In November of 2018, Doublestar Drilling (DSD) was awarded the K3 to K1 Conveyor System Project by PCL Construction. DSD was accountable for the supply and installation of 115ea CIP Concrete Foundation Piles that would support the continuation of Mosaic Potash Mine expansion.

Our scope of work included 915mm diameter CIP Piles on the CN Crossing and West Transfer facilities. DSD equipped their crews with 2 Liebherr LB-28 drill rigs to ensure the drilled depths on average of 13m would be achieved in the difficult ground conditions. DSD encountered multiple large boulders while drilling and had to use a downhole camera to get additional visibility and needed specialized tooling such as segmental casing to core through the tough rock.

Due to the different ground conditions on the CN Crossing area, the pile designed was required to change in order to increase the bearing capacity. DSD mobilized their Soilmec SR30 to install the remaining belled piles.

A challenge DSD faced was the extreme cold weather conditions. Temperatures ranged from -25 to -35 degrees Celsius throughout January and February, making it essential for DSD to prepare our crews with the proper PPE and hoarding & heating applications.

The site had very limited access for our Liebherr drill rigs and hydro vac trucks. In some areas our crews were drilling only 8 inches away from structures. Our site supervisor was meticulous with overseeing daily production to mitigate any potential hazards that could impact the client’s schedule and safety of our crews.

Doublestar completed another successful project collaborating with PCL Construction and can add Mosaic Potash to our extensive experience working on active industrial sites.

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