【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】The longest record of 5.2 kilometers in the field of directional drilling projects worldwide from 1974 to 2018
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Witnessing the significant development of chemical processing equipment over the past decade, we praise the prosperity and strength of modern China. Greater participation by everyone makes things even more exciting; with you here, Haichuan becomes even better. This is just a starting point – we welcome everyone to engage more actively in discussions on this forum. Replies will be rewarded; feel free to discuss! ------------------------------------------------- At 3:23 p.m. on March 9, 2018, with the second aviation fuel pipeline successfully extracted from its burial site, it was marked that the HDD tunneling project for two 5.2-kilometer-long aviation fuel pipelines at the international airport, undertaken by Huayuan Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd., had been completed successfully. Previously, on December 27, 2017, the construction of the first directional drilling passage through the aviation fuel pipeline for this project was completed; this success marks another time when Huayuan has set a new world record in the field of directional drilling projects, 72 days after the previous achievement. The success of this crossing has also set a positive momentum for the construction of the third runway at the **international airport.
【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】The First Use of International Minimum-Angle Mountain Crossing for Oil and Gas Pipelines in China from 1974 to 2022 https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3587768-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Network – Chemical Industry Insights)
**The management team of the International Airport Authority was present at the scene: including the owner’s engineer and representatives from the project management team, representatives from Atkins Group, as well as representatives from BV Engineering Consultants Ltd., which served as Huayuan’s design consultant. They joined Mr. Shi Zhanhua, the chairman of Huayuan, and his staff in witnessing this historic moment. The owner’s project management team was very satisfied with the condition of the unearthed aviation fuel pipelines and the integrity of their anti-corrosion coatings; they praised Huayuan’s performance on the project as being excellent.
**The pipeline rerouting project for the aviation fuel supply to the third runway at the international airport is in progress. Two of the world’s longest undersea fuel pipelines, each 5,200 meters long and reaching a depth of 125 meters below sea level, have begun to supply fuel to aircraft arriving and departing, marking significant progress in the construction of the third runway at this international airport. Under complex and variable geological conditions, these two \"major arteries\" that go underground from the airport and then emerge again on Shazhou Island, 5 kilometers away.
**The existing fuel pipelines at the international airport are laid directly on the seabed. If sand and gravel are used for filling in the area where the third runway will be built, it is easy to damage these pipelines, posing a significant risk. The new design utilizes horizontal directional drilling technology, which eliminates the need to dig into the seabed, thereby achieving true ‘zero contact’ with the sea floor. ” Even with the technology available, engineering still faces many challenges and risks. The geological conditions are complex. The pipeline has to pass through more than 200 meters of rock-filled land reclamation layers, sedimentary clay layers, as well as highly hard granite and rock fracture zones with alternating hardness levels. There are at least three relatively large fault zones along the crossing path. Strict safety and environmental protection standards. On the one hand, the site where the works are to be carried out is located within the airport’s restricted area, less than 300 meters from the runways, which imposes strict restrictions on the height of construction equipment and its operations ； On the other hand, the excavation site is on Shazhou Island, where the \"masters\" are rare wild egrets; at sea, the \"masters\" are white dolphins that travel in groups, and it is necessary to protect them. The area designated for drilling operations is only 10 meters by 10 meters in size and has an irregular shape; moreover, the existing vegetation must not be damaged, and the construction area on the island must not come into contact with seawater. How to store a large number of construction equipment and drilling tools is also a challenge.
The engineering challenges were significant; at that time, many of the companies shortlisted for the bid wanted to adopt a approach involving shared risk with the owner – in case problems arose, artificial islands could be created by filling land in the middle of the 5,200-meter-long route as a means of connection. However, this approach causes significant disturbance to the marine environment. Huayuan Mechanical & Electrical’s design, which allows it to pass through 5,200 meters without any mud leakage, gave it an advantage in winning the bid. Key technologies and custom equipment are required; construction must proceed despite various obstacles. The length of the pipelines is record-breaking, and a large number of construction equipment and drilling tools need to be developed, designed, and manufactured. The geological conditions are complex, the locations where drills can operate are limited, and there is significant pressure to protect the environment… On top of that, construction is not allowed at night, nor during the 4 months when egrets breed, which makes the schedule extremely tight. Key technologies and high-end customized equipment have become the keys to success in engineering.