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Following the acquisition of DTD’s new Vermeer 36x50DR horizontal drill rig, we recently put it to the test by installing a 300′ horizontal drain in Connecticut.  The drain was installed under a former industrial  facility (resting on a granite block footer to unknown depth) located along a local river.

Vermeer 36x50DR at the entry location.

In its current state, the building operated as a hydroelectric plant by directing water flowing from an adjacent  canal into the tail race beneath the building (powering the turbines), eventually discharging downstream into a river.  Regulating agencies halted power generation as a fuel oil plume located underneath the building was being drawn into the turbines and discharging to the river. The drain will be used as a conduit to divert the oil away from the tail race in an attempt to again permit hydroelectric generation at this facility.

DTD began this project with a 24x40a drill rig, but subsurface materials prevented advancement of a conventional jetting assembly.  Stepping up our technology to meet this challenge, we mobilized our new Vermeer 36x50DR directional drill rig to complete the bore. Utilizing dual rod technology, Vermeer has designed a mechanical, dual-rod system on the 36×50 platform to allow the drill bit to spin independently of the drill stem.  This system differs from a conventional mud motor that uses high mud flow to hydraulically turn the drill bit independently of the drill stem.  Conditions present at this facility called for technology that was beyond conventional due to the local geology (cobbles, boulders), a granite block retaining wall to unknown depth, three granite block footers, and various site contsraints (small drill rig footprint, maximum bend radius of entry and exit curves, etc.).

Looking down the bore path, under the retaining wall and then under the facility.

The drain was designed to be double-ended and the exit was positioned ~300′ to the west and 25′ above the entry location.  The 36x50DR proved to be ideal to complete the pilot bore and reaming pass, surmounting the aforementioned non-ideal conditions.

Even with the use of the 36×50, the unstable ground presented a final challenge for the project. The last step of completion involved pulling the 6-inch stainless steel well materials through the bore.  While pulling back, unstable fill beneath the edge of the foundation, crushed a portion of the end of the stainless steel well Screen.  After discussions with the owner and consultant, it was decided to use specialized tooling to the sever the “stuck” well materials near the point of collapse leaving ~230 feet in place.  Four inch stainless well materials (riser and screen) were then pulled through the inside of the 6-inch materials and through the collapsed section, completing the installation of the drain.

As the most active environmental horizontal drilling contractor in the country, DTD encourages consulting engineers and scientists to learn more about the technology, so they can consider when it’s appropriate for their projects. With our current nationwide project schedule, and offices in three major geographic regions, we often have senior personnel spread across the country.

Now is a great time to give us a call to set up a “brown bag” presentation at your place of business. DTD will tailor our talk to your needs – whether it’s general information about directional drilling technology and horizontal remediation wells, specific case studies, focused information on the design and operation of remediation wells, or even related topics on horizontal wells for dewatering and water supply.

We travel the country for projects and conferences, so even if you are not near our offices, give us a call, because we may be in you neighborhood. Or if you’re interested in a webinar – which can reach employees in multiple office locations simultaneously.

Of course – if you have any questions at all about the technology or your specific project – always feel free to call us directly! 800-239-5950 – your call will be directed to one of our experienced senior professionals for prompt response.

This week (May 20-24) DTD is completing horizontal remediation wells in Maryland and California. Both sites require blind wells under 250 feet in length, perfect for our Vermeer 24×40 drill rigs. In addition, last week we installed several very short blind wells (<90′) in Connecticut with one of our small rigs, a Vermeer 10×15.

On the west coast, the short blind wells are being used for Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) beneath a shopping center, while on the east coast (Maryland and Connecticut) the wells are part of separate dual phase extraction systems. The flexibility of horizontal remediation wells to meet a variety of site requirements makes them an excellent choice for projects of all sizes.

These short blind wells provide cost effective access to hard to reach areas and each has provided over 80 feet of communication with the contaminant zone… each well  replaces approximately 8 to 10 vertical wells.

DTD will be attending the Second International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies, June 10-13, in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a bi-annual conference, held initially in Reno during 2011, which evolved from Battelle’s In-Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Conferences which have been held 10 times (many of them in Baltimore).

Throughout the conference, stop by the DTD booth to meet DTD senior scientists and managers. We can answer your questions about directional drilling technology and discuss your individual project needs.

