GDI JULY/AUGUST 2009
Projects
Pennsylvania probes gas leak
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a methane leak that may have bubbled into two streams near a natural gas drilling site in Lycoming County. Full story...Lankelma cone-penetration tests at Great Yarmouth
Lankelma recently carried out cone-penetration testing at the outer harbour in Great Yarmouth, UK, which is currently under construction by a Van Oord/BAM Nuttall joint venture. Full story...Second Tyne Tunnel on its way
The £38 million diaphragm-walling package for the tunnel portals of the Second Tyne Tunnel is nearing completion thanks to leading geotechnical specialist Bachy Soletanche. Full story...Sierra gains 'no significant impact' ruling
Sierra Geothermal Power Corp (SGP) has received an environmental-assessment decision with a finding of no significant impact from the US Bureau of Land Management for its Alum geothermal-power project in Nevada. Full story...Boart sheds some African ops
Boart Longyear has sold some of its sub-Saharan African operations to Tranter Energy and Mining Services (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Tranter Holdings. Full story...Archer JV joins Trevi for Louisiana levee works
Archer Western/Alberici JV, in alliance with Trevi Icos, has been awarded an ‘early contractor involvement’ contract for pre-construction services and construction options for levee improvements to the New Orleans East Back Levee, Reach LPV 111, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, US. Full story...Hydrock wins nuclear power station contract
UK-based Hydrock has been awarded the preliminary ground investigation contract by E.ON for a proposed nuclear power station at Oldbury, Gloucestershire. Full story...Awards announced for GeoDrilling 2010
At GeoDrilling 2010, industry awards will be launched for the first time. The event will be held once again at the East of England Showground in Peterborough on April 13-14. Full story...University Geo Heating
Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, is drilling wells to create geothermal energy to heat and cool about 50 buildings. Nearly 4,000 wells will be dug of 5in in diameter and 400ft deep. Full story...Soilmec opens in Brazil
Soilmec’s latest branch in Brazil has been created with a headquarters in San Paolo. At the new plant, Soilmec Brazil will manufacture the most common rigs for the local market. Full story...Grouted 22m piles secure base for new 60m mast
A 60m wind monitoring mast was recently erected at Ferrybridge, Doncaster, by specialist tower erection company, FLI Structures. To ensure that the mast was secured at its base, Albion Drilling undertook the installation of 22m long grouted piles to which main contractor FLI could then bolt its steel interface frame. Full story...Over 1Mt of rock blasted in road improvement scheme
Albion Drilling Group recently completed the blasting of over 330,000m3 of rock, 10,000m2 of pre-split and 2,750m of stitch drilling during phase two of the A1/N1 Newry Bypass road improvement scheme. Full story...Summerland rises again
The Summerland Kempinski Hotel and Resort is being built at the location of the original Summerland Hotel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon. Full story...Cirrus Energi formed
Cirrus Energi has been formed as a subsidiary of UK ground-source heat-pump supplier and installer Geothermal International. Full story...Major Q4 results down
Major Drilling has reported results for its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, ended April 30. Full story...DNV reaches milestone
DNV says a new milestone has been reached in offshore drilling with the first circular rig prepared for drilling at a water depth of almost 4,200m named at Cosco Shipyard Group’s Qidong Shipyard in Shanghai on June 28. Full story...ICE work for Lankelma
Lankelma is sponsoring and collaborating with Adrian McCallum, a former colonel in the Australian Navy and now a PhD student at Cambridge University’s Scott Polar Research Institute. Full story...Casagrande buys up HD Engineering
HD Engineering, the last remaining non-core business in the Charter group of companies, has been sold to Italy’s Casagrande. Full story...Tunnel to save Thames takes first step
The Thames Tunnel, a 20-mile sewer dug deep beneath London to significantly reduce the level of sewage entering the river, has moved a step closer to becoming a reality. Full story...Equipment
Doosan ships huge IR compressor fleet to Africa, S America
Doosan Infracore Portable Power has supplied a multi-million-pound fleet of new Ingersoll Rand Rigsafe portable air compressors to Airpac Bukom Oilfield Services, the oil and gas division of equipment rental group Vp plc. Full story...New AlertAlarm sounder hits right tone for industry
The latest addition to the E2S AlertAlarm Series of high-performance electronic sounders is the A131. With a sound output of up to 131dB, the units are designed for use in industrial, construction, factory complexes, civil engineering sites and quarries. Full story...Stuart Well staff report NVQ course progress
All warehouse staff at onshore drilling materials supplier Stuart Well Services, based in Norfolk, UK, are halfway through completing their warehousing National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). Full story...Kansas Geological Survey makes good use of S-27 sonic rig
US exploration Equipment Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, US recently delivered an S-27 Compact-Roto-Sonic (CRS) rig to the University of Kansas and the Kansas Geological Survey in Lawrence. Full story...Micronor fields latest encoder
Micronor’s MR318 fibre-optic rotary encoder is designed specifically for use as feedback in motion control systems operating in extreme electromagnetic fields. Full story...Hydraulic pumps’ tests
