Direct Steerable Pipe Thrusting (DSPT) is the generic name for the installing a steel pipeline using the following features: 1) a microtunneling machine is used for excavation; 2) the pipe is installed using a pipe thruster 3) the pipe is typically installed along a designed bore path that includes curves similar to typical HDD designs. Herrenknecht Corporation was the first manufacturer to bring this technology to the market with their Direct Pipe® system with the first installation occurring in 2007. Since that time, the application of DSPT has been steadily increasing with hundreds of installations completed worldwide. DSPT is often described as a combination of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and Microtunneling (MT) as DSPT has operational and behavioral characteristics that are similar to microtunneling while allowing the installation of pipelines with geometric characteristics that are similar to HDD installations. However, understanding the features of DSPT and how they compare to microtunneling and HDD is critical to determine and analyze the mechanisms that govern the development of thrust forces, the risk of inadvertent returns, and the behavior of the pipe within the borehole.

About Kimberlie Staheli, Ph.D., P.E.

Dr. Staheli is the President and Founder of Staheli Trenchless Consultants, Inc. located in Seattle, Washington, USA.  Staheli Trenchless specializes in the design and construction management of trenchless projects around the world.  Kimberlie has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s in civil engineering from Mississippi State University, and a Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.  Kim’s passion is managing risks on trenchless projects and educating the industry to allow for more successful trenchless installations.  Dr. Staheli has published over 100 technical papers on Trenchless Technology.  Dr. Staheli is a Past Chair of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, and the current Vice Chair of the International Society for Trenchless Technology.