Bentonite
Bentonite is impure clay that is made up primarily of morillonite. There exists three types of this permeable aluminum phyllosilicate and depending on the dominant element (potassium, sodium, calcium or aluminum) the naming of the bentonite varies.
The value of bentonite in the drilling and the geotechnical industries is mainly as a result of its exceptional rheological properties, such as viscosity and elasticity, which influence the flow characteristics of a liquid.
Sodium bentonite, for example, swells when wet; it can absorb several times its dry mass in water. As a result of its exceptional colloidal properties, bentonite is commonly used in drilling mud for use in gas and oil wells and when doing environmental and geotechnical explorations.
Sodium bentonite’s excellent expansion property makes it ideal as a sealant that is applied when plugging wells, forming waterproof barriers and preventing the migration of leachate from landfills.
Well caps
Well caps, the covers placed on the top of wells, are typically made from aluminum or thermoplastic. A well cap serves to equalize the pressure inside and outside the well when water is pumped. The primary purpose of the well cap is to keep contaminants, either solid particles or insects, from entering the well and contaminating the water supply.
Decontamination products
Decontamination products safely clean and disinfect sampling and drilling equipment in order to prevent cross contamination from occurring in soil or sediment sampling and in groundwater and surface water.
Drive Points
Thanks to a piezometer high quality groundwater sampling can be taken. This small diameter observation well is utilized to calculate groundwater conditions or to determine the pressure of a fluid at a precise location in a an aquifer.
Environmental Pumps
Lever, portable or submersible, pumps are pieces of equipment that are used to pump or to displace, leachate, gases, groundwater and other liquids. Pumps move a volume through the use of a mechanical or a physical action; pumps are used for sampling and purging environmental monitoring wells.
Flushmount and Casings
Either mounted flush and level with the surrounding terrain or in a box type, for safe access in high traffic areas, these devices cover the top of monitoring wells. Very often lockable, weather tight monitoring well covers are simple to remove for taking water samples when required.
GeoSock
This seamless filtering fabric is designed and manufactured specifically for use in ground water monitoring and remediation. Geosock enables the water to flow through the pipes quickly by preventing residue, silica sand and tiny particle invasion which can jam the well point and cause well failure. The geosock filter is used in horizontal and vertical wells.
Screens & Risers
HDPE, stainless steel or PVC well screens are the slots or perforations which are positioned in the casing at the depth intervals of the aquifer or aquifers to be created.
HDPE, stainless steel or PVC risers are the pipes which extend from the well screen to the ground surface, or above, depending on the configuration and the location of the well.
Silica Sand
Silica, or quartz, is the main component of beach sand.
In well drilling, silica sand is used to as a propping agent when fracturing to prop open newly formed fissures in a formation. Besides silica sand, other propping agents which are used include glass beads and epoxy (e.g.: bentonite).
In geothermal installations, silica sand is used as a filling material around the geothermal pipe in order to ensure a proper heat exchange.
A leading supplier of PVC pipe and fittings, PVC Plus Drilling products manufacturers slotted PVC pipe screen in horizontal and custom patterns and distributes Teflon, CPVC, Stainless Steel and HDPE slotted pipes and fittings. Look to PVC Plus Drilling Products for all your environmental and geotechnical tools and equipment.