Aughwick Creek Direct Pipe
- LocationMount Union, Pennsylvania
- TimelineMay - June 2020
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Construction
MethodsDirect PipeĀ®
Scope
Michels completed the 790 foot installation of a 42-inch steel pipeline for the Mariner East II project utilizing the Direct Pipe method. Direct Pipe combines a pipe thruster and tunneling machine, allowing a borehole to be created and pre-fabricated pipeline inserted in one continuous step.
The pipeline served as a conduit for a 16-inch product pipeline. The exit location of the pipe was in a 40-foot deep pit that allowed for machine retrieval and final tie-ins. Throughout the installation, crews experienced changing geological conditions from soft sandy clays to hard limestone and sand stone layers.
The project was performed in a rural environment with hills on both sides of the installation, which created geometry challenges during the design phase. The solution involved a trench at the entry to accommodate the pipe string, as well as a deep shaft at the exit location.