Huss Drilling Inc., Dade City, Fla., recently completed a large project using its new Geoprobe 8140DT rotary sonic rig in the Fort Walton Beach area of Florida.
According company owner Ben Huss, the difficult task encompassing the project was completing most of the work inside several warehouse buildings. “The entrances were tight, yet the compact nature of the 8140DT allowed us easy access to the various rooms within the building,” explains Huss. The rig was fitted with an exhaust piping system that pulled the fumes from the engine and discharged them outside the building. A blower also was installed, which aided in pulling out the exhaust fumes. Even though outside temperatures remained cool, large shop fans were placed about the work site for added ventilation. The low overhead clearance of the sonic rig provided the accessibility to perform all of the work that needed to be done – in spite of being inside a building with a rather low clearance.
During the month-long drilling event, the seasoned crew of Kent Fowler and Tony Hudson performed continuous soil sampling and ground water sampling, and installed monitoring wells 100 feet below land surface. The soil sampling was performed using a 4-inch core barrel with a specially adapted bit to capture the loose flowing sands encountered on site. Ground water samples were obtained by installing temporary screens, and then retracting the sample casing at specific intervals. The monitoring wells were completed inside the various sizes of override casings, depending upon the well diameters. More than 30 wells were installed during the project, many of which were located inside warehouse buildings.
Onsite engineers were extremely pleased with the performance of the Geoprobe 8140DT. “The rig performed without any lost time due to breakdowns, allowing us to complete the anticipated five-week job in one month,” Huss adds. “We were able to provide our client the information necessary to assess the contamination levels, and place the monitoring wells in strategic locations, while saving significant costs associated with the typical disposal of cuttings.”
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