Completion of Well Installation
1. Placement of casing and well screens,
2. Cementing/Grouting of casing, and
3. Gravel packing
Placement of Well Casing and Well Screen
1. Types of Well Casing
• Well casing is a lining to maintain an open vertical hole from ground surface to the
aquifer. It seals out surface water and any undesirable quality groundwater and also
provides structural stability against caving materials outside the well.
• Materials used for construction of well casings are wrought iron, alloyed or unalloyed
steel and ingot iron.
• Polyvinyl chloride pipe is widely used as casing for shallow or deep, small-diameter
observation wells.
• In cable tool drilling, the casing is driven into place, whereas in rotary drilling, the
casing is smaller than the drilled hole.
• Well casing generally involves: (i) surface casing, and (ii) pump-chamber casing.
(i)Surface Casing
• It is installed from ground surface through upper strata of unstable or fractured
materials into a stable or relatively impermeable material.
(a) it supports unstable materials during drilling,
(b) it reduces loss of drilling fluids,
(c) it facilitates installation or removal of other casing, and
(d) it helps in placing a sanitary seal and serves as a reservoir for a gravel pack.
(ii) Pump-Chamber Casing
It comprises all the casing above the screen in wells of uniform diameter. The pump-chamber
casing should have a nominal diameter at least 5 cm larger than the nominal diameter of the
pump bowls.
Non-metallic pipes such as ceramic clay, concrete, asbestos-cement, plastic, or fiberglass-
reinforced plastic pipes are used where corrosion or incrustation is a problem.
2. Placement of Well Screen
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• The method of installing well screens is influenced by the design of the well, drilling
method and the problems encountered during drilling. The commonly used methods
for screen installation are :
(i) pull-back method,
(ii) open-hole method,
(iii) bail-down method, and
(iv) wash-down method.
A brief description of these methods is given below.
(i) Pull-Back Method
This method is commonly used in cable-tool
drilled wells as well as in rotary drilled wells.
the casing is driven to the full depth of the well.
the screen is lowered inside the casing and
allowed to rest on the bottom of the hole. The
casing pipe is then pulled upward enough to
expose the full length of the screen in the water
bearing formation.
The lead packer provided at the top of the well
screen is expanded by the swedge block in order
to form a seal between the inside of the casing
and the screen.
Open-Hole Method
• The casing is first driven to a depth a little below the
desired position for the top of the well screen.
• An open hole is then drilled in the sand below the
casing and the casing is filled with the mud fluid.
• The well screen is then lowered and the lead packer
is swedged to the casing. This method is applicable
to rotary-drilled wells.
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Grouting of Casing
Wells are grouted/cemented in the annular space
surrounding the casing to prevent entry of polluted
water, to protect the casing against the external
corrosion and to stabilize caving rock formations.
The grouting is achieved by using a cement grout
between the outside of the casing and the inside of
the drilled hole.
The grout is a mixture of cement and water of such a
consistency that can be forced through the grout
pipes and placed as needed.
Gravel Packing
• Gravel packing is done by placing an artificially packed
gravel screen or envelope around the well screen.
• Maximum grain size of a gravel pack should be nearly 1
cm, whereas the thickness should be in the range of 8 to
15 cm.
• The selected gravel should be washed and screened
siliceous material that is rounded, abrasive-resistant and
dense.
• Gravel should be placed in such a manner that it
completely fills the annular space and minimizes
segregation.
• In the cable-tool/percussion method of well drilling, the
inner casing and screen are set inside the blank outer
casing, the annular space is filled with gravel and then
the outer casing is withdrawn out of the well.
• In sandy aquifers where a gravel pack is most essential, deep wells should be constructed
by the rotary or reverse-circulation rotary method.
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• The drilling fluid should be circulated and diluted with water before the gravel is
introduced so as to avoid the clogging of the gravel pack.
Advantages of Well Irrigation
• Control by farmer, full control on the source, handy source of irrigation
• Conveyance loss is minimum
• Suitable for intensive irrigation
• Used as conjunctive source with canal irrigation
• Supply is free from weeds, turbidity and bacterial pollution
• Economical water use having higher delta and low duty
• Benefits of rainfall can be availed
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