Just after the 4th of July DTD finished a small horizontal soil vapor extraction installation (SVE) in Santa Rosa, California. The horizontal SVE well was completed using DTD’s smallest drill rig, a Vermeer D7x11a. This tiny machine has a foot print of ~5′ by 12′, runs 6′ long drill rods, and is capable of1 ,100 ft lbs or rotary torque and 7,000 pounds of push/pull. A small footprint was needed as the entry location was confined in a narrow alley behind the dry cleaner.
Also, a wooden fence separating a neighboring townhouse complex from the alley further limited the setup. Look carefully at the picture to the right, and you’ll see the front of this rig tucked into the fence line. In this way, the alley was passable for deliveries and other business throughout the project.
The well targeted a depth of 6.5′ and extended 110′ beneath the dry cleaner. Horizontal SVE wells under structures often have an excellent zone of influence, due in part to the large amount of screen communicating with the formation (100s of feet often installed), and also because the building slab foundations act as a barrier to short cutting. The installation went as planned as DTD completed this project (drill, install, well development and site restoration) in less than 20 hours, allowing all businesses to function as normal.