Horizontal directional drilling application in the branch pipeline of YC 131 trunkline

Author of the article:WANG Meng, SUN Guomin

Author's Workplace：Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd., Tianjin, 300451, China

Key Words：Horizontal directional drilling; Subsea pipeline; Near-shore

Abstract：The pipeline integrity of pipelines installed by horizontal directional drilling (HDD) shall be assured during design and installation as in-situ repair of any damage on that section is not possible. Correct design and installation of this crossing design shall take into account formation stability, selection of appropriate drilling route, load control during pull-back and other relevant factors. The installation of shore approach section of Gaolan branch pipeline of Yacheng 13-1 trunkline adopted land-to-sea horizontal directional drilling approach. Land-to-sea drilling plan, pipeline crossing routing design, calculation of pull-back force, pipe laying barge positioning, on-bottom stability and free span of pipeline after exit point are the key issues for assurance of the pipeline integrity. Finally, the pipeline integrity is verified through qualitative and computational analysis on the key issues above. The presentation in this paper can provide reference for other projects of the same nature.