Latest News

DTD has opened new offices in Pennsylvania and Texas, improving our access to job locations across the country. This eases the complicated logistics necessary to move our drill rigs from from one side of the country to the other, or even just returning the rigs to the shop for routine maintenance. In today’s expensive shipping and trucking markets, our three locations help drive our mobilization costs lower.

Each facility has a staffed maintenance garage and exterior storage yard. Addresses for each facility are shown below, and if you click on our recent projects map on the right side of our home page, you can see the locations on a map (the office locations are shown with a house shaped icon). Check back in the near future for photos of the new offices.

Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc. – Headquarters
100 Rolling Ridge Drive
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Contact: Dan Ombalski

Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc. – Washington Office
8700 State Hwy 3SW
Bremerton, WA 98312
Contact: Jim Doesburg

Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc. – Texas Office
7701 Hwy 180 East
Mineral Wells, TX 76067
Contact: James Ditto

DTD has recently completed the installation of four blind air sparge wells ranging from 360 to 600 feet in length. The horizontal wells were completed at a national airport, with three wells extending beneath the tarmac. Complicating the installation was the difficult ground: construction fill (debris including broken tarmac concrete and rebar) overlying resilient saprolite and weathered crystalline granite.

Drilling was completed with a mud-motor and tri-cone bit driven by DTD’s American Augers DD210. The drill rig and all support equipment (drill rig, the drill rod, mud recycling system, and support trailer) can all be seen in the site layout photo to the left. Existing site infrastructure and the multiple wells in a small area made for a challenging set up. All cuttings and waste were containerized in a lined rolloff with secondary containment incase of leakage or spills. A photo showing the rolloff, secondary containment and the mud recycling system can be seen below to the right. In addition to the rolloff, a closed top frac-tank was staged on site. The frac-tank took any liquid waste, including any decanted from the the top of the rolloff.

The bore design called for a large radius curve through the  construction debris and into saprolite before leveling out for the horizontally oriented screen section. However, where the bore passed through the construction debris the material was unstable and prevented the installation the HDPE well materials in the traditional manner. Therefore DTD used its proprietary, patent pending technology, to stabilize the bore and install the wells. Three of the wells required this approach, while one bore was stable enough to allow the well material installation.

The sparge wells are designed to distribute air across the width of a plume to remediate groundwater contaminated with jet fuel and its components. As with all DTD wells, the bores were completed with biodegradable drilling fluid in effort to minimize damage to the geologic formation’s hydraulic conductivity. This allows the wells to communicate as efficiently as possible with the surrounding matrix, and in turn, provide a better functioning remediation system. For additional information, email dan AT horizontaldrill.com or, info AT horizontaldrill.com

Water Utility Infrastructure Management recently (Dec. 21) published an article by Dan Ombalski and Mike Lubrecht on the use of HDD for tapping unusual or difficult groundwater resources. With several examples from water projects completed by DTD, the article provides an overview of how HDD can be applied in a variety of ways for water supply. Take a look at the article at the UI Online website.

Entitled, “Remediation Beneath California Tank Farm: Directional Well Installation Overcomes Many Challenges” our latest article in Trenchless describes our recent project in San Diego, installing stainless steel wells over 1800 feet in length. Read it here in the September issue of Trenchless Online.

Interest in using sustainable practices and technologies for environmental cleanup has increased notably within the past few years. The US EPA and many states have published recommended practices to reduce the environmental footprint of cleanup operations, and many consultants and contractors are attempting to “go green” in contaminated site remediation. It makes sense to conserve energy, reduce pollution, and curtail waste – particularly when you’re in the process of cleaning up a site!

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) can be an important component of a sustainable cleanup strategy. A single horizontal well can be considerably more effective than a long string of vertical wells, reducing the energy consumption and pollution associated with well installation and system operation. In many cases, one or two horizontal wells can replace multiple vertical wells, hundreds of feet of conveyance piping, multiple pumps or blowers, the drilling and trenching required for installation, and the energy and maintenance activities to run a more complex system. HDD systems minimize surface disruption, and can be installed beneath sensitive ecosystems without disturbing them. Further, horizontal well systems have frequently reduced the amount of time to meet site minimum cleanup levels, which reduces the energy consumption for system operation even more.

Manifold for vertical air sparge/SVE system

Well end completion for >500 foot HDD extraction well

Installing a 900 foot well beneath protected shoreline, with two endangered species

When you're considering your next cleanup project, give serious thought to incorporating HDD in the design. Horizontal wells are effective for many technical reasons, and sustainable remediation is a beneficial byproduct. For more information about HDD and sustainable remediation, contact Mike Lubrecht, LG, at mike AT horizontaldrill.com.

DTD has pioneered the development of a new technology for completing blind wells of extended lengths, even in adverse drilling conditions. The technology retains all the benefits of real-time directional drilling while virtually guaranteeing that well screens and casing can be installed, even in wells several hundred feet long.

Until now, single-ended, or “blind” well installations required that the bore be completed, then all of the tooling is removed from the bore and the casing installed as a subsequent operation. This method has generally been satisfactory for short wells, up to a few hundred feet, in stable drilling conditions. But when longer wells have been attempted, or if the bore is subject to collapse or caving, the combination of skin friction from casing advancement and caved material in the bore often resulted in failure.

