Overview
| Project No. | 736 |
|---|---|
| Contract No. | 693JK31810010 |
| Research Award Recipient | Operations Technology Development NFP 1700 South Mount Prospect Road Des Plaines, IL 60018 |
| AOR | Wayne Chan |
| Researcher Contact Info | Dennis Jarnecke Sr. Director R&D djarnecke@gti.energy 847-768-0943 |
| Peer Review | More than Effective |
| Peer Review | More than Effective |
| Technology Demonstrated | Yes |
|---|---|
| Commercialized (in whole/part) | TBD |
| Commercial Partner | TRACTO - IDS - Alberto Bicci (CEO of IDS) and Alessandro Simmi (Director R&D) |
| Net Improvement | Empty Value |
| Project Status | Closed |
|---|---|
| Start Fiscal Year | 2018 (09/01/2018) |
| End Fiscal Year | 2024 (06/30/2024) |
| PHMSA $$ Budgeted | $993,970.00 |
Main Objective
To produce a field proven, market ready, obstacle location technology for use in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) applications. ORFEUS is an effort aimed at developing a safe, cost effective "look-ahead" obstacle detection system for HDD equipment. This project seeks to further develop the technology to bring forward a commercially viable product for identifying obstacles in and around the path of a HDD drill rig, therefore, reducing third-party damage to underground utilities.
Public Abstract
The objective is to produce a field proven, market ready, obstacle location technology for use in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) applications. ORFEUS (Optimized Radar to Find Every Utility in the Street) is an effort aimed at developing a safe, cost effective "look-ahead" obstacle detection system for HDD equipment. The ORFEUS effort is conducted by a collaborative organization of multiple companies to develop a prototype that has been field tested, both in Europe and the US. This project seeks to further develop the technology to bring forward a commercially viable product for identifying obstacles in and around the path of a HDD drill rig. Therefore, reducing third-party damage to underground utilities.
Methodology: This project seeks to improve the ORFEUS obstacle detection technology by: making improvements to the bore head radar; software enhancements to improve the user interface; improvements in the communications to the drill head enabling the lengthening of the total drill length; perform system validations and market launch preparations; and conduct operational field tests.
Potential Impact on Safety: Reduced the number of incidences from third party damage to underground utilities when performing horizontal directional drilling (HDD)
Summary and Conclusions
ORFEUS is the first drill mounted GPR system developed specifically for the HDD sector. Of the many location technologies, ground penetrating radar (GPR) was chosen, and integrated into the HDD drill head of the ORFEUS system.
The antennas of the locating system are in the control surface of the drilling head and the side of the housing and operate independently of each other. They detect obstacles in front of the drilling head and to the side of the housing with a range of at least, 0.5 meters in the longitudinal axis and 0.5 meters in the propulsion radius. The process is carried out completely automatically.
The ORFEUS team has produced user-friendly software whereby a 2D representation provides a real-time overview with a clear color scheme:
- Green indicates that there are no obstacles. The drilling process can proceed;
- Orange indicates that no obstacles were detected close to the pilot hole, but that closer data inspection may be necessary to rule drilling path changes;
- Red indicates that obstacle was detected. The drill will stop automatically, if desired and it will require PIN entry to be unlocked.
Relevant Files & Links
Final Report
Final Report out ORFEUS Public Presentation 9/13/2024