Michels completes a record setting horizontal directional drilling under the Houston Ship Channel.

Houston Ship Channel

LocationBaytown, Texas to LaPorte ,Texas
Timeline2015
Construction
MethodsHorizontal Directional Drilling

Scope

Michels completed a record setting horizontal directional drilling (HDD) reaming and pullback installation of an 18-inch diameter steel gas pipeline for an unbelievable milestone of 12,459 feet under the expansive Houston Ship Channel. Michels completed an intricate pilot-hole intersect operation while navigating the downhole steering tools and drill strings along a narrow right-of-way. The HDD alignment traversed through a mix of soils ranging from sand, silts, marine sediment and with a large percentage of the formation being swelling clay, which ranged from loose to dense to very dense. The pipe string weighed 93.5 pounds per foot for a total steel pipe pullback weight of more than 1.16 million pounds.