CaribDA 2012 Conference & Exposition

80 Years of Desalination Makes For One Happy Island

in conjunction with
Aruba N.V.s 80th

W.E.B.
Anniversary Celebration
19 22 June 2012 in Aruba

Elimination of Feedwater Pretreatment to

Desalination Plants Using Subsurface Well Intake
Systems - Applicability and Sustainability
Russell J. Kyle, MS, PG, CHG
GEOSCIENCE Support Services, Inc.
620 West Arrow Highway, Suite 2000
La Verne, CA 91750
CaribDA

(909) 451-6650

www.gssiwater.com

Overview

Suitable Environments
Subsurface Intake Systems
Advantages of Slant & Vertical Wells
Siting of Intake Systems
Design & Construction
System Design
Modeling

Conditions Favorable for Subsurface

Intake Systems
Feedwater Supply Wells Should be Completed in Subsea Aquifers Having
High Permeability (i.e. Hydraulic Conductivity), Sufficient Thickness and
in Hydraulic Conductivity with the Ocean
To Fresh Water Supply

Desalination
Plant

Slant Well
Desalination
Feedwater Supply
CaribDA

Conditions Favorable for Subsurface

Intake Systems
Delta Deposits Beneath the Ocean

River Delta Deposits

Ocean

CaribDA

Conditions Favorable for Subsurface Intake Systems

Major Rivers Discharging to Ocean
350

Coastal Southern California

L. Arrowhead
Big Bear L.
Oxnard
Santa Cruz
Is.

340

Point
Dume

Santa
Monica

PACIFIC
OCEAN

N
50 mi

Los
Angeles

Santa
Fe
Dam

Claremon
t
Prado
Dam

San
Bernardi
no
Riverside

Palos
Verdes

Dana
Point

Santa
Catalina
Is.

San Nicolas
Is.

Pal
a
Oceanside

Lake
Henshaw

Carlsbad

330
-1200

-1190

-1180

-1170

-1160

Collector Wells (Ranney Wells)

Courtesy of Ranney Collector Wells, a Layne Christensen Company

CaribDA

Seabed Infiltration Galleries

CaribDA

Horizontal Directionally Drilled Wells

Horizontal Directionally Drilled Well
(HDDW) Feedwater Supply

CaribDA

Slant Wells

Slant Well Feedwater Supply

CaribDA

Pump House

Slant Well Drill Rig

On Cradle

Slant Wells

To Desalination Plant
Ocean
Pumping
Level

Buried Beach
Caisson Collector System

Sea Floor
Slant Well

Gravity Flow
into Pump Chamber
Fresh

CaribDA

Slant Well
Cone of Depression

Salt

Vertical Infiltration
Through the Sea Bed
and Horizontal Recharge
From offshore aquifers

10

Vertical Wells
Pump House
To Desalination Plant
Ocean
Cone of Depression
Sea Floor

Well Screen

Fresh
Subsea aquifer
Salt

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11

Advantages of Slant & Vertical Wells to

Subsurface Feedwater Supply
Reliable Source with Low
Fouling Potential
Avoidance of Entrainment &
Impingement Impacts to
Marine Life
Eliminated of Costly
Pretreatment Requirements
No Ocean Construction
Impacts
No Permanent Visual Impacts

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12

Siting of Intake Systems

Exploration and Characterization
Delineate Vertical and Horizontal
Distribution of Paleochannel Sediments
Delineate the Configuration of Paleochannels
Optimize Locations of Subsurface Intakes
Refine Ground Water Model

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13

Siting of Intake Systems

Exploration and Characterization

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Siting of Intake Systems

Exploration and Characterization

Seismic Reflection Survey

Well Design for Desalination

Feedwater Supply Wells

CaribDA

Tried and True Well Design Principles

Simple and Strong
Long Lasting and Suitable for Seawater Environment
High Productivity
Sand and Silt Free

16

Well Design Considerations

Well Dimensions
Casing & Screen
Material Type
Filter Pack
Screen Slot Size
& Type

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17

Design of Well Casing and Screen

(Well Screen Types)

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18

Casing and Screen Materials for

Seawater Environment

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19

Casing and Screen Materials for

Seawater Environment

PREN = Cr + 3.3Mo + 16N

The pitting resistance equivalent is 44 for AL-6XN and 42 for Type 2507 Super Duplex SS
When PREN > 40, the materials are generally considered immune to pitting and suitable
for use in a seawater environment.

Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Steel

Aquifer Loss

Filter Pack

Aquifer

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF WELL

DESIGN
The purpose of the filter pack is to
stabilize the aquifer.
The purpose of the well screen is to stabilize
the filter pack
Well Loss

Drawdown in Well

Well Screen

Water Level in Pumping Well

NEAR-WELL ZONE

Filter Pack & Slot Size Design Criteria

Well Design
Hydraulic Testing of
Well Design in the
Laboratory

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24

Well Construction Vertical Wells

Sanitary Seal

Pilot Borehole
Drilling and Logging

Aquifer
Zone Testing

Reaming to
Completion Depth

Installation of Casing
Screen and Filter

Aquifer

Aquifer

Pump

Aquifer

Zone
Being
Tested

Bedrock

Development
And Testing

Dual Rotary Method of Construction

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26

Slant Well Subsurface Intake

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27

Slant Well Construction

Welding Well Screen

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28

Well Development
Purpose of Well Development
Maximize Production
Minimize Particulates

Typical Methodology
Swabbing & Airlifting
Pumping & Surging

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29

Well Development

Well Development
Specific Capacity Q/s, gpm/ft

50

40

Sand (

Specific
Capacity (

200

30

150

20

Development
Complete

10

100

50

10

20

Development Time, Days

50

0
100

Control of Sand & Particulates

Sand
Turbidity

Entrained Sand, ppm

90

1,000
900

80

800

70

700

60

600

50

500

40

400

30

300

20

200

10

100

0
18-Feb-11

0
20-Feb-11

22-Feb-11

24-Feb-11
Date

26-Feb-11

28-Feb-11

2-Mar-11

Turbidity, NTU

100

Silt Density Index A Measurement of

Membrane Fouling Control

SDI Is a Non-specific Measure of the

Colloidal Fouling Potential of Water

SDI Measures the Filterability Of Water

SDI Related to RO and Nanofiltration (NF)

Membrane Fouling Potential

Recommended Feedwater SDI Less Than

Values of 3 To 5

SDI Values Consistently Greater Than 5

Generally Require Pre-treatment

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33

Results of SDI & Turbidity Field Testing

Wellfield Design
(Plan View)

Ocean

Shoreline

Single Slant Well

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Two Well Array

Land

Three Well Array

(Chicken Feet
Layout

Four Well Array

35

Wellfield Design And Salinity

Management

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36

Sustainability / Maintenance
Planned Rehabilitation Using Conventional
Mechanical and Chemical Methods
Frequency of Rehabilitation is Expected to be
from 5 10 yrs.
Wellfield Operation Should Include Periodic
Rotation of Feedwater Supply Wells to Avoid
Continuous Pumping and Long Idle Periods

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Modeling
Estimate Project Yield
Refine Location of Intake and Concentrate
Return Wells
Evaluate Wellfield Configurations
Evaluate Feedwater Quality Changes

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38

Modeling

HDDW Concentrate Return

(3,819 gpm)

Regional
Drawdown
after 20 yrs

Park

(3) 700 ft Slant Well Intakes

(4,583 gpm) 1,528 gpm/well
300 ft screen 12 in. diam.

3
Water level
residual

1
-3

Summary and Conclusions

Proven well design methods developed for vertical water supply
wells may be applied to desalination feedwater supply wells.
Slant wells constructed using the Dual Rotary method enable
placement of artificial filter packs in subsea and near shore aquifers.
The RO design SDI range of 3-5 is achievable using an artificial
filter pack and the Terzaghi filter pack design principles.
Both offshore slant wells and near shore vertical wells can provide
sustainable desalination feed water supplies in permeable near shore
and offshore subsea aquifer systems.
Sustainability is achieved through mechanical and chemical
rehabilitation with an expected frequency ranging between 5 -10 yrs.

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40

Summary and Conclusions

Properly designed subsurface
well intake systems effectively
eliminate pretreatment
requirements for particulate
matter and eliminate impacts to
the ocean environment from
entrainment or impingement of
marine life.
Provide significant cost savings
in the form of reduced capital
expenditures for construction,
operation, and maintenance of
expensive RO pretreatment
systems.
CaribDA

Perth Seawater
Desalination Plant
Pretreatment System
41

Questions

QUESTIONS?

Russell J. Kyle, MS, PG, CHG

GEOSCIENCE Support Services, Inc.
620 West Arrow Highway, Suite 2000
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 451-6650

CaribDA

www.gssiwater.com

424