Hydraulic Pumps (UK) Ltd has a new test-rig facility, so it can test pumps and motors at speeds variable from 700-2,300rpm with fluid flows to 650 litres/min and pressures to 420 bar. Full story...Trolex touts low-price limit switch
Trolex has launched a new version of its Flexiprobe multi-purpose limit switch which has applications in the mining, coal and quarry industries. Full story...MMP-X anode a ‘quick fit’
Designed to overcome the obstacles of installing cathodic protection (CP) systems in wet, marshy grounds, Matcor’s MMP-X Direct Drive Anode is a pre-packaged mixed metal oxide (MMO) anode design that reduces installation time and materials. Full story...UXB guide coming soon
The Construction Industry Research and Information Association is to publish guidance in October on remediating unexploded ordnance (UXO). Full story...Autodesk finance deal
Autodesk is offering 0% finance – and nothing to pay for five months – for a limited period, to help firms in the UK buy new Autodesk design software or upgrades. The offer is in partnership with Syscap Ltd, an independent IT finance provider. Full story...Pile Dynamics launches full sensor line-up
The full line of Pile Driving Analyzer sensors is now available with wireless transmission by Pile Dynamics Inc, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Full story...Atlas unveils roc T35M
Atlas Copco has launched the ROC T35M, a surface drill rig for quarry and construction drilling which combines the design concept of Atlas Copco’s former CM line with the well-tested features of the ROC family. Full story...Cat undercarriage bid
Caterpillar 301.6 and 301.8 undercarriages including carbody are now available to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) via Caterpillar OEM Solutions Group. Full story...Gas detector progress
Crowcon’s new IREX infra-red pellistor-replacement flammable gas detector has been proven suitable for offshore use after undergoing tests by Micropack Engineering Ltd. Full story...Trelleborg in rebrand
The companies making up Trelleborg Offshore, which makes polymer and syntactic foam-based products for offshore environments, have been renamed. Full story...Seazone mapping sold
More than a dozen UK government departments and organisations have purchased the latest marine mapping from SeaZone, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, English Heritage, Natural England, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Full story...Grundfos’ Balkan focus
Four new Grundfos sales companies have been set up to boost sales in the Balkans region. Full story...SSD in Dutch demo day
SonicSampDrill (SSD) held its first demonstration day in June at a Winterswijk, a dolomite quarry in the Netherlands, to show sonic drilling technology working in rock. Full story...Vermeer Navigator out
The new Vermeer D9x13 Series II Navigator horizontal directional drill has 300ft (91m) of onboard rod-carrying capacity, allowing for long-distance bores to be completed. Full story...Coretrack confident
Coretrack says it is confident of the success of its Core Barrel Telemetry (CBT) system and conclusion of the R&D phase of its Core Level Recorder (CLR) system, despite a test conducted in late May at Dongara, Western Australia which was unable to conclude a positive result for the CBT system due to a larger-than-anticipated signal loss. Full story...Staff revamp at Deutz
Deutz says it is reconfiguring its organisational structures to deal with the effects of the global recession. Full story...Atlas’ Simba W6 C rig available for new markets
After having proven itself at LKAB, in Sweden, one of the world’s leading producers of iron-ore products, Atlas Copco is now releasing the production drilling rig Simba W6 C to the market. Full story...Hydrock publishes ground-source heating guide
UK construction services group Hydrock is offering a ‘Client’s Guide To Ground Source Heating’, written by director Steve Wherry Full story...People
Vibro goes live online
In a bid to raise the online presence of Vibro Projects, the ground-improvement specialist has launched www.vibro.co.uk. Full story...Maryland’s drill expo
The 2009 National Drilling Association Convention will take place on September 30 to October 2 at the Turf Valley Resort, Ellicott City, Maryland, US. Full story...Southworth to manage Ian Farmer’s tenth regional office
Ian Farmer Associates has appointed John Southworth as regional manager of its new Bristol office. He will be responsible for all activities in the southwest region of the UK. Full story...Sampling goes fourth
The Fourth World Conference on Sampling and Blending will take place on October 21-23 in Cape Town, South Africa. Full story...UK contractors caution
Employers and employees are being warned about the increased danger of accidents for those working as contractors Full story...Cavotec launches blog
Engineering group Cavotec’s blog portal at blog.cavotec.com provides news on industry developments and materials on Cavotec projects. Full story...Stable interest at CTT
June’s CTT Moscow, an annual construction-machinery trade fair held in Russia, says the proportion of Western European exhibitors remained steady, despite the economic crisis. Exhibitor numbers fell to 580, from 820 in 2008. Full story...NHSE’s open day focuses on Eurocodes and best practice
Norwest Holst Soil Engineering (NHSE), one of the UK’s leading geotechnical contractors, hosted an open-day event on June 18 at its Leeds head office, depot and laboratory. Full story...Boart is ‘best in class’ for safety
Boart Longyear has been cited as having the lowest reported lost time incident frequency rate in 2008 for all companies listed in a recent Citibank report. Full story...Gold training award for Van Elle
