Engineering
Our philosophy is that ‘there's no such thing as can't'. As such, our dedicated and experienced in-house engineering department is vital to us. Our engineers can design every possible solution for your trenchless project, in any circumstances. Our engineers are also capable of taking HDD to the next level as you can see at Pipe Pusher and BioGrout.
Trenchless Techniques
Depending on the technique chosen, the diameter of the tube or pipe can range from 40-3,000 mm. The lengths range from 10 mm to over 2,000 m. We have all the different drilling techniques available in-house to make any drilling project possible. We can work with any type of material, be it steel, concrete, fibreglass, HPE (hard polyethylene) or cast iron.
Naturally, any type of internal or external coating is possible. The choice of material differs according to the technique. For example, HDD is particularly suited for HPE, steel, cast iron, fibreglass and for laying drains and cables.
Trenchless Knowledge
Thanks to our comprehensive knowledge of geology, soil mechanics, type of materials, engineering and implementation, we are able to select the correct drilling method and to apply this successfully in any surface, be it marshland, rock or gravel.
Furthermore, the rigs we have available for HDD range from a 4-tonne rig to a 450-tonne rig and everything in between. We also have our own rock reamers, fly cutters, barrel reamers, pipe rollers, pipe pushers, pipe thrusters, swivels, winches and other necessary equipment.
Pipe Pusher
A pipe pusher is a pipeline pressure device with endless conveyor belts that can be used during a horizontal directional drilling process. A pipe pusher is used instead of a pipe thruster that has to be repeatedly regripped.
BioGrout
BioGrout ensures that a cementation process is achieved in the gravel layer. By using BioGrout, Visser & Smit Hanab is able to create a stable borehole in loose gravel for hdd drillings with a large diameter (60-70"). By injecting a bacteria-containing liquid, lime crystals arise which cement the sand and gravel grains together. This cementation is a natural process that normally takes hundreds of years.
By injecting the appropriate bacteria, this process can be accelerated so it only takes a couple of days to complete the cementation process. The bacteria can be injected under low pressure in order to achieve a long distance of injected gravel.
Click HERE for an animation that shows how the BioGrout method works.