Loading ...

Dewatering and groundwater control | Stuart Well Services Ltd

Case Study

Harrison’s Farm – Packer Testing and Pumping Test


Client: C2V
Location: Adlington, Lancashire
Duration: June - July 2020

Project Overview

Stuart Wells Ltd. were employed as a subcontractor to undertake a series of packer tests in accordance with BS EN ISO 22282-3:2012 and a pumping test in accordance with BS ISO 14686:2003, all as part of ground investigation works for a circular detention tank in Adlington, Lancashire.


Project Overview

As part of the works the drilling contractor drilled two testing wells in 146mm Geobore S casing with no-core recovery, to depths defined by the client.

After drilling, the Geobore S was re-installed to depth with a wireline Geopro ‘double’ packer testing system utilised for testing. Inert Nitrogen gas was utilised for packer inflation. Testing was undertaken using 3 packers lowered on the drilling rigs winch, one was inflated within the Geobore S to maintain the integrity of the testing, then two inflated below the casing with the testing zone between them. With this method the Geobore S is utilised as the riser and pressurised as such.

Each individual packer test comprised of ‘5 steps’, 25, 50, 75, 50 and 25% of rock mass pressure, these steps were undertaken for 15 minutes each. This was repeated in each of the testing zones in testing boreholes. Testing was undertaken from the bottom to the top of the borehole. The maximum injected water rate was 4.0 l/s. This testing was undertaken in both boreholes and 13 no. tests were undertaken in total. Stuart Wells were able to monitor water pressure at 3 zones within the packer testing equipment utilising 3 pressure transducer and 1 barometric datalogger. Water flow was measured using an electric and propellor flowmeter and pressure was measured using a bouyon gauge and an electric pressure gauge with in-built datalogger. Stuart Wells were able to undertake interpretative analysis of the results to determine the lugeon and permeability values for the client as part of this process.

Subsequently, packer tested boreholes were installed as groundwater monitoring wells and Stuart Wells drilled an additional pumping well, in order to conduct a pumping test in accordance with BS ISO 14686:2003. However, due to Environment Agency discharge consent limitations, discharged groundwater was limited to 100m3 a day and thus reduced the constant pumping rate. This resulted in Stuart Wells conducting a conventional test which comprised of an equipment test, step-test, constant rate test at 1.1l/s and recovery test, then subsequently abstracting 100m3 at the pumps maximum pumping rate to determine effects of pumping at high flows. A full factual report was produced and submitted to the client.

Accreditations and Associations

ISO-9001 ISO-14001
ISO-22301 ISO-45001
ISO-45001
ISO-45001
ISO-45001
The Temporary Works Forum (TWf)