Since when humans leaped to modernize the infrastructure, underground drilling has become an essential part of it. The technique is extensively used in building skyscrapers, constructing roads and bridges for transportation, drilling oil and gas wells for energy supply, and laying cables and optical fibers for telecommunication.
The state of the art technology used in underground drilling enables civil engineers to perform time-effective research and plan construction projects. It is now possible to pipeline oil and gas over long distances and create conduits to route electrical wires efficiently with ultramodern underground rigs & bolters. In this article, you will get to learn 3 things about underground drilling.
Environmental Sustainability
The biggest challenge with any civil engineering technology is basing it on an approach that is environment friendly. Since most of the drilling is performed near lakes, rivers, or wetlands, it was always suspected of damaging the natural resources. The underground drilling operations involve taking out soil and rock samples from beneath the earth for geological analysis and research.
In doing so, there is a high possibility of soil erosion or rock debris polluting the water and creating an imbalance of nature. But modern drilling equipment and machinery ensure minimum environmental impact and maximum output. Thus, it reduces disruption to the environment and leads to achieving sustainability.
Operating Cost
Underground drilling activities are planned and performed on a large scale, which adds to huge operating expenditure. Every step entails costs for a construction firm, from setting up giant machinery like underground rigs & bolters to employing hundreds of labors to operate them and complete the tasks. With that said, it becomes difficult to quantify the actual operating cost because of the intricacies associated with the geotechnical technique.
In addition to extracting underground rock and concrete samples, the cost can fluctuate due to many other stages, such as testing the samples. In a nutshell, factors influencing the underground drilling cost include machinery and equipment, size of the rig, soil and rock types, operating crew, weather, pipeline specifications.
Industrial Safety
Drilling is considered hazardous for it brings in monstrous machinery directed at digging into unseen places under the earth. However, technological advancements and industrial safety standards coupled with professional training of drilling personnel regarding the handling of drilling equipment and safety protocols ensure safe underground drilling.
It will not be wrong to say that underground drilling plays a crucial role in elevating a nation’s face and economy considering its broader application. Moreover, underground drilling helps create many well-paying employment opportunities across the globe. Since a modern world without underground drilling is impossible to envision, it is imperative to know a few things about the technique to develop the understanding.