As in previous Battelle conferences, DTD managers will also be presenting on several topics of interest. On Tuesday, June 11, DTD presents a poster on Evaluating Horizontal Wells as a GSR Option in Site Remedy Selection.  On Wednesday, June 12, DTD, in conjunction with CH2M, presents Best Practices for the Operation and Maintenance of Horizontal Remediation Wells.

For detailed conference information see the Battelle website.

DTD will be attending two important conferences in April, continuing our outreach to the scientific and engineering communities.

Visit with DTD reps from our Bremerton, Washington office at the Washington Hydrogeology Symposium in Tacoma, WA on April 26-28. We’ll be at Table 16, explaining our directional drilling technologies and ready to speak with you about your specific project requirements.

Meet DTD scientists and managers at the National Ground Water Association Summit in San Antonio, TX, April 29-May 1. James Doesburg, company founder, will present his paper on the State of the Horizontal Environmental Drilling Industry in one of the technical sessions. On Tuesday evening, senior geologist Mike Lubrecht presents a poster on the use of HDD for development of hard-to-access groundwater resources.

Check back for more announcements on DTD’s participation at several more major conferences, including Battelle and IPEC. If you’d like a DTD representative to visit your office to provide a personalized group presentation on the technology and how to design for HDD applications, contact Mike Lubrecht at mike@horizontaldrill.com

During March DTD c0mpleted the installation of two blind horizontal remediation wells at Camp Lejeune. We have now installed a total of six horizontal sparge wells at Camp Lejeune, with our first installed in 2004 and the others completed in 2006, 2010, and 2013. All the horizontal sparge wells have produced a dramatic reduction in contamination and all have currently ceased operation because they have either achieved remediation goals or the pilot studies have ended (see our case studies for further information on one of these or this presentation link comparing the technology between another of the HDD sparge wells at the site to other treatment techniques).

The sandy geology common in the Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic province enables horizontal sparge wells to operate with high efficiency. This same geologic setting is prevalent up and down the east coast; we have found similar success with horizontal sparge wells at many other job sites.

Our CMS9030 drill rig has proven to be ideal for installing long blind wells (see photos at right).  With 31′ drill rods, this rig has the ample size and power needed to install blind wells quickly and to operate our Knock  Off system. We continue to improve our Knock Off technology (patent pending); these recent improvements allow us to complete the drilling and the installation of the well materials without swabbing passes and knowing that the well materials are set in precisely the targeted location. The improvements may seem small, but the time saved and the decrease in waste cuttings/mud is significant. Both end up saving the client money because of less supervision time, decreased construction time, and lower waste disposal fees.

In January DTD completed the installation of two blind (single-ended) wells at an Air Force Base in the desert southwest. The location of these wells was as high profile of a location as possible at a military base… the main gate.

Two air sparge wells were installed, beneath and parallel to First Street, the main route into and out of the base. If there was a problem, the traffic of  thousands of people passing to and from the base would come to halt. The horizontal environmental remediation wells were successfully installed over seven days, with no disruption to traffic, and with most people having no idea the installation was underway. The image below to the right shows the rig set up on the edge of the road, screened by temporary fencing.

Red line showing bore path beneath First Avenue

The project was completed with our CMS 9030 drill rig, pictured below to the left. This drill rig is equipped with Range 2 (31 ft) drill rod, allowing it to handle the large drill pipe necessary for the knock-off installations.

DTD has developed and perfected a patent pending knock-off installation technique. This technique allows DTD to drill and precisely locate the bit through the designed well screen position. Once the drilling is completed, DTD uses the well materials installed through the middle of the drill rods to knock off the disposable drill bit, then strips off the drill rods. The well materials are left in the exact position where the drill rods were advanced and located.

Range 2 CMS 9030

This technique is particularly important in soft flowing sands, cobbly formations  or other conditions where keeping the borehole open is difficult, and following a previously drilled pilot hole with casing is impossible to ensure.

DTD has used the knock-off technology successfully on several projects on both the east and west coast. The tooling has been designed, analyzed,  and redesigned, allowing DTD to use the tooling to install wells as long as 1,450 feet in loose and collapsing sands. Please contact DTD for further information.

We continue to increase our capabilities to respond to client requests for challenging drilling projects. Our recent acquisition of three drill rigs enables DTD to complete longer bores in more difficult conditions and, perhaps most importantly, we can now readily respond to projects in more locations. We now have two or more rigs at each of our offices in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

DTD acquires American Augers DD-10 drill rig

Our newly-acquired American Augers DD-10 drill rig is a track-mounted mid-sized rig with drilling capacity similar to our larger rigs. However, with the short 15 foot long drill rods (instead of 30 foot rods on our larger rigs), the rig is more easily maneuvered to set up on sites with space restrictions. The use of shorter rods places no restrictions on drilling capacity however, with 100,000 lb. pullback capacity,  this rig is still capable of drilling to bore lengths of 2,000 feet or more, depending on conditions.

