Conference Agenda

An expert will summarize GAZ-SYSTEM S.A.’s contribution to the development of the trenchless technology industry over the past 15 years. The discussion will cover, among other things:

• developing technical reference conditions and industry standards,
• technological development, including the implementation of new solutions being used for the first time in Poland,
• the share of projects carried out by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. in the trenchless technology market—both in terms of the number of projects and their scale,
• requirements for contractors and examples of companies that have successfully implemented the investment process model proposed by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A.

The speaker will also highlight the strategic investments that have been carried out using trenchless technologies to diversify gas supplies and enhance the country’s energy security.

The presentation will focus on the potential use of drones for assessing the technical condition and monitoring selected elements of underground infrastructure, such as manholes and culverts. Solutions enabling safe operation in confined spaces and under conditions of limited visibility will be discussed. The speaker will also present the application of numerical techniques and artificial intelligence in image analysis and the interpretation of measurement results used to assess the technical condition and monitor structures.

The presentation will highlight the experiences of Kraków Waterworks in the field of modern sewer system inspection and diagnostics, with a particular focus on the implementation of digital technologies in operational processes.
The presentation will discuss a fundamental shift in the approach to inspecting underground infrastructure—from methods requiring direct entry into sewers and visual assessment to remote, digital measurement systems that ensure high precision, repeatability, and workplace safety.
The presentation will cover key technologies—such as CCTV systems, 3D scanning, LiDAR, and sonar—that support comprehensive data collection on the technical condition of the network.
The role of digitalization in the transition from reactive inspections to a data-driven approach—enabling more informed operational decisions and effective infrastructure management—will be highlighted. Directions for further development will also be outlined, including data integration, automated analysis, and the creation of consistent digital models of sewer networks.

Although trenchless technologies, such as HDD and Direct Pipe, are particularly impressive—mainly due to the lengths of the boreholes achieved—microtunneling and pipe jacking are used much more frequently in terms of the number of projects completed. For the gas transmission network operator GAZ-SYSTEM alone, 102 crossings were completed using HDD and Direct Pipe technologies between 2016 and 2025, while the number of projects using microtunneling, horizontal directional drilling, and pipe jacking exceeded 1,300. Interestingly, when looking at the total length of the completed installations, these figures are similar—73.5 km for HDD and Direct Pipe versus 78 km for microtunneling and pipe jacking.
For this reason, among others, the AGH expert decided to provide an overview of these technologies and the design process involved. As part of the analyses conducted, the values of thrust forces determined using commonly applied empirical and static methods were compared with the actual parameters obtained during the implementation of specific projects. The results of the analyses and the conclusions drawn from them will be discussed in the presentation.

HDD is one of the key trenchless techniques used to install pipelines, cables, and conduits beneath land and water obstacles. Despite its many advantages, the process remains complex, time-consuming, and risky.
The presentation will discuss potential approaches to optimizing the drilling cycle—from the trajectory planning stage through to the final installation of the pipeline.
The main areas of optimization include borehole geometry, tool and downhole equipment configuration, drilling parameters, borehole hydraulics, and process quality management.

The presentation will focus on the documents an investor must obtain in order to legally construct trenchless crossings for gas pipelines. It will also address issues related to amendments to existing decisions and agreements resulting from unforeseen circumstances that arise during the course of the project.

This presentation will introduce the method of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Its advantages, limitations, and measurement procedures will be discussed, and selected case studies described in the literature will be presented, including investigations conducted in the vicinity of projects being implemented in Warsaw. The presentation will also include the authors’ own results from studies conducted in an urban environment, aimed at characterizing the geological structure to a depth of approximately 90 m below ground level. It will be demonstrated that the ERT method enables the rapid acquisition of high-quality data, particularly useful in the case of subsoil requiring precise differentiation between sandy and clayey layers, characterized by a distinct resistivity contrast. For this reason, this technique is widely used in modern geotechnical engineering, allowing trenchless projects to be adapted to actual soil and groundwater conditions as early as the initial stages of project implementation.
The co-authors of the paper will be:
dr hab. inż. Paweł Popielski, prof. PW., Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska, Politechnika Warszawska,
dr inż. Łukasz Kaczmarek, Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska, Politechnika Warszawska.

The wide range of diagnostic methods currently available stands in contrast to the situation encountered in practice, where the resources employed are often insufficient to properly design solutions for pipeline rehabilitation or conduct acceptance testing. At the same time, the opposite situation may arise, where testing is conducted at a cost that is disproportionate to actual needs. In response to these issues, this presentation will explore pipeline diagnostics from the perspective of the needs and expectations of the various parties involved in network maintenance and the technical rehabilitation process.

This presentation will address issues related to the maintenance, modernization, and restoration of the technical condition of existing underground infrastructure components located along railway lines situated on embankments. Particular attention will be paid to culverts, utility tunnels, and drainage systems, whose technical condition is of significant importance for the safety, durability, and operational reliability of railway infrastructure.
Railways in Poland are currently undergoing extensive modernization, which creates a need for modern rehabilitation technologies that allow work to be carried out quickly, effectively, and with minimal disruption to the existing track layout and the surrounding area. In this context, trenchless technologies are of particular importance, including the CIPP method, which involves the rehabilitation of underground conduits and structures by installing a new, watertight, and durable liner inside the existing structure.
The use of CIPP technology makes it possible to restore the required operational and structural parameters of culverts, utility tunnels, and drainage systems without the need for extensive earthwork. This minimizes the need to disturb embankments and ballast, and also reduces the risk of disruptions to rail traffic. Another significant advantage of this technology is the substantial reduction in project completion time compared to traditional methods, which is particularly important on active or modernized railway lines.
The expert will point out that the use of trenchless technologies in the renovation of underground railway infrastructure can serve as a sensible complement to comprehensive modernization programs. It allows for the effective utilization of existing structures, reduces costs and minimizes the disruption caused by construction work, improves the durability of the infrastructure, and enhances the safety of railway operations. The implementation of such solutions aligns with the current technical and organizational needs of the Polish railway sector, which are focused on a modern, durable, and efficiently modernized transportation infrastructure.

Chemfor Poland will present a practical approach to effective drilling fluid separation in trenchless projects. During the presentation, attendees will learn about solutions that combine advanced drilling fluid chemistry with modern Derrick® mechanical separation systems, which help increase work efficiency, reduce operating costs, and significantly minimize waste.
The presentation will include both a theoretical component and a live demonstration of the equipment. The most important challenges associated with the implementation of HDD and microtunneling projects will be discussed, as well as examples of technology implementations in demanding soil conditions. Particular attention will be paid to the synergy between a properly selected drilling fluid and the separation system, which translates into greater durability of drilling tools and improved project economics.
The meeting will conclude with a Q&A session and individual technical consultations with experts from Chemfor Poland.