What is Micro Tunnelling?

Micro Tunnelling (M/T) is a process that uses a remotely controlled Micro

Tunnel Boring Machine (MTBM) combined with the pipe jacking technique to
directly install product pipelines underground in a single pass. This process
avoids the need to have long stretches of an open trench for pipe laying,
which causes extreme disruption to the community.

Important Features of Micro Tunnelling

Micro tunnelling is currently the most accurate pipeline installation method. Line
and grade tolerances of one inch are the micro tunnelling industry standard. This can
be extremely important when trying to install a new pipeline in an area where a maze
of underground utility lines already exists.

Micro tunnelling can be used to install pipes from eight inches (200 mm) to twelve
feet (3600 mm) in diameter. Therefore, the definition of micro tunnelling does not
necessarily include size. The importance of trenchless pipe jacking for the laying of
supply and disposal conduits and for replacing pipes is growing continuously.

Importance of Micro Tunnelling in the Oil Industry

Increasingly, the existing technologies are failing to install new pipelines in
demanding oil fields and rough terrains. This happens due to:

 High groundwater
 Difficult ground condition. (E.g. Mountains – situated nearby many oil fields, rocky
ground, perennial rivers, etc.)
 Ground with Mixed Gravel
While drilling in gravel with the present HDD technique, the chances of ground
collapse are high. So, in this case, no drilling is possible through HDD.

Solution for all the above-mentioned problems – MICRO-TUNNELING

Advantages of Micro Tunnelling

 Reduced disruption of the community
 Reduced liability for personal injury and property damage

 Increased service life and asset value for the utility owner
Increased worker safety
 Reduced restoration costs
 Precise installation
 Wet Conditions/Marine Crossings: often the only option
 The faster rate of progress than the convention
 A reduction of earth movement to a minimum
 Consideration of residents and the environment
 Lowering of groundwater is unnecessary
 Minimal influence on traffic

Wherever horizontal directed drilling technology (HDD) cannot be used:

 for difficult and rough gravel soils,

 soils with erratic blocks,
 in city centers,
 where there is no space to extend and retract,
Micro tunnelling methods are a true alternative.

Shaft/Well Construction
Construction of a Shaft / Well is one of the primary jobs for carryout Micro
Tunnelling.

Purpose: To get a safe working platform under the desired depth.

Bottom Plugging
Plug the bottom of the shaft with Reinforced Cement Concrete using a concrete box
with the help of divers and a crane. Additives are used to prevent the cement from
dissolving in water and increase the plasticity of the concrete for achieving a better
flow of concrete into the cutting edge.

After successful bottom plugging the shaft is ready for Micro Tunnelling work.
Fig. 1: Examples of Micro-Tunnelling Equipment
Micro Tunnelling Method (Fig. 2)
Micro tunnelling is a high-performance and environmentally friendly alternative
to pipeline construction with trenches; it can also be used in the most demanding of
circumstances: groundwater and difficult geologies are no problem for micro
tunnelling, and it has proven to be a very good method of avoiding obstructions in
city centers.

Fig. 2: Schematic Representation of Micro-Tunnelling Method

The cutter head (1) removes with its tools – cutters, knives, chisels, or discs – the
surrounding soil. This is taken to the crusher chamber (2). This is where any stones
are crushed (3). Water is initially pumped into the crusher chamber in a closed
circuit, mixed with the soil there, and then pumped back out of the drill hole.
The separating system then separates the water from the soil. The soil is disposed of
and the water is pumped back into the crusher chamber. The pipe is pushed into the
soil using the hydraulic cylinders in the jacking frame. A laser beam dictates the
location of the pipe axis. The target board (4) reports the position of the laser point to
the machine operator in the control container. Hydraulic cylinders (12) mean that the
cutter head can be angled, thus correcting the position. The operator controls the
entire system from the control container.
Pipe Jacking Method
Pipe Jacking is a method of Tunnel Construction where hydraulic Jacks are used to
push especially made pipes through the ground behind a tunnel boring machine or
shield. The method provides a flexible, structural, watertight finished pipeline as the
tunnel is excavated.

