Did you know that there is a safer and more effective method for digging than huge backhoes and heavy machinery? Hydrovacs are a great solution for industries like oil & gas that need to dig around underground utilities and obstacles without causing any damage.
Let’s talk about what Hydrovacs can do for you or your company.
What Is a Hydrovac?
A Hydrovac is another name for a Hydro Excavation Truck. A Hydrovac’s main purpose is to excavate an area in a much safer and more precise manner than traditional methods.
A Hydrovac functions by using high-pressure water to break up or displace dirt, soil, or ground. At the same time, Hydrovac uses an extremely powerful vacuum to immediately suck up and remove the material. The result of this process is a machine that safely and efficiently removes material.
How Do Hydrovacs Benefit the Oil & Gas Industry?
Using hydro excavation via a Hydrovac can eliminate many of the risks involved with excavation. There is no metal or sharp equipment touching the excavation area. Using a rotating pressure nozzle in a sweeping motion eliminates most of the risk of damaging underground infrastructure.
Potholing above a facility in multiple spots can give you visual markers of the running line of the facility. Allowing the bigger conventional equipment to know they are operating at a safe distance from the facility.
Save Time and Money
Using larger equipment or other heavy machinery like backhoes and excavators can prolong work projects due to the much larger area of impact. Workers could spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess that these machines can make. This means your company will spend more time and money on workers to maintain the job site, rather than on completing the actual project.
Hydrovacs also can perform something called Slot Trenching. This is when a very narrow trench needs to be dug in order to lay pipe or cable down into the ground. They can do this relatively quickly, with little to no mess or excess spoil. Leaving the trench to be covered by plywood and mostly out of site.
Use in Cold Weather
Cold weather can bring your excavation project to a screeching halt, as the frozen ground can be hard for even the most powerful machines to break up. Hydrovacs are equipped with hot water boilers, up to 750,000btu that will enable your crew to keep working in the dead of winter. This could give your business a competitive edge if other companies in your area don’t have the ability to work with frozen solid ground.
What Purpose Do Hydrovacs Serve in Oil Fields?
Maintaining things like gas and oil lines is extremely important as they can quickly become costly and hazardous to repair. Hydrovacs are the best solution for your needs if you’re doing any kind of excavation in or around oil infrastructure. They can be used to locate (daylight) the marked facilities, as well as used when it is unknown what lies beneath the soil
Environmentally Friendly
Around 1.3 million gallons of oil spills every year from pipelines and vessels in the US. This usually happens as a result of improper or infrequent maintenance. Hydrovacs make it easy for you to remove dirt and debris from around pipelines so that you can perform maintenance and make repairs.
More Efficient
Hydrovacs are a non-destructive excavation option, allowing access to old pipelines easily in order to do integrity or anomaly digs, as well as repair station structures. Many Hydrovac trucks come equipped to deal with waste efficiently, which is very important when working in oil fields. They also actively clean any hole or trench that they dig.
Oil & gas companies are increasingly aware of their environmental impact which is why many utilize Hydrovacs to maintain safe and responsible digging.
Standard digging equipment can take hours when having to maneuver around underground facilities like pipelines. It is crucial when a leak or issue happens to be able to get to the source of the problem as quickly as possible. What could take hours to accomplish with traditional digging equipment can be done in a safe and efficient manner with the addition of a hydrovac.
Safety
The oil & gas industry can be a particularly hazardous work environment when compared to other industries. So it’s important that the safety and well-being of your employees are at the forefront of your mind. Hydrovacs are much safer than any other type of excavation equipment. Keeping the facilities up and running, and keeping your crews returning safely to their families.
Where to Get Hydrovacs
Hydrovac trucks are available for purchase or for rent. If your business often requires excavation work, you will want to consider purchasing a hydrovac. But if you only need digging done sporadically, you can rent Hydrovacs.
If you’re curious about how a Hydrovac truck can benefit you, contact us to learn more.
