E Power Pipe
Innovating the Process of Protective Pipe Laying
Key Advantages
- Quick, safe, and precise installation of product pipes at shallow depths.
- Facilitates the use of all product pipe materials, including those that aren't pressure-resistant, such as HDPE.
- Retractable pipe diameter: 0.25-0.914m (10-36"), also allows for the pulling in of smaller pipe diameters or pipe bundles.
- Ensures the safe embedding of the product pipe through controlled annulus filling.
- The drilling and product pipe pull-in can be remotely controlled.
- Permanent borehole support also enables projects in unstable soils.
- Capability to drive under groundwater.
- Eliminates the need for heavy equipment between the start and target pit.
E-Power Pipe: Revolutionizing Protective Pipe Laying
The E-Power Pipe process represents a novel method for trenchless installation of product pipes with a small diameter at shallow depths. This method enables the quick, safe, and precise laying of both pressure-resistant and non-pressure-resistant product pipes over long distances of up to two kilometers. The two-stage process combines elements of proven horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and pipe jacking (microtunnelling), providing a solution to a variety of project requirements. This technology allows for mechanically laying protective pipes and pipelines close to the surface, with minimal disruption to the environment.
Applications of E-Power Pipe technology are wide-ranging, from laying cable protection pipes or underground cables for power grid expansion, to pipelines for gas supply, district heating, or hydrogen transportation.
E-Power Pipe: A Greener Alternative
With minimal soil disruption, no need for heavy equipment between start and target excavation pits, and reduced noise and exhaust emissions, the E-Power Pipe process is an environmentally friendly alternative to open construction. It can be deployed in agricultural lands during construction with minimal disruption and need for recultivation measures. Its precision allows it to safely cross under existing infrastructure such as pipelines, roads, rails, or small bodies of water.
Two-Stage Laying Process
In the initial stage of the E-Power Pipe process, a press frame is installed in the launch shaft, aiding the advancement of a special jacking machine and reusable steel jacking pipes along the specified route through the ground. Following the breakthrough at the target point, the tunneling machine is detached from the tunneling string.
In the second stage, a traction head is mounted on the jacking pipe string in the target excavation pit, which is connected to the pre-fabricated product pipe ready for installation. As the jacking pipes are retracted through the press frame, the product pipe is gradually pulled in. Throughout this process, the borehole remains mechanically supported. The product pipe is mechanically and thermally connected to the subsoil with the addition of backfill material during insertion.
The AVNS350XB Tunneling Machine
The heart of the E-Power Pipe process is the AVNS350XB tunneling machine, with a drilling diameter of 505 millimeters. This liquid-supported microtunnelling machine enables tunneling even below the water table and in changing soil conditions from silty soil to medium-hard rock (150MPa). The fully remote-controlled tunneling machine is equipped with a jet pump as a feed pump and an integrated hydraulic unit to realize tunneling lengths of up to 2,000 meters. The newly developed, gyrocompass-based navigation system for E-Power Pipe enables permanent position determination and high-precision control. It can drive long distances precisely and safely cross existing installations such as pipelines, roads, rails, and bodies of water.
An Overview of the Working Mechanism of Direct Pipe
Direct Pipe® system operates in a logical, methodical sequence:
The steel jacking pipes have been specially developed for the E-Power Pipe process. They form a high-tensile pipeline, with all necessary lines for the slurry circuit, power supply, and data transmission integrated. The pipes’ length of 9 meters allows for high advance rates with minimal coupling processes. The compressive and tensile strength necessary for the pre-pressing of the machine and the insertion of the product pipe are provided by an innovative connection system.
A Rack & Pinion jack frame, designed to match the jacking pipe, provides propulsion and traction. It transmits power through an electrically driven carriage, connected to the last jacking pipe via a pressure ring. The press frame is braced in the launch shaft with hydraulic cylinders integrated into the carriage, eliminating the need for additional conversion measures for the retraction of the jacking pipes.
The performance of the E-Power Pipe process has been proven in several practical applications. After the successful pilot project in 2017, the E-Power Pipe process has been used in various construction measures as part of the grid expansion. The E-Power Pipe process has been lauded by network operators, construction companies, and landowners for its impressive tunneling performance, high level of planning security, and environmentally friendly construction.