Making the Most of Your Borehole Camera Adapted from Information by Allegheny Instruments, Inc. Jen Gould of Gould Well Drilling Inc. (GWDI) in Lyndonville, Vermont, relies on a borehole video camera to help troubleshoot problematic wells. Recently, the company decided to shift from drilling wells and focus on service work including pumps and water treatment, rehabilitation, and other service work. The ¾-inch-diameter GeoVISION™ Nano camera from Allegheny Instruments Inc. makes it possible to inspect wells without necessarily removing the well pump, which provides a great advantage over larger diameter cameras. GWDI used their camera on a recent job to inspect a well sleeved with PVC to isolate the borehole from several unstable zones. The bottom of the sleeve had an attachment screw protruding into the borehole, making it nearly impossible to lower the pump beyond the end of the sleeve. On another site with a set of old well points, the camera was helpful in determining the screen locations and condition of the points. The company even used the Nano camera on a hydrofracturing job. The camera showed water entering the borehole from a new fracture that was opened up. On another well originally drilled in the 1980s, the casing did not extend into competent bedrock (or was raised out by frost) and sediment collapsed on the pump. With the camera, Jen was able to diagnose the problem and show the customer a video clip. The customer then agreed with her recommendation to drill a new well and use more casing. Since purchasing their camera system in 2020, Jen estimates they have used the camera 50 - 60 times. WTR 32 MAY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Pipe Passes the Test Adapted from Information by AMERICAN Following floods, hurricanes, and resulting washouts of pipeline backfill and trench support from Florida to California, AMERICAN decided to demonstrate the strength and resiliency of ductile iron pipe and its AMERICAN Flex-Ring joint. For the demonstration, a five-piece assembly of 16-inch AMERICAN Flex-Ring pipe was capped, and water was added. The assembly, including water, weighed almost 20,000 pounds and was 100 feet in length. The pipeline was then lifted aboveground by a crane. Each joint was overdeflected, and none separated. Even when deflected at 15 degrees, or four times its maximum recommended deflection, the joints remained intact, and the pipeline continued to convey water. Three additional lifts were completed, and all the joints held throughout each lift. “The joint loads and deflections were far greater than what would normally be experienced in the field, and demonstrated performance if all the ground support normally around a pipeline were to be washed away through landslide, conventional flooding, or hurricane-induced tidal surges,” said Marketing Services Manager Maury D. Gaston. “Even in this extremely abusive configuration, the joint held and would continue to provide water conveyance to critical infrastructure such as fire protection, hospitals, industries, and homes.” C&G Enjoy your family this Memorial Day with fond memories of those who have worked so hard to keep us safe in these United States of America.
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