GL Noble Denton has won the Coveted Award for Innovation at this year’s UK Gas Industry Awards, hosted by the British Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM), and the UK gas trade association, SBGI.
GL Noble Denton received the accolade jointly with National Grid and gas network maintenance specialist ALH Ltd for a collaborative project to produce a new method for securing drilling valves into gas mains, known as the Beam Drilling System. The award-winning System challenges more than three decades of traditional gas mains drilling practice, saving time and resources, by removing the need to dig large holes in the ground to secure drilling bases to gas pipelines.
GL Noble Denton received the accolade jointly with National Grid and gas network maintenance specialist ALH Ltd for a collaborative project to produce a new method for securing drilling valves into gas mains, known as the Beam Drilling System. The award-winning System challenges more than three decades of traditional gas mains drilling practice, saving time and resources, by removing the need to dig large holes in the ground to secure drilling bases to gas pipelines.
Specially designed beams are placed over reduced excavations to carry out drilling work, which allows operatives to undertake a wide range of tasks without having to enter the excavation on which they are working. The Beam Drilling System was developed with support from the Innovation Funding Initiative of UK gas and electricity regulator, Ofgem.
It was specifically recognised by the Gas Awards judging panel for its contribution to improving the safety of working practices and reducing road traffic disruption. The System has been successfully used by National Grid on drilling projects across the UK since its introduction in August 2010.