Horizontal drilling method and apparatus

A method for enlarging and supporting a bore hole having an inlet end and an exit end, comprising the steps of:

• forming a pilot hole along a path for said bore hole to define said inlet end and said exit end:
• extending a drill string through said pilot hole:
• providing an everting liner system at said exit end;
• traversing said pilot hole from said exit end to said inlet end with a reamer attached to said drill string to form said pilot diameter to a diameter for said bore hole;
• and
• everting and pressurizing said liner system behind said reamer as said reamer traverses said pilot hole from said exit end to said inlet end to support walls defining said bore hole.

A method for encasing a horizontal bore hole, comprising the steps of:

• providing an everting liner system at an exit location from a pilot hole;
• traversing said pilot hole with a reamer to form said pilot diameter to a diameter for said bore hole;
• everting and pressurizing said liner system behind said reamer as said reamer traverses said pilot hole to support walls defining said bore hole with a flexible liner;
• extending said flexible liner beyond an entrance location from said pilot hole a distance approximating said horizontal bore hole;
• fixing a casing within said flexible liner;
• inverting said flexible liner back through said bore hole to draw said casing through said bore hole while said casing is enclosed within said flexible liner;
• and
• continuing to invert said flexible liner to remove said flexible liner from about said casing so that wall of said bore hole collapse about said casing to encase said bore hole walls.

A bore hole liner emplacement system comprising:

• a first flexible liner defining a generally cylindrical shape with an interior and an exterior when everted and having distal and proximal ends and having a first inverting cord connected to said distal end of said first liner and extending through said interior of said first liner for inverting said first liner and a first everting cord connected to said distal end of said first liner and extending along said exterior of said first liner for everting said first liner;
• a second flexible liner defining a generally cylindrical shape with an interior and an exterior when everted and having distal and proximal ends and having a second inverting cord connected to said distal end of said second liner and extending through said interior of said second liner for inverting said second liner and a second everting cord connected to said distal end of said second liner and extending along said exterior of said second liner for everting said second liner;
• and a
• connector slidably connecting said first and second everting cords so that said said first flexible liner everts as said second flexible liner inverts and said first flexible liner inverts as said second flexible liner everts.