Newcastle University

Borehole Design, Construction and Operation

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Correct design and long term maintenance of boreholes is critical to ensuring sustainable water supplies from groundwater. This course provides a detailed understanding of the principles and practice of borehole design and maintenance, including design, drilling, geophysical investigation, test pumping, and long-term maintenance. The focus is on water supply boreholes, although many of the techniques apply equally to other types of boreholes used for investigation, monitoring or water quality sampling. The course is taught by experienced academics and practitioners from leading drilling and geophysical logging companies and includes a combination of classroom work, computer practicals, and a field visit to the University's own borehole experimental facilities at Cockle Park in Northumberland.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, delegates will have an understanding of:

• the types and uses of boreholes and wells;
• drilling and borehole investigation techniques;
• the principles of optimal borehole design, and
• an awareness of the need for, and methods used in, long-term borehole maintenance.

Delegates will also have gained the following skills:

• General
  • the ability to apply appropriate methods to borehole design, construction and operation
• Subject-specific / practical
  • the ability to select appropriate drilling and borehole geophysics techniques appropriate to different geological settings
  • the ability to use borehole information including pumping test analysis to develop sustainable borehole designs and appropriate remediation strategies
  • the ability to conduct field tests on boreholes.
• Cognitive
  • the ability to analyse data from a range of sources and interpret it systematically
  • the use of scientific principles in the development of engineering and environmental solutions to practical problems in the water environment and water infrastructure operation.
• Key (transferable) skills
  • The use of practical methods based on scientific evidence in the solution of problems.

Course Outline

• Background to groundwater investigation and development, sustainable yield
• Types of boreholes and their uses, appropriate technology water supply wells, boreholes for sampling and monitoring
• Borehole site location selection
• Drilling methods
• Borehole investigations, wireline geophysics, lithological analysis and sampling of cuttings
• Well design principles and practice, open holes, casing, screens, gravel packs
• Drilling processes, cementing, centralisers, verticality of wells
• Optimal design
• Aquifer and well development
• Pump selection for different purposes
• Test pumping for sustainable yield / deployable output, aquifer properties (step and constant rate tests)
• Well maintenance and rehabilitation
• Well design and operation for monitoring and water quality sampling

Note that the course includes a field trip to Cockle Park Farm in Northumberland. Suitable clothes will be required.

Who is the course aimed at?

The course is suitable for people from any environmental or engineering background who wish to understand how to manage boreholes for accessing groundwater systems.

Presenters

School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

• Dr Geoff Parkin (Course Leader)

Industry Professionals

• Kim Beesley
  • European Geophysical Surveys
• Prof Rick Brassington
  • Consultant Hydrogeologist
• Dave Gowans
  • Drilcorp

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