If a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) locating system is more than five years old, it may be time for an upgrade. Sure, the current setup may still get the job done, but today’s locating systems are breaking new ground (pardon the pun). Here are some recent developments that have increased the locating equipment’s capabilities—that in turn increase a job’s production.
More accuracy at greater depths
Transmitter reception accuracy will always be impacted by the constraints of the shape of the signal itself. Because a transmitter’s radio signal rises to the ground surface in the shape of a cone, the width of the cone gets smaller the closer it is to the bit. This means that there will be a wider window of error when locating where the team thinks the bit is. If the equipment is 20 feet deep, an operator might be able to pick up the signal of the transmitter up to a foot of accuracy on either side—a 2-foot-wide window in total. At 40 feet, it becomes a 4-foot window. At a mere 5 feet down, it is within a couple of inches. Stronger signals and more advanced antennas mean that the conical signal is now tighter than it ever has been. A less extreme expanse results in a much more accurate sense of the location of the bit at any point.
More interference is filtered out
Modern infrastructure means that more and more utilities compete for space—underground and overhead. Along with other interference-causing factors like wire fences, rebar and mesh in sidewalks and streets, transmitters and receivers must work hard to filter out interference that compromises signal strength on HDD equipment. Today’s technology uses a lower signal frequency to circumvent this issue by transmuting and receiving at Sub-k frequencies (less than 1kHz) to mitigate the problem of passive interference along the bore path.
GPS tools
GPS location has finally been integrated into locating systems—not to help locate a drill bit, but to help get a more accurate sense of the bore path before and during drilling. This feature can be used to overlay the location on the bore, pinpointing each spot and its depth. In addition to being useful, many utility companies now require that the contractor makes these readings available as part of the project’s final delivery. Not being able to provide these stats might cost a bidding contractor the job. (GPS integration also means that a contractor won’t have to sub-contract a costly third-party locating service.)
Longer battery life
Just like with all electronics, location equipment usability is closely tied to battery life. Advancements in battery life and the amount of battery power required by the transmitter enable an HDD contractor to put more hours on the transmitter before needing to change the battery. Previously, longer bores meant that the batteries might drain mid-way through and the driller would need to pull the HDD equipment out of the ground to replace the batteries before continuing. Now there is a much longer interval to keep moving forward.
Shelling out for a new locating device can be costly but holding onto an aging system anchors an HDD driller in the past. An investment in today’s systems will propel all HDD jobs and drillers into the future. Today’s locators also keep a system “newer” longer. Remote software and firmware updates enable the newest features and capabilities without having to upgrade the system entirely. With all this in mind, it’s critical for drillers to take another look at a locating system and consider taking the leap with new locating equipment.