As DTD has completed ever longer double-ended well installations, the need for longer single-ended wells has also been recognized. Through extended research and development, and the building of several prototype systems, the result was a system that retains the ability to navigate and steer, using conventional walkover navigation systems, while allowing the well casing to be placed through the drill string when the bore is completed. By leaving the drill string in place, the bore never has the opportunity to collapse and skin friction during installation is greatly reduced inside the flush-interior drill rods. After the screen and casing are inserted, the drill rods are retracted, leaving the well materials in place.

The method has been extensively tested on several blind wells at an Air Force base in Southern California, where multiple blind wells in excess of 1000 feet in length were installed beneath aircraft runways. The drilling was difficult, but all wells were completed as designed. Without the new technology, it is doubtful any of the wells could have been completed without multiple reaming passes and additional effort.

Several patents have been applied for on this drilling method and the supporting technology. The drilling method is available now for use on sites requiring an innovative way to assure blind well installation. Call Dan or Jason at 800-239-5950 for more details.

During 2010 DTD completed two projects requiring horizontal dewatering wells. Both projects were designed to lower the water table for excavation purposes. One project dewatered for a source-removal excavation at an Air Force Base,  while the other dewatered contaminated groundwater prior to a construction excavation.

The first project included a series of six horizontal wells set beneath an area targeted for the subgrade construction of a commuter train terminal. The terminal required excavation to almost 40 feet below grade in an area where the water surface was approximately 20 feet below grade. Traditional dewatering from within the excavation was not an option because the groundwater was contaminated from a nearby service station.

The six  ~300 ft horizontal wells were fanned out beneath the terminal area at a depth of approximately 50 feet bgs and passing beneath a busy commuter highway near Washington DC.  The wells operated for approximately 16 months removing approximately  10,000,000 gallons of water and lowering groundwater almost 25 feet. The excavation contractors unfamiliar with the dewatering going on beneath there feet commented on how dry the excavation was!

The second project dewatered a 66 acre area and allowed excavation of a pit 40 feet deep for the removal of contaminated soils at an Air Force Base.  The pit was dewatered with two ~1,100 ft long horizontal wells set just below the bottom of the excavation.  These wells have removed approximately 16,000,000 gallons of groundwater and lowered the groundwater by tens of feet a a distance of several hundred feet.  All this in just 9 months of operation.

Excavation with red line showing position of one horizontal wells

Both projects have exceeded their dewatering design expectations, pulling more water and expressing a larger than expected radius of influence.

For more information on using horizontal wells for dewatering, please contact dan AT horizontaldrill.com.

In June 2011, DTD completed the installation of three blind horizontal wells for use in soil vapor extraction (SVE). The former industrial facility is now being used by a church, complete with offices, classrooms, and both small and large areas for worship services.  Fugitive emissions from TCE contamination (stemming from the sites former industrial practices) were migrating into the church through the slab foundation.

Locating in Chapel

In 2007, DTD installed six SVE horizontal wells to address problems associated with the church building.  In recent investigations the contamination was also found beneath the church parking lot, so additional wells were specified.

The recent installation included  an additional three blind horizontal SVE wells. All nine of the wells were approximately 250 feet long, and installed beneath the church or the adjacent parking area. Minimal disturbance was, of course, a must. All activities within the church continued without pause. See the picture above showing the locating of the drill bit as it passes beneath an offset room of worship.

The wells installed in 2007 continue to function as designed, preventing the migration of fugitive emissions into the church. The new wells are being connected to the existing SVE system and will be brought on line in the immediate future.

Directed Technologies Drilling (DTD) will have a booth showcasing the use and design of horizontal wells for environmental remediation at Battelle’s Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies Symposium (http://battelle.org/Conferences/bioremediation/exhibits.aspx). The conference is in Reno, Nevada, and runs from Monday June 27 through Thursday June 30th. Stop by and visit us!

In 2010 Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc. (DTD) installed horizontal remediation wells beneath county offices in Sante Fe, New Mexico. The project garnered design engineer Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. (DBS&A) an Engineering Excellence Award (EEA) from the American Council of Engineering Companies New Mexico (ACED NM).  The award is for State Lead Remediation Services performed at the Santa Fe County Judicial Complex (SFCJC) in historic, downtown Santa Fe. Awarded annually, ACEC NM EEA’s recognize engineering firms for project that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value, and ingenuity.  Projects are rated on the basis of:  uniqueness and originality; future value to the engineering profession and perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs.*

Judicial Complex with rig and mud system visible at base of retaining wall

As a part of the project, DTD installed three horizontal wells beneath existing structures.  The drilling site geology and logistics were challenging. The wells were drilled from a 30’ deep excavation located, with the bores trending beneath adjacent occupied office buildings and exiting in a neighboring parking lot. The building and infrastructure at the surface created massive interference, greatly complicating the borehole navigation. Navigation was further complicated by the difficult drilling conditions as soils unexpectedly included sand, gravel and boulders, making it difficult to steer. Although the original well design called for blind installations, it quickly became clear that this would be impossible due to the ground conditions. The installations were completed as doubled-ended wells.

Drill rig at base of retaining wall

Key features of the treatment systems included two horizontal soil vapor extraction wells and one horizontal hot-air injection well capable of delivering 400-degree-Fahrenheit air to the subsurface for thermally enhanced volatilization of contaminants.  Since the plume extends beyond the site, the state of New Mexico will continue to operate two soil vapor extraction systems on adjoining properties. As of April 2011, more than 16,000 gallons of gasoline have been removed and treated by the systems designed by DBS&A.

For additional information on the Sante Fe project, contact Jim Doesburg:  jim@horizontaldrill.com

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*Blair, S., Engineering News Record.  March 2011.  McGraw-Hill, New York.