Radar Method for Obtaining Information from a Horizontal Directional Drilling Device

Introduction. Directional drilling is a conventional method for trenchless installation of underground communications, exploration of solid minerals, and geological exploration. These tasks can be implemented using a directional drilling installation equipped with a high-precision unit for determining the drilling head coordinates to match the current and specified drilling routes. The problem of obtaining precise coordinates (depth, zenith, azimuth) of the drilling head is a priority task in trenchless drilling. We previously considered an acoustic method for monitoring the drilling head position in a directional drilling device. In this work, we consider a radar complex for monitoring the drilling head position from the surface of the earth with fixed transponder beacons. The radar method for obtaining such information allows the drilling process to be optimized by increasing the positioning accuracy, providing for constant automatic position monitoring, as well as reducing the time and financial costs.

Aim. To demonstrate the possibility of constructing a radar complex for obtaining information about positioning of the drilling head of a directional drilling installation based on transponder beacons distributed on the surface of the earth.

Materials and methods. The study was based on the physical principles used in mobile systems, i.e., determining the location of the probe and its parameters using radio signals emitted by the probe in the frequency range of tens of kHz, to minimize the influence of soil inhomogeneities.

Results. The possibility of using the radar method for obtaining the drilling head coordinates when monitoring its position during drilling operations was studied. The operational principle of such a radar complex was considered; the schemes of positioning transponder beacons on the surface of the earth and relative to the drilling head were developed; a technology for supporting drilling operations using this method was described.

Conclusion. We propose an approach to determining the drilling head coordinates and their automatic monitoring in real time. The proposed approach to constructing a high-precision radar information transmission complex can be used in the design and modernization of directional drilling equipment.

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