A pipe for lining a bore drilled by directional drilling apparatus and a method of conveying material underground

Abstract

A pipe for lining a bore drilled by directional drilling apparatus, comprising an outer surface 1, a plurality of internal passages 7. In this way, the pipe may convey different fluids separately and independently during tunnel excavation without the need for multiple pipes.

Claims

1. A pipe for lining a bore drilled by directional drilling apparatus, the pipe comprising:an outer surface extending between a first end of the pipe and a second end of the pipe opposite the first end; anda plurality of passages within the outer surface configured for the conveyance of fluid between the first and the second end of the pipe, each of the plurality of passages separate and distinct from each other.

2. The pipe of claim 1, further comprising a hole extending between the outer surface and one of the plurality of passages.

3. The pipe of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a first one of the plurality of passages has a first cross section, and a second one of the plurality of passages has a second cross section different to the first cross section.

4. The pipe of any preceding claim, wherein the outer surface is part of an outer wall having a first thickness, and the interior surface is part of an interior wall having a second thickness, wherein first thickness is different from the second thickness.

5. The pipe of any preceding claim, wherein two of the plurality of passages within the pipe are separate and distinct at a first end of the pipe, and join together between the first end of the pipe and the second end of the pipe to provide a single passage at the at the second end of the pipe.

6. The pipe of any preceding claim, wherein one of the plurality of passages is arranged in a helix about a longitudinal axis of the pipe.

7. A method of conveying material underground, the method comprising the stepsof:drilling an underground bore;lining the bore with a pipe according to any preceding claim;passing a first material along a first one of the plurality of passages from the first end to the second end; andpassing concurrently a second material along a second one of the plurality of passages from the first end to the second end, wherein the second material is kept separate from 5 the first material.

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