We have also   taken delivery of a 2012 Vermeer D36x50DR rig. This is a compact rig that is specialized for use in rock and hard soil. With a unique dual-rod drill rod assembly, the D36 can rotate hard rock bits with full directional steering capabilities. The ability to mechanically rotate a rock bit with the rig, instead of using a downhole mud motor, significantly reduces the volume of mud required for hard rock bores, and with that the potential for fracout, and the costs associated with mud management and disposal. The new rig is equipped with a Tier 3 power plant, keeping it in compliance with the most stringent air quality standards, and illustrating DTD’s commitment to Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) efforts.

The Vermeer 3650DR has already been used to install a horizontal LNAPL recovery well beneath a Industrial Era mill in Connecticut. Look for a forthcoming post describing the project which required drilling through boulder, hand-laid stone foundations, poured concrete foundation walls, and construction debris… all in one bore. Not many rigs could have completed this installation.

Another recent acquisition is a small Vermeer 7×11 directional rig. This rig is an ideal size for short bores beneath buildings or roadways on busy industrial sites or areas with restricted access. The small construction footprint extends our ability to complete projects at both ends of the size spectrum.

For more information on our new equipment lineup, call DTD or e-mail info@horizontaldrill.com

Before the holiday break, DTD completed the installation of a blind condensate drain in an Indiana landfill. The drain will be used to discharge waste condensate from a newly installed landfill-gas electrical generation facility. The drain is installed in a landfill cell such that fluid it discharges will end up in the leachate collection system.

Although the total drilled length was relatively short (119′), drilling in landfill waste is never easy. Specially adapted tooling and drilling techniques are necessary to drill through waste, and allow the successful installation of well/drain materials. Compacted waste presents very difficult conditions to drill for several reasons.  Particularly, the waste is expansive, and does not maintain a borehole, and perhaps most challenging, waste almost always contains things that are flexible and strong in tension…  quite unlike natural soil. This means that things wrap around the drill bit, quickly turning a 6-inch diameter bit into a ball 12 or more inches in diameter, and consisting of plastic bags, wire, clothing, rope… almost anything you can imagine . See the picture below that shows a drill bit, wrapped tight in landfill waste, and therefore rendered useless for drilling.

Drill bit entangled with plastic and rope waste.

In this case, the installation was made easier as drain was to be installed on a constant slope. The bore was advanced at a uniform pitch, parallel to the clay liner present in the bottom of the landfill. By using a temporary casing to stabilize the bore, the 6- inch diameter plastic drain was installed. A methodical approach and field ingenuity allowed this project to be completed on time and on budget.

In cases where the landfill drain or well is installed with curvature, more significant changes are necessary to the drill tooling in order to allow successful drilling. DTD has completed bores over 1,200 feet in length, passing directly through landfill waste,  paralleling the landfill liner. These particular wells were designed to lower leachate levels, while also allowing the collection of methane.

Directional drilling in landfill waste is an extremely challenging process, but in DTD’s experience, a modified approach and care can significantly reduce the risks associated with the process.

Final Installation of the drain materials.

DTD recently completed a biosparge well in Colorado to block the downgradient movement of residual contaminants from a decommissioned gas station. The 400 foot, double ended well was completed primarily in shale, one of the sub-members of the Mancos shale formation which is widespread in the region.

DTD's Vermeer 24x40 drill rig at well entry

Despite its relative lack of induration, shale can be tricky to drill with directional bits. Rock drill bits can be difficult to control in pitch or azimuth in soft rock, due to the softening effect of the water jets in the bit, which counteract the cutting/steering action of the bit teeth. Softer formation bits may steer better, but penetration rates are often slow. Sometimes experimentation is required to find the right combination of bit, technique, and drilling fluid pressures to successfully complete the well.

This biosparge well was completed within a slightly extended time frame, working with the client to maintain an acceptable bore path for them to complete pilot testing. The rest of the treatment system will be installed shortly, with operation of the system slated for startup in early 2013.

For more information on this project, or to discuss a project of your own, call DTD at 800-239-5950, or contact Mike Lubrecht directly at mike@horizontaldrill.com.