HDD
Modern Solutions for Freeing Stuck Pipe
The business of horizontal drilling poses many risks, and unanticipated problems can cause completion deadlines to be missed or even prevent a job from being completed. Having a drill string or product pipe stuck in the bore hole is something all drillers hope to avoid. Even though there are steps ..
Embracing Change Leads to K3 Directional Drilling’s Success
In the wee hours of the morning, long before the sun comes up and tourists line up to visit “The Happiest Place on Earth,” the crew of K3 Directional Drilling Inc., was working on installing new water lines to the water bridge at Walt Disney World Resort, where ferry boats float over buses. The Stu..
2018 Drilling Fluids Guide
BENTONITE Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, (281) 871-4613, baroididp.com Aquagel: Premium grade Wyoming sodium bentonite used as viscosifier and filtrate reducer in freshwater drilling fluids. Meets the requirements of API Specification 13A, Section 9. NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. Bore-Gel..
Rise of the Internet and Loss of the Human Touch
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief I’ve spent some frustrating times both calling companies and getting on their websites the past few years. Now, I’m getting downright infuriated – and that goes for both general markets and underground infrastructure companies. Quick, responsive customer service h..
Energy Web Atlas Launches World Pipeline Dataset
Gulf Energy Information has added the World Pipeline layer to its Energy Web Atlas (EWA), the ESRI-based GIS platform introduced earlier this year that tracks detailed data – including operators, shareholders, pipeline route and pipeline specifications – for more than 3,670 natural gas pipelines glo..
Vermeer Introduces MUD Hub Slurry Solidification System
The new Vermeer MUD Hub slurry solidification system helps control the costs, time and complexity of drilling fluid management. Using the Vermeer ST2000 slat tank and the Surface to Surface (STS) FL-243 solidification mixer, MUD Hub helps create stackable material for convenient transfer and disposa..
Challenges of Leak Detection on Produced Water, Crude Gathering Networks
Oil producers laid hundreds of miles of gathering pipelines to keep pace with the shale boom across North America from 2009 to 2017. As a result, produced water production has increased exponentially with oil and gas production. Produced water is a byproduct along with the oil and gas. Oil and gas r..
Mobile App Provides Information, Training for Contractors, Utilities
Verocomm Network has introduced a new mobile app that provides information and training content to employees in the field. The cloud-based Verocomm app is a secure, easy-to-use platform for delivering critical communications, training and safety on mobile devices, said Lawrence Martel, CEO of Aclip..
Customers Experience New Equipment, Technology at Annual Seminar
Customers worldwide traveled to the Perry, Okla., headquarters of Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, to participate in the annual Equipment Seminar in April. More than 300 dealership employees and their customers experienced an up-close look at customer-driven equipment enhancements and n..
20th Annual Directional Drilling Survey: HDD Market Growing, but Challenges Abound
As the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) industry matures, the underground infrastructure’s dependence on this technology also continues to expand at an impressive rate. The industry as a whole is battling many issues from workforce problems to mud disposal, but still has been able to maneuver a..
WSSC Awards Contract to Transform Sewage into Renewable Energy
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has approved the first phase of a $250 million project that will turn poop to power by transforming sewage into renewable energy. The $44 million contract awarded to PC Construction Company will allow WSSC to begin design and early construction of ..
Arcadis Provides ‘Living’ Software Presentation to Assess Interceptor Condition, Risk
At the April 4 meeting of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Underground Construction Technology Association, Harrison Steed, P.E., senior project manager with Arcadis, discussed a complex project involving Dallas Water Utilities’ wastewater collection system. Spanning more than 230 miles of large-diam..
Del Puerto Water District Wins ACWA's 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded the 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence to the Del Puerto Water District for its North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. The program is an innovative solution to water supply and reliability issues in the San Joa..
Urban Water Scarcity Challenge Opens to Startups
Imagine H2O has opened its 2018 Urban Water Scarcity Challenge to water startups advancing resilient drinking water solutions in fast-growing cities globally. The challenge aligns with U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), which calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water ..
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Service
In celebration of its 100th year of service, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is hosting a regional symposium, A Century of Innovation, tomorrow, May 1, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The symposium brings together wa..
CUIRE Study Finds CIPP Reports Non-Conclusive
Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education and the Institute for Underground Infrastructure in Germany have completed a four-month study on the review of published literature pertaining to chemical emissions of styrene-based res..
