Any way you looked at it, installing 140 lineal feet of 6" casing, (to house fuel lines and a fuel-line monitoring system for the HVAC system) on Liberty Island in New York, was going to present unique challenges.
First, there were the visitors to consider. Equipment ferried from the mainland, could only be off-loaded after the visitors to the island had left for the day. And trenching in front of the Statue of Liberty was out of the question.
The Department of Horticulture under the U.S. Department of the Interior, voiced its concerns about the substantial horticultural growth on the island, fearing root damage would kill its plants and trees.
Then, the Department of the Interior weighed in with archeological concerns. The island had once been a reservation for Native Americans, and it was critical that potential artifacts not be disrupted.
But all the fears were put to rest, as work on the project began.
Peter Kenny, president of New York Trenchless, oversaw the job. "We were contracted by Prestige Environmental to use horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to lay 140 feet of pipe," said Kenny.
"Once we began, and the Department of the Interior people saw what we could do, it changed the entire
complexion of the job. They'd never seen this method being used. Before we knew it, 100 feet became 160 feet
and 40 feet became 450 feet. They wanted us to lay more casing once they saw that there was virtually no surface disruption.
|
|
The concern about disturbing the visitors disappeared they were not affected at all. The federal horticulturists were very pleased with this method of installation. There was no damage to any of the plants or trees. And the archaeologists were so pleased, they have even asked us to make a presentation to the New York Landmark Preservation Committee."
In addition, the job required the use of two types of equipment: a Vermeer directional drill and a VAC-TRON Equipment PMD 800GT.
"It wasn't just one piece of equipment which made this work. One supported the other." The VAC-TRON
was used to vacuum the slurry which was used in the process. "I can't imagine another method of
excavation," said Kenny. "It was as important a part of the job as the directional drill was."
"VAC-TRONs have more than 50 WET and DRY uses, including removing drilling mud, preventing frac outs,
and pulling a dart, mouse or pig through conduits to install utilities," said VAC-TRON President Don Buckner.
"They are also used by utility companies and municipalities to locate utility lines by vacuum. They can even be used to install street signs and lights without fear of damaging underground utilities."
Kenny will soon be working on a lighting job for the state of New York, on the south shore of Long Island, where the water table is sometimes only 18". He will use a VAC-TRON and its attachments to form a casing to hold the water back while suctioning the holes. "There would be no other way to do the job," said Kenny.
VAC-TRON has more than 25 trailer or skid-mounted models ranging in size from 300 - 1000 gallon, and are available in gas, diesel and super diesel models. They feature large, lightweight, suction hoses, a variety of attachments, high-pressure water system, quick-open rear door that can be opened and closed in 15 seconds, and a six-inch rear dump valve for quick liquid discharge. 1-888-VAC-TRON or www.vactron.com for more information or a free demonstration.
Back |
