Keyhole Technology

Vacuum Excavation Systems Keyhole Coring Machines

Keyhole Tooling

Simplifying Keyhole Technology

TELLUS is the leader in Keyhole Technology

ONE TRUCK AND ONE TWO-MAN CREW CAN NOW PERFORM ANY KEYHOLE PROCESS IN JUST A FEW HOURS AND WHEN THEIR WORK IS COMPLETED THERE IS NO NEED TO GO BACK TO RESTORE PAVEMENT. THE JOB IS COMPLETE.

TELLUS Underground Technology has combined the capabilities of a coring machine, a

powerful vacuum excavation system and a crew truck in one 25,995 lb. GVW (non-CDL)

truck. Until now it has been necessary to coordinate two or three trucks and crews to

complete any standard maintenance or repair process. With the new TELLUS “Keyhole

Truck” you will have the ability to dispatch one two-man crew to any worksite to perform

just about any process. Conventional methods would require cutting and removal of a

large section of pavement, excavating to the main, performing the repair, back-filling the

excavation and then “cold-patching” the street. The final restoration of this excavation

site would also demand that the “cold-patch” be removed and a more permanent street

repair be performed at a later date. Now; thanks to “Keyhole Technology” and the Tellus

“Keyhole Truck” you can perform all of these tasks with one two-man crew and none of

the expenses associated with old operating methods and conventional street restoration.

Process design is the key to success in the implementation of keyhole-hole technology

Tellus technicians are knowledgeable in gas industry methods and procedures and will design a processes and tooling that will work with your operating system

Complete Process Solutions

Our knowledge of gas utility methods and procedures gives us a unique ability to design

“keyhole-hole” tooling and procedures that fulfill all of the process requirements

necessary to perform a repair or maintenance process in an 18-inch or 24-inch cored

excavation. Our staff is knowledgeable in the specialized tooling needed to repair

underground infrastructure through cored “keyhole” excavations.

All TELLUS procedures are designed to meet the specific needs of each utilities’

operating system

In-house technicians test the procedures to ensure that every step of the

process will work in your distribution system

TELLUS trainers work with your crews to ensure that they have all of the tooling

and training necessary to perform every step of any keyhole process

Our staff is experienced with utility contractors and will ensure that they will

understand your specific process

TOOL SETS AVAILABLE TO

PERFORM:

Leak Repairs

Service installation

Service cut-offs (Low-

pressure)

Service cut-offs (High-

pressure)

Service renewal

Corrosion control

Camera launching

Underground utility location

Meter replacement &

relocation

Simplifying Keyhole Technology

CUSTOM VACUUM EXCAVATION

SYSTEMS

Tellus vacuum excavation systems are designed specifically to support Keyhole Technology. Our standard vacuum excavation system designs include a filtration system that requires zero maintenance to keep the system operating at peak performance levels and a compressed air system that can provide more than enough compressed to operate any air lance and all of the pneumatic tools required to perform the latest “keyhole” technology processes.

SPECIALLY DESIGNED PNEUMATIC

POWER TOOLS

Our pneumatic power tools are designed and manufactured specifically for keyhole work. There are no couplings, fittings or connections that will fall apart or brake after a few months of service.

PROFESSIONAL HAND TOOLS FOR

PROFESSIONAL GAS MECHANICS

These are not merely “tools on a stick”. Tellus tool designs are unique devices that meet the specialized needs of the professional gas mechanic performing keyhole procedures.

TRUCK DESIGN THAT REDUCE OPERATING COSTS

Standard vacuum excavation trucks have the ability to remove dirt from the

excavation but have little to no ability to meet the needs of keyhole technology. A

Tellus vacuum excavation truck with a two-man crew has the ability to excavate

the hole, carry all of the tools required to perform dozens of small-hole

procedures and are equipped with storage bins to carry back-fill materials and

grout to complete the street restoration. There is no need to support our vacuum

trucks with crew trucks to carry tools and dump trucks to transport screenings,

backfill materials and grout to complete the street restoration.

ADVANCED PROCESS DESIGNS

Process design is the first and foremost requirement of keyhole technology. All

keyhole procedures must be “process designed” before tooling can be specified to

perform the procedure. The Tellus technical staff is experienced in designing

procedures that eliminate “discretionary activities”. When uncontrolled activities

are eliminated process failures are dramatically reduced or eliminated.

Upon completion of a well-designed procedure, keyhole technology demands that

every detail of the process be addressed with functional tooling. If any step of the

process is overlooked or not adequately tooled, the process falls apart. The gas

mechanic has no ability to safely reach into a 3 to 4 foot deep hole to correct the

deficiency. When a step in the process is not properly addressed with adequate

tooling the gas mechanic must resort to conventional methods by excavating a

hole large enough to allow access to the underground infrastructure to complete

the procedure.

Simplifying Keyhole Technology

CORE CUTTING IS AN ESENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE KEYHOLE PROCESS

The keyhole excavation process begins and ends with cutting a small

cored opening in the pavement and the restoring that core back into its

original position in the street or walkway. Cores from 18-inch diameter to

openings as large as 24 inches in diameter are cut based upon the

procedure to be performed on the underground infrastructure. Just like

todays orthoscopic surgical procedures the core cutting procedure

provides a small access opening through which a minimally invasive

procedure can be performed on the underground infrastructure.

The core drum that is used for the cutting process is not only selected by

its size but also the material make-up of the pavement to be cut. There

are different grades of diamond cutting teeth for a variety of pavement

types such as concrete, asphalt or a combination of the two materials.

Tellus manufactures all of these drums in various sizes and with a number

of diamond segment grades. The core cutting machine is mounted on an

arm that gives the operator the ability to position the cutting drum at any

location across the back of the keyhole truck. Accurate positioning of the

cored opening is critical to the keyhole process since all keyhole tooling is

designed to provide access to work area from a position that is directly

above the repair to be performed. be accomplished with either

compressed air or a high-pressure water jet. While the dry excavation

process (compressed air) allows that the excavated soil can be reused to

backfill the hole with the same soil, it can be difficult to dry excavate hard

clay type soils. Conversely, water jet (hydro excavation) demands that all

of the excavated material be removed from the site and backfill material

be delivered to the excavation for restoration. Tellus vacuum excavation

systems have the ability to support either a wet or dry excavation

processes. Our vacuum systems can also be custom designed to fully

support both excavating methods by including water storage tanks, soil

transport bins and large capacity excavated soil tanks. We can also

provide heated water and heated soil tank options that will allow hydro

excavation all winter. Just tell us what operating capabilities best fits your

needs and we will build a vacuum excavation system to support your

specific requirements.

REPRESENTATIVE: