Installation of horizontal wells in landfilled waste using directional drilling
Installation of horizontal wells in landfilled waste using directional drilling
Leachate levels within a landfill must often be controlled for environmental and/or regulatory reasons by means of pumping from wells. Conventional vertical wells are usually used for this purpose, but there is a perception that they are inefficient. In this paper, the feasibility of using directional drilling to install horizontal wells for leachate control in landfills is investigated with reference to pilot and full scale field trials at Rainham, U.K. The difficulties of well-screen design and installation in a landfilled waste are discussed; the insights gained during trial installation are described; and the effectiveness of three trial wells is assessed with reference to the leachate flow rates and drawdowns achieved, in comparison with conventional vertical wells. It is concluded that the drilling rig used must be sufficiently powerful to cope with the likelihood of at least partial borehole collapse around the well-screen during installation; that the screen slot size can be based on at least the D30 particle size of the waste and a natural filter allowed to develop around the well (provided that the resulting well screen is strong enough); and that as experience with the technology grows, directionally drilled horizontal wells could represent a viable, cost effective alternative to conventional vertical wells for leachate control in landfills.
landfill gas, landfills, leachates, well construction
869-878
Cox, S.E.
0a0a46ee-52eb-4086-82ae-659de8b5c094
Beaven, R. P.
5893d749-f03c-4c55-b9c9-e90f00a32b57
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Cole, D.J.
9c443c7d-5291-40e8-b0a9-e0e3cf7948f1
July 2006
Cox, S.E.
0a0a46ee-52eb-4086-82ae-659de8b5c094
Beaven, R. P.
5893d749-f03c-4c55-b9c9-e90f00a32b57
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Cole, D.J.
9c443c7d-5291-40e8-b0a9-e0e3cf7948f1
Cox, S.E., Beaven, R. P., Powrie, W. and Cole, D.J.
(2006)
Installation of horizontal wells in landfilled waste using directional drilling.
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 132 (7), .
(doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2006)132:7(869)).
Abstract
Leachate levels within a landfill must often be controlled for environmental and/or regulatory reasons by means of pumping from wells. Conventional vertical wells are usually used for this purpose, but there is a perception that they are inefficient. In this paper, the feasibility of using directional drilling to install horizontal wells for leachate control in landfills is investigated with reference to pilot and full scale field trials at Rainham, U.K. The difficulties of well-screen design and installation in a landfilled waste are discussed; the insights gained during trial installation are described; and the effectiveness of three trial wells is assessed with reference to the leachate flow rates and drawdowns achieved, in comparison with conventional vertical wells. It is concluded that the drilling rig used must be sufficiently powerful to cope with the likelihood of at least partial borehole collapse around the well-screen during installation; that the screen slot size can be based on at least the D30 particle size of the waste and a natural filter allowed to develop around the well (provided that the resulting well screen is strong enough); and that as experience with the technology grows, directionally drilled horizontal wells could represent a viable, cost effective alternative to conventional vertical wells for leachate control in landfills.
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Published date: July 2006
Additional Information:
One of the first papers to deal comprehensively and scientifically with the problems of installing a horizontal leachate well in a waste landfill. Has already generated enquiries from around the world [e.g. Jay Martin of Deffenbaugh Industries, Inc. Kansas (jm@deffenbaughdisposal.com)] .
Keywords:
landfill gas, landfills, leachates, well construction
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 39512
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/39512
ISSN: 1090-0241
PURE UUID: 6664b6a7-c543-4e6b-ae18-8e2650b7061d
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Date deposited: 28 Jun 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:54
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Author:
S.E. Cox
Author:
D.J. Cole
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