Study: Californians Support Using Recycled Water
Xylem Inc. has released the results of a study indicating nearly three-quarters of Californians support using recycled water as an additional local water supply, regardless of water shortages. According to the study, although 2017 brought significant rainfall, Californians also remain very concerned..
South Dakota Mines' Gas Cube Project Holds Big Potential
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Humans create tons of waste. They demand a lot of energy too. That, in essence, is what makes a South Dakota School of Mines & Technology project to convert waste products like cardboard, discarded food and agricultural refuse into methane gas for energy generation so excit..
Vortex Companies Introduces New Manhole Rehab Coating
The Vortex Companies has introduced Chimney Guard, a custom-formulated coating consisting of 100% solids epoxies and urethane designed to improve manhole rehabilitation where inflow and infiltration is a frequent problem. Because it requires no primer coat, Chimney Guard is easy to use for any prof..
SPX to Acquire CUES
SPX Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase CUES, Inc., a leading manufacturer of pipeline inspection and rehabilitation equipment headquartered in Orlando, Fla. Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of SPX will be merged with CUES’ parent company, ELXSI Corporation..
Professor Tries to Clean PFCs from Minnesota Water
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Simcik has invented a sponge that might be able to clean up one of Minnesota’s worst water-pollution problems, the PFCs in Washington County groundwater. His technique involves putting absorbent material underground. “This stuff is sticky. It sticks to the soil, and the..
Ditch Witch, Vacuworx Form Vacuum Lifting Technology Partnership
Ditch Witch has partnered with Vacuworx to bring the benefits of vacuum lifting technology to an expanded network of underground construction contractors, landscapers, municipalities and utilities. Vacuum lifting systems are designed to use constant vacuum pressure to handle heavy loads, such as st..
West Virginia American Water Launches 2018 Infrastructure Upgrade Map
West Virginia American Water has launched its 2018 Infrastructure Upgrade Map, an online application enabling customers to view details about water main replacement projects and other water distribution system upgrades throughout the company’s service area. “We owe it to our customers to demonstrat..
Pennsylvania Regulators Develop Tool to Improve Chesapeake Bay Water Quality
About 200 leaders from municipal governments, county conservation districts, agriculture, environmental groups, water companies, and other entities today participated in a meeting hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to expand local engagement in Phase 3 of the pla..
Vortex Companies, Advantage Reline Form Strategic Partnership
Vortex Companies recently announced a strategic partnership with Advantage Reline, developer of a Sprayed-In-Place Pipe (SIPP) trenchless technology for the municipal, industrial and commercial market sectors. “The industry has placed great emphasis on CIPP alternatives and by partnering with Advan..
ActiveCare Direct Monthly Reports: How to Reduce Machine Idle Times and Boost Profits
ActiveCare Direct monthly reports provide insights on idle percentages versus work percentages across the entire fleet, by individual machine and by machine type. This allows you to easily compare utilization by operator and machine, as well as set goals for increased utilization over time. Doing so..
Vermeer Launches Compact, High-Productivity D8x12 Navigator HDD
Vermeer expands its line of utility installation equipment with the launch of the D8x12 Navigator horizontal directional drill (HDD), well-suited for small service installations, including gas distribution, power, water and telecommunication networks. “From fiber-to-the-home projects to residential..
IEEE Publishes 25 Gb/s Ethernet Standard for Enhanced Enterprise and Metro Network Applications Over Fiber
IEEE today announced it has published IEEE 802.3cc-2017—Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer and Management Parameters for Serial 25 Gb/s Ethernet Operation Over Single-Mode Fiber. The new amendment to IEEE 802.3™ represents the first available industry standard developed specifically to ..
Ditch Witch Enhances Online Parts Lookup Tool
Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works company, has released an advanced version of its industry-first, web-based tool that reduces downtime and increases efficiency. The Ditch Witch Parts Lookup gives customers easy access to detailed parts information, and a direct line of communication to dealershi..
HDD: DRILLING FLUIDS
Wyo-Ben wyoben.com Wyo-Ben Inc. has responded to increasing regulatory pressure and customer inquiries on the disposal of spent drilling fluids by introducing SOLIDIBOND 1.1 and SOLIDIBOND 2.2. Slurries solidified with SOLIDIBOND pass the paint filter test, allowing for less-expensive disposal as..
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
- Charlottesville, Va., to begin work on 24-inch water line for Rivanna River crossing
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds