WATER WELL DRILLING

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Hydrologic cycle (Water cycle)
Most ground water that we use comes from rain and snow.
Some water that falls on the earth’s surface penetrates the soil
and rock, and becomes subsurface water.
Subsurface water with formations that are capable of yielding
sufficient water for wells is called aquifer. Aquifers are
unconfined or confined

Unconfined aquifers are exposed directly to the atmosphere

through openings in the soil. The volume of water in unconfined
aquifers is mainly dependent on seasonal cycles of precipitation
that refills the aquifer. A water table aquifer is an example of an
unconfined aquifer.

A confined aquifer is trapped below an upper confining layer of

rock, clay or shale. When a well is drilled into a confined
aquifer, the water level in the well rises above the upper
boundary of the aquifer. Aquifers that are completely saturated
with water and under pressure are called artesian aquifers.
A just drilled artesian aquifer
 WATER WELL TYPES
Water wells can be classified according to

• the purpose of the well (city water, irrigation, injection, etc.),

• capacity (low <0.6 lps, medium: 0.6 - 6.0 lps, high >6.0 lps),
• geology (consolidated, unconsolidated, combination),
• construction method (mud rotary, air rotary, reverse circulation).

Another classification is:

• Open hole wells
• Gravel envelope wells
 Open hole wells

The simplest well is one completed in

rock formations in which the water is
produced from fractures in the rock.

In these wells no casing or screen is

necessary to stabilize and filter the
aquifer materials adjacent to the well
bore due to the nature of the geology.

Casing is normally placed in the upper

portion of the well for a short distance
to accommodate the installation of a
surface seal.
 Gravel envelope wells
These wells are completed in
unconsolidated materials such as
sand, gravel, clay, soil, and
mixtures thereof.
In these applications the well is
completely lined with casing,
screen, and sometimes an
artificial filter or “gravel pack.”
In unconsolidated settings, the
variation in the size of the aquifer
materials results in the need to
adequately filter the water
entering the well to control the
content of sand in the water
produced.
WATER WELL TERMINOLOGY
 COMPONENTS OF WATER WELL

• Surface borehole seals

• Well casing and screen
• Gravel pack (Filter pack)
• Bottom sump (Plug)
 Surface borehole seals (Conducter casing)
At the surface of the well, a surface casing is commonly
installed to facilitate the installation of the well seal.

Surface casing prevents the direct infiltration of polluted

surface waters between the casing and borehole and
stabilized the upper formations, which are usually
unconsolidated, during drilling, completion and use.
 Well casing and screen

To keep loose sand and gravel from

collapsing into the borehole, it is necessary
to use well casing and screen.

The screen supports the borehole walls

while allowing water to enter the well;
unslotted casing is placed above the screen
to keep the rest of the borehole open and
serve as a housing for pumping equipment.

Steel or plastic pipes are commonly used for

casing.
Plastic casing may be of several types: Polyvinyl chloride
(PVC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Rubber-
modified polystyrene (SR), High Density PolyEthylene
(HDPE), polyolefin, polypropylene, and Glass-reinforced
plastic (GRP or glass fibre).
 Screen Types

• Torch Cut Slots

• Milled Slots
• Wire Wrap Screen
• Bridge Slot
• Plastic Screen
 Torch Cut Slots

This is casing with vertical slots perforated

by a cutting torch. This practice is infre-
quently used today.
The method is cheap, but it has some
disadvantages: Low area of opening, high
corrosion at the ragged torch cut edges,
slag, irregular uncontrolled openings,
weakness particularly in collapsing strength,
and a great tendency to clog are their
disadvantage.
 Milled Slots

They are manufactured from casing by milling openings with

axially oriented cutters.

Their disadvantages include clogging due to the parallel surfaces

within the opening. A second drawback is low area of opening.

The chief positive characteristics of milled slot casings is low cost.

 Wire Wrap Screens

Wire wrap is manufactured by wrapping a wire around longitudinal

rods. The wire is welded to the rods by resistance welding
producing a cage-shaped cylindrical configuration. This type of
screen, commonly known as wire-wrap or continuous slot, is
usually manufactured from stainless steel, galvanized steel and
carbon steel.

Wire-wrap screen was originally

developed for use in fine grained
sands. A large screen aperture must
be selected, if it is used in gravel or
gravel envelope wells.

Their main disadvantages is high

cost.
 Bridge Slot
Bridge slot screen is usually installed in gravel envelope
wells. Its chief advantages are reasonably high area of
opening and minimum frictional losses at relatively low cost.

One important disadvantage is low collapsing strength due to

the large number of vertically oriented slots.
 Plastic Screens
Plastic slotted well screens provide an economical and long-lasting
design option when compared to steel. They also offer a light -
weight design and flexibility
 Natural Gravel Packs
These are produced by the development of the formation
itself. Development techniques (suction and force) are used to
draw the finer fraction of the unconsolidated aquifer through
the screen leaving behind a stable envelope of coarser and
therefore more permeable material.

The gravel pack prevents

sand and fine sand
particles from moving
from the aquifer formation
into the well.
 Artificial Gravel pack (Filter pack)

The annular space between the well screen, well casing,

and borehole wall is filled with gravel or coarse sand (called
the gravel pack, filter pack or gravel envelope).

Gravel pack is intended to fulfill the following functions:

• To support the aquifer formations and prevent collapse

into the casing
• To laterally restrain the casing, effectively strengthening
the casing
• To prevent the movement of fine aquifer material into the
well
• Uniformity Coefficient = D60/ D10
 Bottom Plug

A plug ("drive shoe") should always be

installed to help the casing slip down the
borehole and prevent unfiltered fines from
entering the well. A cap or pointed wooden
plug are the most common plugs.

A wash-down valve can be used or a one-

way valve (allowing water to flow out of the
casing) can be installed in a wooden plug.
This valve allows the well to be effectively
rinsed-out and ensures that the filter pack is
effectively placed.
 WELL DEVELOPMENT
Well development is the process of removing drilling fluid,
filter cake and fine sediment from the area immediately
surrounding the well. This increases the well’s ability to
produce water and maximize production from the aquifer.

Types of well development techniques:

• Chemical
• Washing and Backwashing
• Mechanical Surging
• Air Development
• Jetting
 AQUIFER DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES

In regions where ground water comes from bedrock, when

the volume of water is inadequate, aquifer development
techniques may be effectively employed.

In limestone or dolomite aquifers, acids can be beneficially

used to open up the formation around the borehole. The acid
dissolves calcium carbonate thereby increasing hydraulic
conductivity. The other techniques are:

• Hydrofracturing
• Liquefied CO2 Injection
• Vibratory technique
• Explosive technique