeline work throughout North America. They have been responsible for completing many of the oil and gas pipeline’s most challenging jobs.
And, while the company’s management team is proud of those accomplishments, Myers said none of it would be possible without his talented team. “When we started this company 15 years ago, we established a set of core values,” he explained. “We want to be known as honest, hardworking and safe professionals who take care of our people and the needs of our customers. I believe we’ve been able to do that over the years.”
Myers has good reason to be proud. Texas Mutual awarded Hard Rock Directional Drilling the Platinum Safety Award in 2017. “We don’t seek recognition for our commitment to safety, but I will say, that award means a lot to me,” he said. “It reinforces what we are doing — our safety culture is working.”
With the Midland pipeline job behind them, the Hard Rock Directional Drilling team packed up its equipment and moved on to its next major pipeline project. And with their safety culture and outstanding industry reputation, there will be much more work for them in the future.
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