Wells are holes drilled to access natural resources. They can be dug by hand or with drilling rigs for exploration or active resource extraction. Precautions must be taken to ensure safety and wells must be properly closed to avoid fines and injuries.
A well is a hole drilled to access natural resources beneath the surface of the earth. Also known as a borehole, the hole can be dug by hand or with the use of mechanized equipment. Most are excavated with drilling rigs, allowing people to drill deep and quickly, as digging by hand can be time consuming and very expensive.
One reason to create a well is for exploration purposes. When people search for natural resource deposits, they may have to sink a series of wells to find a reliable deposit. These holes are small and probes can be sunk in to collect samples for analysis. Once exploration is complete, holes that have yielded no useful deposits may be abandoned and capped or filled, depending on the drilling company’s preferred policy.
Other wells are used for active resource extraction. A water well is a classic example. After digging several test wells to find the sweet spot, a permanent well can be dug to provide access to underground water stores. A pump is installed to pull up the water. Oil and gas wells are also widespread throughout the world, and people can also use wells to access deposits of other types of underground resources.
In general, certain precautions must be taken to make a well safe and stable. As the hole is dug, casing is advanced to line the walls of the well. This enclosure will prevent the walls from collapsing, preventing damage to equipment and human injury to people who may have lowered into the hole to inspect, clean or collect samples. The casing can include anything from concrete rings to simple pipes to house a drill, depending on the size and type of hole to be dug. The location is also carefully chosen to avoid unstable pockets in the subsoil which could cause problems for the personnel working at the well.
For safety reasons, wells must be properly closed in many regions of the world. For a well in active use, a drill array or pump will include a cover housing. This prevents people and animals from falling and also controls the release of gases and fumes in an emergency. For wells that are no longer in use, permanent plugging or backfilling may be required, along with signage to warn people of a well’s presence so they can avoid it. Failure to secure a well can expose people to fines and other penalties, especially if someone is injured.
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