He sat down with The Australian Pipeliner to discuss his company’s capabilities and the benefits of HDD from both a construction and environmental preservation perspective.
Can you describe your background in the industry and your role at Maxibor?
I have been in the trenchless industry since seeing an HDD in operation at Forresters Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast late last century. I was intrigued by what it was able to do and from then on, my passion to be involved in the trenchless industry grew.
I have honed my trenchless knowledge over the years, and there are not that many infrastructure installation challenges that faze myself and the very competent design and delivery team that has been built at Maxibor.
While I pride myself on being a driller who can operate any sized rig, I know that it takes a team to successfully deliver a project which will optimise value to all stakeholders in the project. Having a strong team around me is thus a very important part of our success.
Attention to detail is also important especially in a higher risk activity like HDD. The discipline of my other passion, flying, has many similarities to those required to successfully design and deliver HDD projects.
How has Maxibor been able to emerge as a leading HDD provider in the Australian trenchless industry?
Maxibor has established a leading presence in the HDD industry at a design and delivery level through a strategy focusing on business development relationships, engineering design and drilling methodology expertise, a knowledgeable and reliable supply chain, well maintained plant fleet capable of completing any length or diameter bore, quality, safe and environmentally friendly delivery of projects, financial strength, commercial understanding and seeking to achieve broader social outcomes from its wider involvement in the civil construction sector.
Maxibor has been able to achieve success in each of these areas through its collaborative approach to building relationships. Increasingly, asset owners and Tier 1 and major contractors across the various infrastructure sectors are wanting Maxibor to be their main HDD provider because of the value we can cooperatively add to a project and their overall business.
Our innovative design capability and de-risking of projects through applying a well thought out drilling methodology specific to the project ensures even the most complex projects can be delivered safely and with quality. We regularly help Tier 1 and major contractor clients in the early stages of bids to better understand how the project can be built so the asset owner can achieve the project’s required infrastructure installation outcome.
We pride ourselves on a well-maintained fleet of rigs and other equipment. A recent addition to our fleet has been a Gallagher HDD660e electric drill. Known as The Hulk, it is the only electric maxi-rig in Australia performing HDD work and is capable of drilling up to 3 km at a 1.6 m bore diameter. We see it as a game changer particularly in metropolitan areas where noise and emissions are a significant factor.
Maxibor has full ISO accreditation and we have developed a detailed HDD risk assessment tool which covers the full range of HDD related project risks and solutions to mitigate those risks.
Maxibor is also committed to helping Indigenous businesses better participate in the civil construction sector. We are part of a collaborative Indigenous business model involving Indigenous and mainstream businesses working together to help make a difference.
Are there any especially complex projects Maxibor has been involved in and, if so, what was different about these examples?
Maxibor’s most challenging project in recent times was the 2.4 km of wastewater pipeline installed as part of the Logan City Council 20 km wastewater pipeline project.
The HDD highlights of the project included:
- The install of a 1.320 km 500 mm pipe – the longest completed in the city’s history.
- The first time use in Australia of polyethylene high stress crack resistant (PE-HSCR) pipe material for a wastewater sewer rising main project. The Iplex manufactured pipe used Qenos PE100 polyethylene which ensures any scratches of the pipe which can occur during the pulling of the pipe do not develop into cracks. The expected design life is 100 years.
- Being the first project in Australia to use an underground magnetics walkover locating system which provided tracking to 54m deep
- Improved hydraulics of the sewerage rising main through undulating ground, which will reduce pumping costs and provide an improved life-time value for money.
- Minimal environmental impact by not disturbing waterways and reduced vegetation clearing through a koala sensitive habitat
Trenchless HDD is increasing in popularity as a method of choice for underground infrastructure construction. What are the benefits of using HDD from both a safety and environmental perspective?
There is growing confidence that projects using HDD can be delivered safely and have minimal environmental impact.
Digitalisation, decentralisation, population growth and the accelerating climate change impacts of fire, wind, inundation, erosion, flooding and drought will require consideration of the way we install and use infrastructure. Going underground provides many obvious safety and environmental benefits – you just need to look at the ravages of the more extreme weather conditions to see that having infrastructure securely installed at depth provides for a safer community during these events.
How does Maxibor select the route of a prospective pipeline prior to installation works commencing?
Firstly, access is very important – narrow streets, mountainous terrain, tidal locations all present challenges to be overcome. Next, the preferred route will be influenced by ground conditions as they will impact both drillability and cost. Here geotechnical investigations are of paramount importance.
Tests conducted along the bore alignment at appropriate intervals and depths are essential to get a good representation of the ground conditions. This helps the bore design to avoid more challenging ground conditions such as cobble, fractured hard rock and underground cavities.
The length and depth of the bore or series of bores will be prime determinant of cost. Design innovation to reduce length can help reduce cost. Using the expertise of the HDD provider like Maxibor at the design stage of the project can be where most value can be added to a project.
Pipe selection is also an important factor as better quality pipe can allow the bore alignment to be in a higher stress location while providing a lower overall cost of materials and installation to the project through a shortened length. Pipe installation forces testing is also done in conjunction with the selection process.
Trenchless calculations are also undertaken to understand downhole pressures (hydrofracture analysis) and torque and drag assessment. The important thing is to ensure that those interpreting the testing results understand the data and know how it will impact the drilling methodology and design of the pipeline.
Maxibor’s design engineering personnel who have global “on HDD project delivery” experience greatly facilitates the practical interpretation of the trenchless calculation data
What are some examples of projects where HDD was chosen in order to preserve the local land and environment?
Another of the major projects Maxibor has been involved in was the installation of 2.4 km of 3 x 250 mm power conduits at Williamtown Airforce Base. The ground conditions were predominantly water charged sand contaminated with PFAS. HDD was chosen as the preferred method of installation as it protected workers from unnecessary exposure to the contaminated ground and minimised disturbance to the land.
What technological advances do you foresee occurring in the industry over the next 3-5 years and where do you think the sector is going as a whole?
To a large degree, the capability of the trenchless industry to deliver better solutions to complex infrastructure installation projects in the HDD space is already here in Australia. The key to unlocking that capability is increasing the level of HDD knowledge at a design engineering level and gaining the confidence of asset owners that risks associated with the project’s delivery can be effectively managed.
An exciting advance in the industry will be an increased use of electric drills to deliver projects in a more environmentally friendly manner. The transition away from fossil fuels is something the industry will be increasingly required to respond in this decade. The involvement of The Hulk on HDD projects over the coming year is part of that change.
There are continual advances in drill cabin technology and advances in technology will mean a new breed of drillers will need to come through to optimise the benefits of the technology. Technology and training and retraining will need to go hand in hand.
Drill fluid management is an area where technology is aiding in reducing the cost of disposal, especially for drilling fluid contaminated by the existing ground conditions. Additives to the liquid waste to turn them into solids for transport and disposal off site reduces the number of truck movements and associated emissions.
For more information visit the Maxibor website.
This article is featured in the May 2021 edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
