Frequently Asked Questions

Yes it can, the thickness of the PVC dictates the amount of energy which will be used to develop the screen.

If the well does not have a sump below the screen the bottom will usually need to be cleaned.  Airlifting during bursting can minimize the fill material.  Rock wells will need to be cleaned if water bearing formations are located in the area that the fill exists.  Development of a well requires that material be move out of the water bearing formation, this is true for all types of development.

The life of the equipment is very long.  The air gun is stainless steel and requires only occasional replacement of seals and wearing parts.  The hose and cable will last for 10 years if they are properly maintained and not abused.  The air compressor requires routine maintenance as with any motorized equipment, major servicing is required at about 3000 hours.

Yes, the equipment is easy to service and we train the operator to perform routine maintenance.

This depends upon the air gun and typical operating pressure.  The higher the pressure and the more abrasive the environment, the more often servicing is required.  Typical serving requires cleaning and occasional replacement of seals, a fast and inexpensive procedure.  Service intervals for large air guns in high pressure applications can require routine serving every 3-10 wells.  Smaller air guns in low pressure applications may do 100 wells before servicing is necessary.

The minimum pressure for smaller air guns is 300 psi with a maximum of 2500 psi.  Larger air guns require 600 psi minimum to keep them sealed and can be operated up to 3000 psi.

The air compressor is capable of developing 3500 psi but is regulated at 3000 psi. 

There in no practical maximum depth at which the air gun can be operated.  Submergence is a factor but that is only restricted by the amount of pressure available from the air compressor.

Most any chemical can be agitated and distributed by AirBursting without major concern..  The most aggressive is HCL acid, which will harm the components of the air gun and hose connections.  Some contractors have used HCL with great success in the toughest of applications but repairs to the air gun after long term exposure to the acid were costly.

Development of rock wells is actually easier than screened sand and gravel wells.  It is first necessary to locate the fractures in the well bore as these are the areas in which bursting will be concentrated.  The exception is sandstone where the entire bore hole will be treated.

Yes it can.  If too much pressure and/or too large of a firing chamber is used it can compact the geological formation (does not apply to rock wells) thereby reducing the near bore permeability of the formation.  There is a bursting procedure to correct this if it occurs.

This depends upon the well structure and the diagnoses of the problem.  A screened well may only require 2 bursts per foot of screen and a rock well may require an hour of continuous bursting at each fracture.  A sandstone well with 800 feet of formation may require 2400-4000 bursts.

On site training is provided and a step-by-step manual is provided.  Initially, most operators find it helpful to call AirBurst Technology, LLC for advise until they reach their own comfort level.

That is a difficult question to which the answers are complicated.  It can range from no improvement to over 1000%.  Well structure design, structure deterioration, previous treatment attempts, previous chemicals used and excessive decline in original specific capacity before rehabilitation attempts are only a few of the issues which can affect the restoration process.  Typically 100% or doubling the specific capacity at a given flow rate is easily attained.

The shortest recorded AirBurst project was five minutes; one burst per foot up and down the screen was all that was required.  A 1600 foot deep sandstone well may take up to 32 hours with a burst every 30 seconds.  Typically two to four hours.

The cost varies with the well structure, formations, well depth and geographical location.  The cost is usually less than a new full sized pickup truck.

Development of a well requires that material be removed from the water bearing formation.  Airlifting produces a constant out flow from the formation thereby removing the fine silts and sands which may be plugging the formation or that are packed into a fracture.  It is like panning for gold, the fine material needs to be washed out of the pan.

On an average the treatment will benefit the well for several years.  In the case of rock wells that are not bio-fouled, 10 years is not uncommon.  Coarse formation sand and gravel wells will benefit for longer terms than those wells with finer and more silty formations.

Yes, we have been involved in many projects where the well was producing sand.  Because AirBurst can be directed to every inch of the well screen or well bore, sand issues can be addressed and cured at the exact source point by concentrated development. Something only AirBurst^® can do.

If the well structure is weak, a new well screen can be installed prior to AirBursting , the old screen is then bursted through the new screen and the well remains in tact regardless of what happens to the old screen and the well continues to produce water.