Recommendation – Education – Networking
Task Groups
Important topics concerning the HDD industry are dealt with in the association in task groups set up especially for this purpose. The members of the task groups are primarily from the European DCA member companies. Depending on the task, external people are also invited to the meetings.
Past topics have included:
- HDD and subsoil
- Bending radii in HDD
- Shaping Recommendation of Technical and Legal Contract Conditions
- Modal bill of quantities for HDD measures
- VOB – DIN 18324
- Safety on construction sites
- Tolerances for the execution of horizontal drilling works
- Disposal of cuttings and drilling mud from horizontal directional drillings
The results of the above-mentioned work have primarily been incorporated into the “DCA Technical Guidelines – Information and Recommendations for Planning, Construction and Documentation of HDD Projects”.
Since 2019, the DCA has also published the results of the task groups in German and English under the series “DCA Technical Information”. These are available to external parties via an order form. For members, the receipt of the Technical Information is included in the membership fee.
The task groups established by resolution of the members’ meeting rely primarily on the cooperation and expertise of DCA member companies.
Are you interested in joining a task group?
Current task groups
! Status: completed Note: The following descriptions in the task group refer to the national German legal area. The task group has not yet worked on international transferability, but this is planned.
In its decree of 14 July 2015 (supplemented on 29 August 2016) the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection (NMU) expressly clarified with regard to the topic of “disposal of drill cuttings and drilling fluid from horizontal boreholes” that drill cuttings and drilling mud are wastes subject to the „Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz“.
Other federal states, such as Baden-Württemberg, have meanwhile followed this interpretation. Drill cuttings and drilling mud are hence to be recovered and disposed properly and safely as mineral waste. According to the current legal interpretation, the recycling of drill cuttings and drilling mud from horizontal directional drillings on agricultural land, on agricultural land,as is done in many places and projects, is only possible under certain conditions (the decree from Baden-Württemberg even categorically excludes this).
It should be noted that the Lower Saxony decree does not cite any new legal bases, but only reiterates and clarifies the current legal situation…
A summary of the results of the task group is available in the members’ area.
Interested in the final report?
The final report of Task Group 1 was published in November 2019 as DCA Technical Information No. 4. The publication is free of charge for members. External interested parties can order the information for a fee.
! Status: completed Note: The following descriptions in the task group refer to the national German legal area. The task group has not yet worked on international transferability, but this is planned.
Task group 2 “Coating quality” was set up due to recurring discussions on the detection of coating defects in steel pipes after insertion into a horizontal bore hole.
Technical management
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Marc Schnau, x-plan schnau engineering, DCA-board member
Contact: mail@x-plan-schnau.de
Objectives:
The task group will first analyse the current situation with regard to the coating materials used in connection with HDD technology, test methods and related regulations.
Furthermore, measures/recommendations for action were developed which, on the one hand, ensure the quality of the casings in the sense of the client and, on the other hand, help the horizontal drilling companies to identify and point out sources of error and risks before taking over the pipe string (often provided by the client or third parties).
Members of the task group:
- Stephan Birtner, Westnetz GmbH
- Francois Gandard, Optimum
- Hans-Jürgen Kocks, Mannesmann Line Pipe GmbH
- Dr. Thomas Löffler, DENSO GmbH
- Wolf Schrader, TDC International AG
- Jorn Stoelinga, LMR Drilling GmbH
- Stefan Wittke, TDC International AG
- Marco Warkotz-Gruber, BKP Berolina Polyester GmbH & Co. KG
- Klaus-Dieter Buhr, STEFFEL KKS GmbH
Interested in the final report?
The final report of Working Group 2 was published as DCA Technical Information No. 6 in March 2023. The publication is free of charge for members and is now available for download in the members area. External interested parties can order the information for a fee.
Note: The publication is expected to be available in early May.
In 2015, the Association published the 4th edition of the DCA Technical Guidelines entitled “Information and Recommendations for Planning, Construction and Documentation of HDD Projects”. In the course of the regular review of the contents by the Board, there is a need for adaptation in various areas. This will be implemented within the framework of Task Group 3 “Revision of the Technical Guidelines”.
Technical management
Dipl.-Ing. Ernst Fengler, LMR Drilling GmbH
Contact: fengler@lmr-drilling.de
Objectives:
Revision of the current edition of the Technical Guidelines and publication of the 5th edition. Incorporation of the updates into the English and French versions.
