Best Practices for Ensuring Remediation Well Performance

The difference between a high-performing or underperforming horizontal remediation well can often come down to small details, which can lead to uncertainty over system performance. When it comes to remediation system design, there will always be variables in the field that will affect how remediation wells will operate that won’t be fully understood until remedial construction is complete. Even the best consultants with the highest quality Conceptual Site Models at their disposal are subject to these uncertainties. Over our 30 years of experience, Direction Technologies has developed and refined various types of performance testing that can be used to validate the quality of our horizontal well installations so that you can ensure the performance that you need and the results that your clients expect. Performance testing is conducted immediately following the completion of the first well installation so that there is meaningful data that can be used to verify a successful installation, identify any potential issues while still on site, and modify the installation plans for subsequent remediation wells.

Performance testing is often conducted in the form of vacuum testing and freshwater pump tests. The type of testing used on a particular project will depend on the type of remediation well that is being installed. The benefits of performance testing include:

• Verifying the integrity of grout seals
• Verifying that the well development process was successful
• Verifying that the well screen was installed in the appropriate geological unit
• Identifying if short-circuiting is occurring
• Identifying if there are any factors preventing the well from performing according to the system design

In addition to validating the quality of the well installation, performance testing is also used to collect valuable data. Using various gauges and measurements throughout the performance testing, an experienced environmental driller can gather data on pressures, flow rates, and various other metrics. In projects that involve multiple horizontal wells, the data can be used to adjust the approach for the remaining well installations to further optimize well performance. The data that is gathered during performance testing has various applications that are often useful to consultants, which include:

• Sizing the most appropriate equipment for the remediation system, such as blowers and pumps
• Observing the effect on the local water table by gauging the effect on the water level of nearby monitor wells
• Gaining deeper insights into hydraulic conductivity which can be shared with injectant providers to create more site-specific plans for injection events
• Identifying if surfacing of injectants could potentially become a problem
• Determining whether drop tubes or other equipment will be necessary to achieve desired extraction rates

Would having performance data immediately following the installation of your next remediation well help you be successful? Call our horizontal remediation well experts at 1-877-788-4479 to discuss your current project needs or email us at drilling@directionaltech.com to discuss how together we can create the most successful outcome for your client.