Setting Up a 10-Channel System

What to do when you have an array of injection wells? You could sequentially inject Newman Zone® in to each, one at a time, if you happen to like being on that site and the client doesn't mind paying you for more field time. Or you could use our 10-Channel system and inject as much as 4 to 6 gallons per minute into 10 wells simultaneously. The 10-Channel system can be expanded to 13 or 14 wells with our 4-Channel Expansion Kit. It is easier and no more expensive to rent two 10-channel systems if you have a greater number of injection wells.
Here is what will arrive on your site. (No, wise guy, Ellen is not part of the package). The 10-Channel system is mounted on a 42' l x 42" w x 47" h aluminum strut frame that has swiveling casters and is shipped on a plastic drum pallet. The injection skid weighs approximately 300 pounds. If ground conditions are suitable, the skid can be removed from the pallet and wheeled around the site. Otherwise, it may be easiest to simply slide the skid on its pallet over uneven or soft ground. Hoses and fittings are shipped in a 48" l x 45" w x 34" h collapsible bulk container. The fittings are packed in two 3' x 2' x 2' plastic tool boxes stacked on top of the hoses. Each tool box weighs about 50 pounds and the loaded bulk container weighs about 560 pounds.
Position the 10-Channel system in a location that is convenient to the field crew. A second consideration is the location of the injection wells. Each system is shipped with 19 hoses 50' in length and two 25' hoses. Try to locate the skid so that the supplied hoses will reach all of the wells.
Here, 5-gallon pails are the source of Newman Zone® which will be fed to the skid through a 20' intake hose. They can be easily moved from the shipping point to the injection skid. However, if the volume of EVO is greater than about 1,500 pounds, packaging in a tote may be preferable. The tote weighs about 2,200 pounds and a forklift or pallet jack is required to move it. So, have a location for both skid and tote identified by the time that both arrive. You can easily move the injection skid later, but once the forklift is gone, the tote isn't going to move until it is empty. The 10-Channel system may be used at several locations on larger sites with more than 10 injection wells. In such cases, consider where to stage multiple totes throughout the site so that they need to be moved only once and the amount of hose needed to connect wells to the system at each location is minimized. The largest sites may have Newman Zone® delivered in tank trailers. The trailers might be located at a spot remote from the injection skid. In such a case, plan for the materials needed to connect the tank with the injection skid.
Here are the contents of the two tool boxes shipped on top of the bulk container. Shown are ten digital flow meters, ten wellhead units, ten 1-1/2" x 1" reducing compression couplings and ten 1-1/2" x 2" reducing compression couplings. Not shown is the equipment used to freeze-proof the system for shipments during the winter months.
Install the reducing compression coupling on the well casing and tighten with two strap wrenches. The compression coupling that adapts our 1-1/2" wellhead fitting to 2" well casing is shown.
Install the wellhead fitting into the reducing compression coupling and tighten with two strap wrenches. Then attach the digital flow meter to the wellhead fitting. The digital flow meter provides both total flow and flow rate. However, at low flows, i.e., less than about 0.5 gmp, the paddle wheel stops turning and the meter ceases function. In such a circumstance, the mechanical flow meters mounted on the injection skid will continue to provide an accurate measure of total flow and flow rates can be estimated by timing the movement of the sweep hand.
Attach a 50' hose to one on of the ten mechanical flow meters on the injection skid.
Roll out a 50' hose and attach to the digital flow meter at the well.
Continue to connect the other wells in the same manner. When it comes to hose length, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.
All of our hoses are female/female. We have provided a male/male connector with every 25' and 50' hose to allow you to connect them as needed.
You may be tempted to take the (seemingly) easy way and run the vinyl hoses by simply pulling one end from the coil. In the long run this will cause more problems than it is worth. The loops will create tripping hazards and may kink and restrict flow. Also, the hose wants to return to the coiled state that it acquired during manufacture. If you leave twists in the hose, it will try to "overlay" a second shape and be much more difficult to recoil for return shipping. The preferred method is to unroll each coil as needed. After recoiling literally miles of vinyl hose in both cold and hot temperatures, we know that this method will save time, energy, and frustration in the long run.
Ten wells connected to the injection skid.
Adjust the proportion of Newman Zone® to injection water. A Dosmatic™ A30-5% pump is shown. The A30-5% pump can be adjusted to a nominal feed ration between 0.5% and 5%. Remove the plastic anti-rotation pin from the outer cylinder and turn the outer cylinder by hand. Adjust the outer cylinder until the desired proportion indicated by the scale on the inner cylinder lines up with the top edge of the outer cylinder. The scale is located on a flat milled on the inner cylinder; it should line up with the housing for the anti-rotation pin when adjustment is complete. Then replace the anti-rotation pin.
The Dosmatic™ A20-10% pump shown here can be adjusted to a nominal feed ratio between 1% and 10%. Remove the stainless steel, U-shaped anti-rotation pin from the outer cylinder and turn the inner cylinder with a smooth-jawed wrench. A 12" adjustable wrench is the preferred tool (1-1/2" capacity). Adjust the inner cylinder until the desired proportion indicated by the scale on the inner cylinder lines up with the bottom edge of the outer cylinder. The scale is located on a flat milled on the inner cylinder; it should line up with the holes for the anti-rotation pin when adjustment is complete. Then replace the anti-rotation pin.
Connect the camlock end of the clear vinyl intake hose to the Y-hose that connects the two Dosmatic™ pumps. The screen end goes into the pail or tote of Newman Zone®. Because of the reciprocal motion of the piston in the pump motor, the fluid pressure in the hoses, including the intake hose, will sympathetically fluctuate. At high flow rates and inlet pressures, these fluctuations may be sufficient to "pump" the intake hose out of the pail or tote. Restrain this motion with tape, cord, or bungees. Also be aware that this same motion may upset partially emptied pails.
The end of the water supply assembly includes a stack of fittings that allows you to use either a 1-1/2" female camlock, 1" female camlock, 3/4" female camlock, or 3/4" male garden hose on the end of your water supply line. Attach your water line using the appropriate fitting. You may want to provide your own shut-off valve at the end of the water supply line if you will be moving the injection skid from place to place on the site. This is especially true if the water source is remote from the injection skid. We have included a backflow preventer as an integral part of the injection skid. However, a public water supplier may insist that you use their backflow preventer kit mounted at the water source.
The throttling valve should be shut before the water supply line is charged with pressurized water. Two pressure gauges are mounted on the backflow preventer. Both gauges will sympathetically fluctuate with the reciprocal action of the Dosmatic™ pumps. Normally, there is about a 10 psi drop in pressure across the backflow preventer. The pumps are driven by the pressure of the water supply and need approximately 5 to 10 psi of water pressure to operate. The backflow preventer can be bypassed if the water supply pressure is too low by using the bypass adapter provided with the system.
Flow rate can be adjusted at each wellhead by using the wellhead throttling valve in conjunction with the pressure gauge (at the opposite end of the tee) and the digital flow meter. Because the connected wells are resistances in parallel, you may need to adjust the ten wells iteratively several times to balance flow rates. The purge valve is used to vent air from the well casing after injection has begun. Our compression couplings will begin to slide off plastic casing at about 30 psi. Therefore, we recommend that injection pressures not exceed about 20 psi.
We have included a hose bib, 15' garden hose, and nozzle immediately upstream from the throttling valve. This provides service water to the site even when the injection pumps are shut off. Regular washing of the equipment will make life more pleasant for the field crew and, especially, for the crew that repacks the equipment for return shipping. For more information about using our injection equipment, see the Tips for Injections page.