Robotic Remote Underground De-beading within HDD Ducting Pipework

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Drain Remote De-beading within HDD Ducting Pipework

Project name – De-beading and defect removal in HDD ducting underneath a main carriageway

Equipment Used – Prokasro 1.7

Pipe diameter – 147mm

Our equipment can be used in a wide range of industries to save time and money

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) contractor

Lateral Cutting – De-beading within HDD Ducting – The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) contractor had installed 198 metres of cable ducting underneath a main carriageway on a large utilities project. Unfortunately, the CCTV survey of the duct highlighted that the ‘beading’ which connects the sections of ducting together was causing an obstruction. This can prevent the cables from being pulled through the ducting, incurring major delays and the associated additional costs.

Nationwide Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) for Drain and Sewers

Traditional de-beading equipment had already been used to try and remove the obstructions. However, this had been unsuccessful and had even damaged the walls of the ducting. Luckily, utilising our Prokasro 1.7 unit equipped with the PowerLine motor (designed for small-bore pipework), we were able to accurately trim back all the beading as well as the damaged sections of pipework. The furthest our equipment had to travel down the pipework was approximately 75 metres, which is unprecedented for such a small diameter!

Drainage horizontal directional drilling (HDD) contractor

Thanks to the precision of our cutting equipment, we managed to fully remove all defects and obstructions from the ducting, meaning our client could progress with their project, avoiding the severe delays and associated costs that other methods may have caused.

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What is robotic remote underground de-beading?

Robotic Remote Underground De-beading is an advanced, trenchless maintenance process used within Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) ducting pipework to remove internal weld beads without the need for excavation.

This is where robotic remote de-beading technology comes in. Specialized robotic systems are inserted into the pipe and guided to the welded joints. Equipped with precision cutting tools and cameras, these robots carefully trim away the internal bead, restoring a smooth and uniform internal surface. Because the system is remotely operated, it can travel long distances through underground pipelines, even in complex or curved HDD installations.

The key advantage of this method is that it eliminates the need for costly and disruptive excavation. Traditional repair or modification methods would require digging up sections of pipe, leading to downtime, environmental disturbance, and increased labor costs. Robotic de-beading, by contrast, is efficient, non-invasive, and highly accurate.