Out with the Oil, in with the New.... Water-Flush Line-Shaft Turbine Pumps and Their Applications
Presented on Monday, April 29, 2013
Nathan Nutter1 and Jeffery Wold2, (1)Carollo Engineers, Inc, Phoenix, AZ, (2)Weber Water Resources, LLC, Chandler, AZ
As water quality goals and water resource strategies expand, utilizing oil for deep well pump lubricating applications is being challenged. Specifically, wells associated wtih wellhead arsenic treatment systems and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) have shown to benefit from eliminating oil for lubricating pump bearings in favor of water.
The need for wellhead treatment of arsenic has increased substantially since the EPA reduced the limit of arsenic allowed into distribution systems. Many wells, lubricated with various types of approved oils, have the potential to pump the lubricating oil into arsenic media, clogging the media and establishing a food source for bacteria. Media suppliers have also been hesitant to provide normal warranties for such wells. To address these potential problems, a water flush system, as well as other oil-less methods, have been implemented in new and existing wells. Water flush systems use distribution system water to lubricate the pump shaft bearings instead of oil. Not only does this eliminate oil from the arsenic media, but it reduces the maintenance associated with providing oil to a well site.
Similarly, ASR wells benefit from the water flush arrangement. Not only does this eliminate oil getting into the distribution system and into the well itself, but lubricating with water also allows the owner to count the flow rate as a recharge credit.
This presentation will detail the advantages and disadvantages of both oil and water lubrication, as well as various means of utilizing water as the lubricating fluid for deep well applications.
Nathan Nutter
Carollo Engineers, Inc, Phoenix, AZ
Nathan Nutter has 11 years in the water resources industry. His focus is in water resource management, specifically through the use of aquifer storage and recovery wells. Nutter graduated from Stanford University and has professional licenses in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. He has worked for Carollo Engineers for six years, during which he has designed and overseen construction for numerous well sites around the state. Nutter’s presentation will focus on the benefits of strategic programming in an ASR well application.
Jeffery Wold
Weber Water Resources, LLC, Chandler, AZ
Jeff graduated from Arizona State University in 1981 with a B.S. in Geology and is a member of the National Ground Water Association and the Arizona Water Well Association. He has been with Weber Water Resources for 25 years and has 32 years of experience in the water and oil industries. He has a diverse range of skills from technical design of wells, pumps, and booster stations to construction management of water, irrigation and well projects for private owners, developers, and municipalities. Jeff is also experienced in rotary drilling, down-hole tools, well servicing and work-over in the oil field.
