Reduction of Technological Barriers for the Application of Trenchless Technology on District Heating Pipelines

This paper investigates potential application of trenchless technology in the district heating sector. The interaction between soil and pipe after the installation und during operation using trenchless technology is not clearly understood. Experimental investigations were carried out in which the effect of drill mud on the frictional behavior between HDPE coating and sand was observed. In direct shear tests the coefficient of friction between soil, saturated with drill mud, under different temperature conditions was determined and compared with reference tests without drill mud to determine the influence of the drill mud and temperature. This work is a first step for reducing technological barriers to trenchless technologies. For the accurate calculation of trenchless installed district heating pipes further research is necessary.