Allt a Bhainne CASE STUDY-ALLT A BHAINNE Allt a Bhainne is a distillery which lies on the southern slopes of the rugged mountain range, Ben Rinnes. Allt a Bhainne stands out from other distilleries due to its modern architecture. Constructed in 1975, the distillery has a capacity of 4.5 million litres per annum and produces spirit used in the Chivas Regal brand. It lies four miles from Dufftown, the self-proclaimed ‘Whisky Capital of the World’. Traditionally, due to their relatively remote locations, distilleries were rarely connected to the gas grid and used heavy to medium fuel oil to generate the steam which is fundamental to the whisky production process, from malting to distilling. Nicol of Skene was appointed by Fulcrum to install an 8km 125mm gas pipeline to connect Allt a Bhainne to the grid. Fulcrum is an independent utilities infrastructure provider. Nicol originally planned to install the pipeline using open cut techniques. The proposed route of the pipeline was under or alongside the B9009 which links Dufftown to famous distillery locations such as Glenlivet and Tomintoul. The route crossed several small burns and rivers and directional drilling was initially only specified for use in these locations. However, once on site the Ditch Witch JT30 drilling rig proved so effective that eventually over 4.5km of the pipeline was installed using directional drilling techniques. The Ditch Witch JT30 all-terrain (https://www.ditchwitch.com/directional-drills/all-terrain/jt30-all-terrain) is the smallest drilling rig in the Nicol fleet. It was selected because of its all-terrain capabilities and small footprint: it has a length of 5.61m and a width of 2.03m. The JT30 is believed to be the quietest drill in its class. This is a huge environmental benefit when working in urban areas and makes life more comfortable for the operator too. The small footprint of the JT30 proved very effective on and around the B9009. It was found that the verges along the road were narrow and often unstable making traditional open cut excavation techniques more hazardous and less effective; this contributed to the decision to adopt high volume directional drilling. The Allt a Bhainne distillery, the beneficiary of the new gas pipeline installed using directional drilling techniques The drilling was undertaken in 50 x 96m shots, each shot tying in with 5m long bays. The bays were 600mm wide and 1.25m deep. The project ran for four and a half months from the second week of May 2017 to October 2017. When drilling underneath road surfaces, Nicol insisted on a minimum of 900mm clearance to minimise the danger of road heave. The maximum specified depth was 1500mm. The Nicol team monitored and controlled the directional drilling costs closely to ensure they were in line with those incurred by open cut techniques for the same installed length. An example of gas pipe being installed using directional drilling A bird’s eye plan of the directional drilling project undertaken for the Allt a Bhainne distillery Fulcrum was on site for the initial briefing and first directional drilling and open cut elements. Reassured by Nicol’s professionalism, they were happy to accept weekly management reports and were only on site on a further two occasions over the duration of the project. Moray Council expressed their appreciation that the use of directional drilling had minimised the visual environmental impact of the installation. Drilling also minimised the potential for contamination of local water courses, many of which feed the world-famous distilleries in the area. KEY BENEFITS Innovation The innovation on the Allt a Bhainne project was to favour directional drilling over traditional open cut techniques for 4.5km of the 8km pipeline. The project proved that, in certain scenarios, directional drilling is an economically viable alternative to open cut techniques and should not just be viewed as a ‘distress purchase’ when obstacles such as roads, railways or rivers are encountered. Environment Moray Council expressed their appreciation that the use of directional drilling had minimised the visual environmental impact of the installation. Drilling also minimised the potential for contamination of local water courses, many of which feed the world-famous distilleries in the area. The use of the small JT30 all-terrain rig ensured that noise pollution was lower than it would have been had open cut been used throughout. Community impact and customer care The project had minimal impact on road traffic due to the use of directional drilling and, as highlighted under the Environment heading, the local Moray Council was delighted by the reduction in scarring. Project management Allt a Bhainne is almost equidistant from Aberdeen and Inverness. It is a 90-minute drive from both cities to reach the distillery. Once they were satisfied that Nicol had the necessary systems and procedures in place, Fulcrum was happy to base its project management on weekly reports. Legislative compliance All works on Allt a Bhainne complied with the legislative demands of the New Roads and Streetworks Act. The project was also fully compliant with the stipulations of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The Nicol difference The variety of rigs in the Nicol fleet ensured there was one that was ideally suited to the Allt a Bhainne project’s requirements. Nicol’s origins are in civil engineering, and it continues to undertake civil engineering projects alongside its directional drilling activities. Its understanding of both open cut and directional drilling, as well as its open-minded approach to potential options, ensured that directional drilling was employed on a far wider basis than if a utilities contractor had simply sub-contracted those elements of the project traditionally associated with the technique.