Hydro Excavation is a safe method of Non-Destructive digging that uses high-pressure water to excavate, minimizing the risk of causing damage to any underground services. It is used for removing or moving soil with pressurized water. An air conveyance or vacuum is then used to transfer the soil or debris to a debris tank. This allows for a non-destructive and more accurate way to excavate soil and locate underground utilities. Hydro excavation is fast and efficient. If there are deep and numerous test holes that must be completed in a limited amount of time, then hydro excavation is the preferred method compared to air vacuum excavation because hydro excavation can handle a lot of soil and eliminates the need to dig by hand.
The method of Hydro Excavation
- Hydro excavation equipment combines high-pressure water and air vacuum.
- The vacuum then lifts the slurry from the excavation area. The debris is transferred to a debris tank.
- Hydro excavation equipment needs a vacuum source. There are two choices for this, a fan system or a positive displacement blower.
- Hydro excavation equipment combines high-pressure water with air vacuum. This system cuts through the soils and breaks it up.
- The vacuum then lifts the slurry from the excavation area. The debris is transferred to a debris tank.
Different types of equipment used for Hydro Excavation
Hydro Excavator Trucks
Modern hydro excavator trucks are fully loaded with standard features and the industry’s best safety features. The recent models that come with hydrostatic drive for the vacuum is a more efficient system because it’s less complicated and eliminates the need for cumbersome, clutch and gearbox operation. It will allow the operator to focus on getting the job done. It also comes with a wireless remote control system that enables the operator to work the following functions from remote areas. Hydrostatic variable displacement piston pump is driven by chassis engine for water system
Suction Excavator
A suction excavator is a construction vehicle that removes materials from a hole on land or removes heavy debris on land. Modern equipment allows extraction by the suction of various materials such as solids, liquids or pasty ones. This equipment has a special feature of tilting right or left which makes it very handy. This excavator uses the principle of a hydrodynamic vortex. The excavator by suction is equally adapted to more or less deep underground interventions and in more complex industrial situations. Suction excavators are excellently suited for rapid use in the field of underground supply cables. They are established as a gentle excavation method for repair or cleaning work. Instead of arduous physical work with shovel and air hammer or the risky use of an excavator, the available soil is simply suctioned away with the suction excavator. rs is more than 16 times more effective than conventional excavation methods and replaces the time and cost-intensive work done by hand in different sectors. Suction excavators are safe, very fast on-site, ready for immediate use, operate in an environmentally harmless way, offer a high level of industrial safety, require little space and suck through small openings.
Bucket Chain Excavator
A bucket chain excavator (BCE) is a piece of heavy equipment used in surface mining and dredging. BCEs use buckets on a revolving chain to remove large quantities of material. They are similar to bucket-wheel excavators and trenchers. Bucket wheel excavators remove material from below their plane of movement, which is useful if the pit floor is unstable or underwater. Modern bucket chain excavators can be customized designed to client’s requirements and incorporate various solutions according to their specific application. There is a wide range of machines with capacities up to 14,500 m³/h, which can work in high and deep cut operations and with varying depths and heights. This equipment works using a series of buckets to dig into the material before dumping it in the bucket chute and depositing it through a discharge boom. The primary difference is that the buckets are mounted on a flexible chain similar to a chainsaw blade rather than on a rigid wheel. BCEs are used primarily to excavate material below the vehicle’s superstructure while bucket wheel excavators focus primarily on excavating topsoil overburden and/or resources.
Directional Drilling Equipment
Modern directional drilling equipment offers 10,000 lbs (44 kN) of pullback force, providing the advanced strength and power of bigger drills, combined with the simplicity and easy operation of a compact machine. A redesigned operator’s station smooths operation with a single joystick and is equipped with an ergonomic traversing seat for increased job site visibility and comfortability on the job. Most directional drillers are given a blue well path to follow that is predetermined by engineers and geologists before the drilling commences. Modern models come with diesel engines, steel tracks, climate-controlled 2-man operator cabin, crane option, & integrated-automated catwalk. When the directional driller starts the drilling process, periodic surveys are taken with a downhole instrument to provide survey data (inclination and azimuth) of the wellbore. The redesigned track system incorporates rectangular steel tubing, thick, vertical rails, and the strategic placement of cross members for stability
Apart from these four prime equipment different attachments of graders and skid steer loaders are also used in hydro excavation.
Applications Hydro Excavation
The biggest benefit of hydro excavation is that it provides for better damage and safety control when compared with mechanical methods. Since it is accurate, it limits accidents and injuries for laborers as well as other people. It also does a better job of digging. Its application areas include-
- Remote Excavation
- Potholing
- Slot Trenching
- Debris Removal
- Land Clearing
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