UK-based piling and foundation contractor Van Elle has been awarded the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) certificate of commitment (gold award) by Trevor Walker, chairman of CSCS. Full story...Charity karting in kent
Chunder in the Park 8, the annual kart-racing event organised by Hydraquip to raise money for charity, will take place on October 10 at Buckmore Park International Kart Circuit, Chatham, Kent. Full story...JD Fett’s founder dies
John Fett passed away on July 14 at his home in Crystal Bay, Nevada. He had been battling Parkinson’s disease for seven years. Full story...Hydrock promotes and appoints
Hydrock has promoted Richard Garland to geotechnical director. The company said the appointment recognises Mr Garland’s work in developing the specialist design and contracting business of the UK construction services group through challenging economic conditions. Full story...Loopmaster appoints senior hydrogeologist
UK geothermal design and project management consultancy Loopmaster (Europe) Ltd has appointed senior hydrogeologist Huw Williams. Full story...UCG partnership course
UCG Partnership, in association with Imperial College, London is running a training course on underground coal gasification on September 14-18 at Imperial College. Full story...London’s ’bad’ land gig
The Construction Industry Research and Information Association’s annual contaminated land conference will take place on October 14 at the America Square Conference Centre in London. Full story...Assessment deal inked
BRE Global has signed an agreement with ITG, the Spanish institution for architects and engineers, for the adoption of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method in Spain. Full story...Eaton Geotechnics’ site
UK-based Eaton Geotechnics has launched www.geotechnical.co.uk, which allows engineers, developers and architects access to their own dedicated client page. Full story...Soilmec’s showcase
Soilmec’s new initiative, a permanent showroom of equipment and technologies exhibited in front of its headquarters in Cesena, Italy can be visited until autumn. Full story...Features
Ensuring a landslide victory
Dr Hans-Joachim Bayer and Barry Powell examine the installation of drainage systems using horizontal drill rigs on slopes posing a landslide risk Full story...Per Aarsleff beats the weather to install longest combination steel pile wall
In challenging weather conditions, Danish contractor Per Aarsleff is installing its largest-profile – and one of its longest – combination steel pile-retaining walls for the extension to the container terminal at Port Muuga on the Gulf of Finland south coast, 17km east of the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Full story...Germany: Emerson Moore Drilling refines sampling
Emerson Moore Drilling (EMD) Ltd has completed a progamme of undisturbed sampling on a refinery development project in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Full story...Offshore – Gregg dives into deeper waters for seabed testing
Gregg Drilling & Testing is breaking new ground in the open seas with innovative technology to enable top-quality seabed soil testing Full story...Offshore – Chikyu sets record depth for riser drilling in seismic survey
Scientists have drilled nearly a mile beneath the ocean floor into one of the world’s most active earthquake zones on the Kumano Basin, off Kii Peninsula, about 58km southeast of Japan, in order to gather seismic data. Full story...Germany: Klemm rigs offer up jet-grouting options
German manufacturer Klemm is known for its drill rigs for jet grouting. The rigs are used for breaking up soil with a high-pressure fluid jet from a predrilled borehole and mixing the loosened soil with a cement grout to form columns, panels and other structures in the ground. The jet-grouting technique can be used regardless of soil, permeability, or grain-size distribution. Full story...Germany: Geothermal system blows hot and cold despite hard conditions
Project developer Unmüssig Bauträgergesellschaft Baden mbH has been realizing the Quartier Unterlinden construction project in Freiburg since 2007. Full story...Germany: Keeping check on contamination
Geo-log GmbH, based in Braunschweig, used a Geoprobe 6620DT at an abandoned airfield in eastern Germany for a limited membrane interface probe (MIP) investigation project. Full story...Germany: House builder digs down to save energy
During the planning phase of his 167m² home in Lennestadt-Saalhausen, Germany, a young house-builder, also employed as a machine construction engineer at a manufacturer for geothermal bore rigs, specified the use of geothermal energy to heat the building. Full story...Germany: Airfield regeneration is no flight of fancy
Former airport terrain located on the community districts of the cities of Böblingen and Sindelfingen in Germany is being developed into a residential, commercial and service area by the joint board Airfield Böblingen/Sindelfingen. Full story...Germany: DMT redoubles use of seismic surveying for geothermal energy
Working under a contract with the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics, DMT GmbH & Co is conducting seismic measurements in the greater Munich area. Full story...Germany: Pile anchoring for railway track project
The railway track between Karlsruhe and Basle is being developed into an express train line and partially rebuilt. Several building contractors are involved in this large project for the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG. Full story...Core Issues
Fresh soil guideline values fail to hit the mark for most applications
For those involved in investigations and assessments of contaminated land, the lack of authoritative UK soil guideline values (SGVs) has been the cause of much frustration over the past seven years. Full story...Site Search
Log inIssue: GDI JULY/AUGUST 2009
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