Near-Surface Cable Borehole Laying With Lubricated Annular Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trenchless drilling methods for laying underground cables or conduits near the surface are limited by short distances and require significant space and resources, failing to meet the need for environmentally friendly and efficient installation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing an electric motor or mud motor for a drill drive, a small drilling unit, and a flushing circuit with which the drill string can be used to create a borehole, allowing for a drill string to be driven and controlled, with a double-walled design for fluid circulation and a drill head that can be expanded for soil displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional HDD drilling method is used, then borehole creation is achieved, but hydraulic fluid seepage occurs at shallow depths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional HDD mechanical drilling system with a thermally activated soil freezing system. Instead of using mechanical drill heads and hydraulic flushing, the invention uses thermal energy to freeze the soil in advance, creating a stable borehole pathway that prevents hydraulic fluid seepage even at shallow laying depths of 2-6 meters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by freezing the soil ahead of time before cable installation. The thermal freezing process creates a solidified soil structure in advance, establishing a stable borehole pathway that prevents hydraulic fluid leakage during subsequent cable laying operations at shallow depths.
2Ease of manufacture
If open trench construction is used, then cable installation is achieved, but environmental impact and construction effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cable installation process from the surface environment by creating an underground pathway through thermal freezing. This eliminates the need for open trenches, removing the harmful environmental effects of soil excavation, landscape disruption, and vegetation removal while maintaining cable installation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces frozen soil as an intermediary medium that enables cable installation without direct mechanical excavation. The frozen soil acts as a temporary protective structure that guides the cable installation process underground, avoiding the need for open trenches and subsequent backfilling operations.
3Length of stationary object
If microtunneling technology is used with diameter of 1000 mm, then pipeline length up to 1.5 km is achieved, but space and construction costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible thermal freezing boundaries instead of rigid large-diameter tunneling equipment. The frozen soil forms a flexible, controllable pathway that can be created with minimal surface footprint, enabling long pipeline installations without requiring large construction sites or heavy machinery.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the laying of underground cables or conduits up to 1500 m long with minimal environmental impact, requiring only localized intervention at start and end points, reducing the need for heavy machinery and maintaining soil integrity, and allowing for quick maintenance access.
Implementation Method 1
a borehole is created by thermal freezing in the ground in a laying route between a starting point and a target point
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a system for laying underground cables or underground lines in the ground near the surface, in a borehole (102) along a laying route (101) between a start point (100) and a target point (110), comprising a boring device (10) comprising an advancing head (12) for creating the borehole (102), a drilling rod (11) and/or a casing (14), wherein the diameter of the advancing head (12) is greater than the diameter of the casing (14) or of the drilling rod (11), so that an annular space (121) is formed between the borehole wall (102) and the casing (14) or the drilling rod (11) and the annular space (121) is provided with lubrication and wherein the advancing head (12) relates to a displacement drilling head (15, 16, 41) or a drilling head system (18) comprising a drilling tool (19) and a drilling tool drive (22) for loosening the ground.