State of the Horizontal Remediation Well Industry

Presented on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
James Doesburg, PG, Directed Technologies Drilling Inc., Bremerton, WA

This paper provides an update of the horizontal remediation well industry. The industry has experienced substantial growth in recent years with more consultants and owners using horizontal wells to remediate waste sites.

Horizontal environmental well designs have advanced to include installation of multiple well screens in single boreholes, allowing different treatment options in different locations along the same borehole path. Designs with complex compound curves have been successfully installed using gyroscopic steering tools (GST). GSTs also enable safe installation at sites with numerous underground utilities.

Walkover locating techniques with new electronic systems (DCI F5) and improved extended range sondes are now in use. This technology vastly increases the depth of installation for horizontal wells.

Biopolymer drilling fluids have proven effective at sites with difficult drilling conditions. Biopolymers break down, minimizing formation damage and improving contact of the well screens with the surrounding formation. Wells 1800 feet long (580 m) have been installed in loose or heaving sands.

Long blind wells can be installed inside large-diameter drill rods.  Lengths of successfully installed horizontal environmental wells have been extended significantly. In 2008, a 1,000-foot long (322 m) well would be considered "long." Now wells 2000 feet long (644 m) are routinely installed.

Steerable air hammers have been used to install well materials in challenging conditions, such as gravel, cobbles and bedrock. Steerable air hammers allow drillers to drill without drilling mud in certain conditions, resulting in wells with limited formation damage and that are ideally suited for extraction technologies.

Horizontal wells have been integrated into new remedial designs that are more efficient and sustainable, e.g., removal of volatile vapors from the subsurface, incineration of the vapors, and reinjection of waste heat to warm air in the subsurface.


MP3 Presentation Slides

James Doesburg, PG
Directed Technologies Drilling Inc., Bremerton, WA
Jim Doesburg earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Geology from the University of Missouri. He became familiar with horizontal remediation wells while General Manager of Battelle’s Environmental Management Organization (EMO). EMO demonstrated the effectiveness of horizontal remediation wells as an innovative remediation technology at Tinker AFB in 1991. In 1996 Doesburg founded Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc., where he has continued to develop, patent, and apply new environmental remediation technologies. Horizontal wells are used throughout the world for environmental remediation, dewatering, water supply and site investigations. While at Battelle, Doesburg received the Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Technology Transfer.
Back to: Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Organic Chemicals in Ground Water: Prevention, Detection, and Remediation® (cont.)
Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>
NGWA may only post those brown bag sessions, Webinars, event sessions, and like for which we have obtained copyright permission from the presenter. Furthermore, by accessing or downloading any of these items, you agree they are for your own personal use and may not be disseminated by any means to others via any medium. Click here to read NGWA's proprietary legend and disclaimers before proceeding.