Vandalism is a common and expensive problem for property owners. One mining company was able to save thousands of dollars and avoid the total loss of two production wells damaged by vandals. This success of this project depended on experienced drilling crews who were able to safely recover well pumps and piping that had fallen over 700 feet to the bottom of two production wells.
PROJECT GOALS
- Avoid the total loss of two production wells
- Recover pumping equipment dislodged by vandalism
- Complete phase 1 of project without injury or further property damage
PROJECT CHALLENGES
- Vandals dislodged the well pump and drop pipe in two productions wells
- Equipment weight of 50,000 lbs+ required customized drilling and support equipment
- Third-party engineer and client safety inspection required on all equipment
SOLUTION AND RESULTS
A combination air and mud rotary drilling rig with custom safety engineering controls would provide the necessary power and versatility to complete the project. No other drilling technology is capable of reaching the extreme depth and diameter that this project requires. The rig is also capable of performing a wide range of drilling tasks with little reconfiguration including: air rotary casing hammer, down-hole hammer, direct air rotary and mud rotary. This versatility reduces down-time with seamless transition through different project phases.
All equipment was safely recovered on the first attempt in production well #1. The client was able to avoid the cost of closing the well and installing a new one. This was possible only with unique combination of expert crews, proper drilling technology, and fishing equipment. Recovery work is still in progress on well #2.