Ready for the African pipeline challenge— the CPA Rock Drill X-Tend Model

CPA Rock Drills in Africa for
Chad/Cameroon Pipeline
From our October 2001 newsletter

One of the largest pipeline projects in the world is slated to begin construction next month in central Africa. The 665-mile pipeline is expected to carry up to 225,000 barrels of oil per day from the Doba and Kome oil fields in Chad to Kribi on the coast of Cameroon for worldwide export. The three-pronged project involves construction of the oil fields in southern Chad, the pipeline, and a marine terminal in Cameroon.

A consortium of three oil giants—ExxonMobil, Petronas, and Chevron—will fund the major share of this $3.5 billion undertaking, with the rest coming from the two host countries, who have secured loans from the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Economic & Environmental Issues Addressed
Both Chad and Cameroon are pre-industrial nations—among the poorest in the world—with limited access to health care, public sanitation, safe drinking water and electricity. To qualify for World Bank loans, the two countries had to guarantee not only that their citizens would benefit financially from the project, but that it would meet the highest standards of environmental and social protection. World Bank advisors have been involved since 1995, covering a multitude of issues such as revenue management, resettlement, protection of the cultures of indigenous people, compensation for lost crops, disease control, wildlife protection, and oil-spill prevention. Each contractor on the job must complete an Environmental Management Plan which conforms to the stringent standards set forth by the project advisors.

Willbros and Spie Capag to Construct Pipeline
The construction of the pipeline will be a joint venture between Willbros West Africa, Inc., a division of Willbros Group, Inc. of Panama, and Spie Capag (Jersey) Ltd. Willbros will head the joint venture. Willbros is a leader in the design and construction of cross-country oil and gas pipelines, having constructed over 200,000 kilometers of such lines in countries throughout the world. According to Michael Collier, Manager of Investor Relations, the Chad/Cameroon pipeline is targeted for completion sometime in the second quarter of 2003. The project calls for the laying of carbon steel pipe measuring 30 in. in diameter to a minimum depth of 3 ft. (up to 5 ft. under river crossings).

During July and August, approximately 150,000 tons of construction equipment—which included over thirty Cat excavators, three of which are 330Bs mounted with Tramac CPA Rock Drills—made the 14-day voyage from Houston to Africa. When work begins in October, the labor force will number in the thousands; local resources will be used as much as possible. According to Collier, the CPA drills were chosen because of Tramac’s reputation for quality and reliability. He went on to say that when selecting equipment for a remote site such as central Africa, price weighs less heavily and support and reliability become key factors.

Willbros will be using the CPA X-Tend models with Montabert HC 150 drifters to drill blasting holes along the pipeline route. X-Tend models are the “big boys” of the range, with maximum size, power, and drill-bit diameter. CPAs are particularly suited to this project because both the topography and the material being drilled vary greatly over the hundreds of miles extending from Chad’s sub-Saharan terrain to Cameroon’s Atlantic coast.

The excavator-mounted CPA demonstrates its long reach.

CPA’s Advantage—Drilling Automatics
The CPA features the superior Montabert Drifter and its Drilling Automatics. With this technology, interaction between the drill and the material is continually and automatically monitored. The unit senses the hardness of the rock and adjusts pressure, rotation, and even direction, for optimum penetration. The drill also reverses the feed automatically if it hits soft material that would plug the bit…thus allowing the bit to clean itself and begin drilling again without the involvement of the drill operator.

Excavator-mounted for Greater Reach and Versatility
Excavator-mounted rock drills, such as Tramac’s CPA, have many distinct advantages over traditional hydraulic crawler-mounted drills. They are ideal for pipeline trenching because they have a much longer reach and can drill in places not accessible to crawler models. Several holes can be drilled before the excavator has to be moved…and the holes can be drilled deeper. The CPA Rock Drill can reach down to 21.5 ft. in a single pass before having to add steel.

The CPA adapts easily to any excavator and allows the operator to work in the excavator cab, minimizing exposure to noise and other drilling hazards. In terms of overall efficiency and return on the dollar, excavator-mounted drills give contractors a great deal of versatility, allowing them to use their excavators as multiple-function machines—trenching, rock breaking and loading. After the drilling is complete on the Chad/Cameroon pipeline, Willbros’ excavators can be used for trench work.

Willbros’ dealer representative, Bruce Peeler of Air Master, Midland, TX, was instrumental in securing the order for Tramac CPA Rock Drills. In addition to attaching the drills, Air Master fitted the Cat 330Bs excavators with Ingersoll-Rand hydraulically driven compressors.