Members of the task group:
- Phillip Dick, Moll prd
- Edgar Mrotzek, Bohlen & Doyen GmbH
- Marco Reinhard, Leonhard Weiss GmbH & Co. KG
- Marc Schnau, x-plan schnau engineering
- Scott Stone, Michels Corp.
- Jorn Stoelinga, LMR Drilling GmbH
- Roland Stutzki, Hamburger Stadtentwässerung
Current status of the task group?
Find out in the members’ area.
At its last meeting, the DCA Board decided to relaunch the currently Task Group 4 “Digitisation” in the second half of 2021 under the title “Data Collection & Logging”. During the pandemic period the progress with this task group was slower than anticipated and during this period, the DCA took a further review of what should be the goals of this task group. This task group will now be reformed and lead by Scott Stone under the new name “Data Acquisition and Logging” focusing on giving greater clarity on what drilling data should be acquired from equipment including guidelines on frequency and parameters of the logged information and how it can be analysed to further increase drilling productivity.
Technical management
Scott Stone, Michels Corp., USA, Board Member DCA
Kontakt: sstone@michels.us
Objectives:
Aim of the TG will be to come to an agreed set of data that provides the information relevant to the drilling process, to all parties involved, in a structured overview. The members of the previous working group will be contacted shortly to agree on how to proceed.
Members of the task group:
- Jörg Himmerich, Dr.-Ing. Veenker Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
- Simon Herrenknecht, Herrenknecht AG
- Jordi Camps Querol, Catalana de Perforacions
- Scott Stone, Michels Corp.
- Norbert Landesberger, Sachverständigenbüro Landesberger
- Brian Jorgensen, Ditch Witch-EMEA
- Renzo Chirulli, Vermeer
- Ian Acheilas, Visser & Smit Hanab
- Simon Kench, Prime Horizontal
- Raymond Petiet, Vermeer
The members of the previous working group will be contacted shortly to agree on how to proceed.
Are you interested in joining the task group?
At the beginning of 2022, initial talks took place between the DCA and the German Society for Trenchless Technology e.V. (GSTT) on the establishment of a joint task group “Subsoil”. The aim of the working group is to develop a “guidebook for the use of trenchless construction methods in different foundation soils”. The very special and complex topic in the HDD area has already been discussed several times in the past by the DCA in its Technical Guidelines, in workshops or e.g. in the course of the Members’ Forum and is now to be discussed in greater depth once again in cooperation with the GSTT.
Technical management
Dipl. -Ing.(FH) Philipp Dick, MOLL-prd GmbH & Co. KG
Contact: pdick@moll-prd.com
The focus should be on the following points:
- Description and classification of the subsoil into soil and rock classes for trenchless methods or determination of classification criteria for homogeneous areas.
- Allocation of all trenchless construction methods (new installation and renewal) to the different soil and rock classes
- Orientation and linkage with national and international regulations / standards
- Subsoil investigation and subsoil expertise: What are the options?
- Creation of a generally valid simplified possibility of a subsoil opinion with reduced effort compared to a complete expert opinion (definition of boundary conditions, application limits, …)
- Creation of the guidebook also as an online / APP feature (selection option for client and planner)
It is planned to provide the “Guidebook” also as an online/APP feature (selection option for clients and planners). It is to be published initially in German and later in English.
Primarily subsoil experts, planners and clients, but also interested employees of HDD drilling companies were invited to participate in the working group. Five members of the DCA have come forward by the end of October 2022 to actively participate in the processing In addition, Günter Kruse, formerly LMR Drilling GmbH, has signaled his cooperation. On the part of GSTT, too, two member companies have already expressed interest. The working group leader is then elected from the members of the task group.
The following members will represent the interests of DCA in the working group:
- Dr. Christoph Donié, Dr. Donié Geo-Consult GmbH
- Günter Kruse, ehemals LMR Drilling GmbH
- Dan Lingenauber, TRACTO-TECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG
- Jonas Schmidt, Open Grid Europe GmbH
- Sebastian Schwarzer, Perforator
- Frederik Müller, Ingsoft
The first task group meeting is expected to be held in early 2023.
Are you interested in joining the task group?