Agricultural Sciences

Webinar covers horizontal directional drilling in gas pipeline construction

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The use of directional drilling to minimize surface disturbance in the building of natural gas pipelines will be the subject of a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 25.

In the webinar, Brian Younkin, project engineer with Directed Technologies Drilling, will discuss what horizontal directional drilling is, how it works, its impacts and safe practices in constructing a gas pipeline.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America estimates that about 41,000 miles of pipeline and an additional 139,000 miles of gathering lines will be added now through 2035 to transport oil, gas and natural gas liquids. The use of horizontal directional drilling plays a large role in minimizing surface disturbance and environmental impacts in construction through sensitive areas, Younkin noted.

“The Mariner East 2 pipeline, a 303-mile project, includes more than 240 sections of trenchless crossing, and the majority of these use horizontal directional drilling,” he said. “The use of this new approach allows placing pipelines underground and decreases the need to trench on the surface, thus minimizing damage in ecosystems.”

The webinar is free, but registration is necessary. To register, visit the website or call 877-345-0691. For more information, contact Carol Loveland at 570-320-4429 or at cal24@psu.edu.

The next presentation in Penn State Extension's shale-gas webinar series will explore the chemical industry outlook with an emphasis on investment in the Northeast. That session, to be offered on May 30, will feature Martha Moore, senior director of analysis and economics at the American Chemistry Council.

Previous webinars, publications and information also are available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website, covering a variety of topics such as liquid natural gas; seismic testing; methane emissions; water use and quality; Marcellus and Utica basins; natural gas reserves; gas-leasing considerations for landowners; legal issues surrounding gas development; and the impact of Marcellus gas development on forestland.

Last Updated April 8, 2019

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