Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Capacity of 450 liters per minute
For a Dutch specialist in directional drilling, Inpieq, specialists in building foundation machines, developed and built the largest grout unit in their range: the IGP450. With a 3,000 liter storage tank, a 1,000 liter mixing tank and a pumping capacity of at least 450 liters per minute, this pump is ready for horizontal as well as vertical drilling in unstable subsoil.
According to Frank van Deursen, director of Inpieq, construction itself went smoothly. “Most of the time was in fine-tuning the specifications. How do we ensure that the unit fits perfectly with practical applications? Think of questions like: how do we set up the transport frame, do we choose a container or hook arm frame, and how do we ensure optimal accessibility on site?”
The IGP450 is used, for example, in directional drilling for power cables or pipelines in locations with unstable, water-bearing soil. In such conditions, a traditional bentonite solution is not sufficient. To prevent subsidence and sinkholes, surrounding voids must be filled with a more stable, rigid fluid that also hardens. This requires an accurate mixing ratio and sufficient capacity.
That was exactly where the challenge lay. The client did not have a mixing plant with sufficient capacity to achieve the required grout quality. Inpieq was asked to help think of a suitable solution. “For us and for the client it was initially an experiment,” Van Deursen says. “Last year we carried out a trial with one of our own pumps. That turned out well beyond expectations. Based on that, we designed this final unit.”
This makes the IGP450 not only the largest pump Inpieq has built to date, but also a feat of thoughtful customization. The high capacity presented the biggest technical challenge. The unit is equipped with a large storage and mixing tank and is designed so that cement can easily be added with big bags. In addition, the grout unit stands on a special frame, making transport by hooklift vehicle fast and efficient.
According to Van Deursen, the development of the IGP450 follows a broader trend in the foundation industry. “We are increasingly seeing larger pipe diameters in drilling projects. This requires more pump flow and higher capacity to optimize both horizontal and vertical drilling processes.”