Pipe jacking utilizes a jacking device to push pipe horizontally into the ground,
forming a continuous string of pipe. Material is excavated as the pipe is pushed in. A
thrust wall is constructed to provide a reaction against the jack. High-pressure jacks
provide the substantial forces required for jacking concrete pipes
Pipe jacking is an economical alternative to and much less disruptive than using
open-cut construction to install new underground pipes. Because it is performed with
a closed system, pipe jacking decreases the risk of environmental contamination
during construction.

Fig. 3: Jacking Frame and Inter-jack

The jacking frame is the main device that plays a vital role in Pipe jacking. The pipe
is pushed into the soil using the hydraulic cylinders in the jacking frame.
Inter jack (Fig. 3)
An inter-jack station is a ring of hydraulic jacks within a steel framework that is
inserted into the pipe string at strategic points. Each inter jack divides the pipe string
into more manageable jacking lengths. Each length, whether between jacking frame
and inter jack, inter jack and inter jack, or inter jack and face, can be advanced
individually and independently from the rest of the pipe string. It is the equivalent of
having several smaller pipe jacks in operation at the same time in one bore, with
each inter jack using the pipe length behind it as its thrust wall.

The use of inter jack reduces the potential for pipe failures since the maximum force
on any individual ‘sub-string’ depends on the number of pipe sections plus the
friction factor over that length of pipe. Each inter jack is controlled independently
from the operator’s station and can, where necessary, be individually lubricated with
the correct control and lubrication pump set-up.

ELS (Electronic Laser System) Control system for pipe

jacking
In order to recognize the position of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) (horizontal
and vertical deviations, the pitch and roll tendency of the machine, and the yaw
angle) suitable sensor technology is necessary to guide a TBM. ELS is an intelligent
sensor unit with a sturdy metal case. The device is roughly the size of a shoebox and
is watertight up to 5 meters submersion. It is dry-filled with an inert gas under slight
pressure. The ELS is installed on the back of the tunnelling machine so that the
guidance laser makes contact with the target. The device is connected via a cable
that supplies the power and transmits the measurement results.

Bentonite / Micro tunnel Lubrication Units

Designed primarily for the mixing and pumping of Bentonite and Polymers used as
lubricants for Micro tunnel and Pipe-jack construction, the Concrete Eurodrill range
of Microtunne Lubrication Units (MLUs) offer complete systems including mixers,
storage tanks, and injection pumps to meet a variety of requirements. They all
incorporate the well-proven Colcrete Colloidal Mixer, which produces a very stable
product, which resists water separation and retains its lubrication properties for
longer when injected. A variety of pumps can be fitted, usually based on well-proven
grout pumps such as the Mocol and Minicol ranges.

JACKING PIPES
Micro tunnelling techniques require the jacking of a pipe into the ground using often
high jacking forces, the correct choice of pipe with the ability to withstand the
required jacking forces during installation and the right properties in terms of final
product performance is as important as choosing the right machine to install it in the
first place.

A wide range of pipe materials is available for installation using pipe-jacking and
micro tunnelling techniques, the choice depending on the requirements of the client,
the ground conditions, transportation costs, and the length of the pipeline. Materials
including reinforced and un-reinforced concrete, polymer concrete (concrete
aggregate within a matrix of resin), glass fiber/resin-based pipes, vitrified clayware
(both glazed and unglazed), steel, ductile iron, and also plastics are available as
jacking pipe. In the majority of cases, the pipe material is either concrete or
clayware, manufactured for pipe jacking to strict standards.

Separation Plant
The separating system separates the water from the soil. The soil is disposed of and
the water is pumped back into the crusher chamber.

Different soil conditions – Different M/T Machine

Rocks: Modern technology offers new, uncomplicated options even when drilling
through rocks with high degrees of hardness. In places that previously required
detonation or mortise work, micro tunnelling is now seen as a reliable alternative.

Stones and erratic blocks: Innovative technology creates new options: The use of
mixed drill heads, which are fitted with knives and cutters for cohesive soils, as well
as chisels and discs that can crush erratic blocks or rock layers, means that even the
most difficult of soils can be drilled.

Flowing soils: Soil-aligned apertures in the cutter head mean that the soil
excavation can be adjusted to suit the mass required by the pipe displacement.

Special Areas of Use: You can reap the rewards of micro tunnelling, especially in
demanding areas: no river is too broad, and no water is too deep.

River Crossings: River tunnels with excavations are largely a thing of the past.
Even the broadest currents can be crossed safely using micro tunnelling.
Fig. 4: Overview of Construction Site