Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Start Date
16-5-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
16-5-2024 11:30 AM
Description
SINGLE-ENDED (BLIND) DIRECTIONAL WELLS FOR ASH BASIN DEWATERING Authors Mr. David Bardsley - United States - Ellingson Mr. Dan Ombalski - United States - Ellingson Mr. Brian Shinall - United States - Ellingson Mr. Michael Thornbrue - United States - Atlas Technical Consultants Abstract A power company and their consultant, Atlas Technical Consultants, retained Ellingson-DTD (Ellingson) to install horizontal wells in a partially capped CCR landfill. Ellingson developed and utilized proprietary guidance and well construction technologies to overcome challenges with installing horizontal wells in ash. The technology is based on the ability to navigate casing through a designed curvilinear bore path and utilizes a specialized drill bit and navigation system. The well materials are installed inside the casing, therefore the sacrificial drill bit must disconnect from the casing and the guidance system fully removed from the drill tooling. Ellingson worked with Sharewell to develop a removable gyroscopic steering tool, allowing for bore path locating without any requirement for personnel to work on the ash surface. Once the casing is navigated/drilled to the correct position, the guidance tooling is removed, and the well materials are installed inside the casing. The detachable bit anchors the well materials, and the casing is pulled from the ash, ensuring exact placement of the well. These new technologies allow for well installations to be completed in unstable ash without requiring personnel to work on the ash surface and emplacement of hundreds of feet of horizontal well screen in the ash.
Document Type
Event
Paper_Single-Ended (Blind) Directional Wells for Ash Basin Dewatering
Grand Rapids, Michigan
SINGLE-ENDED (BLIND) DIRECTIONAL WELLS FOR ASH BASIN DEWATERING Authors Mr. David Bardsley - United States - Ellingson Mr. Dan Ombalski - United States - Ellingson Mr. Brian Shinall - United States - Ellingson Mr. Michael Thornbrue - United States - Atlas Technical Consultants Abstract A power company and their consultant, Atlas Technical Consultants, retained Ellingson-DTD (Ellingson) to install horizontal wells in a partially capped CCR landfill. Ellingson developed and utilized proprietary guidance and well construction technologies to overcome challenges with installing horizontal wells in ash. The technology is based on the ability to navigate casing through a designed curvilinear bore path and utilizes a specialized drill bit and navigation system. The well materials are installed inside the casing, therefore the sacrificial drill bit must disconnect from the casing and the guidance system fully removed from the drill tooling. Ellingson worked with Sharewell to develop a removable gyroscopic steering tool, allowing for bore path locating without any requirement for personnel to work on the ash surface. Once the casing is navigated/drilled to the correct position, the guidance tooling is removed, and the well materials are installed inside the casing. The detachable bit anchors the well materials, and the casing is pulled from the ash, ensuring exact placement of the well. These new technologies allow for well installations to be completed in unstable ash without requiring personnel to work on the ash surface and emplacement of hundreds of feet of horizontal well screen in the ash.
