668 Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods chapter 20 Air Compressors and Pumps 669

WELLPOINT SYSTEMS Valve

Original
water table
In excavating below the surface of the ground, constructors often encounter
groundwater prior to reaching the required depth of excavation. In the case of
an excavation into sand and gravel, the flow of water will be large if some
method is not adopted to intercept and remove the water. Dewatering, tem-
porarily lowering the piezometric level of groundwater, is then necessary.
After the construction operations are completed, the dewatering actions can be
discontinued and the groundwater will return to its normal level. When plan-
ning a dewatering activity, it should be understood tijat groundwater levels
change from season to season as a result of many factors [6].
Ditches located within the limits of the excavation can be used to collect
and divert the flow of groundwater into sumps from which it can be removed
by pumping. However, the presence of collector ditches within the excavation
usually creates a nuisance and interferes with the construction operations. A (a) (b)
common method for controlling groundwater is the installation of a wellpoint
system along or around the excavation to lower the water table below the FIGURE 20.13 Water table drawdown resulting from wellpoints.
excavation bottom thus permitting the work to be done under relatively dry
conditions.
of sand around each wellpoint to act as a water collector sump and a filter to
A wellpoint is a perforated tube enclosed in a screen that is installed
increase the rate of flow for each point.
below the surface of the ground to collect water in order to lower the piezo-
Wellpoints can be installed at any spacing, but usually the spacings vary
metric level of groundwater. The essential parts of a wellpoint are illustrated
from 2 to 5 ft (see Fig. 20.12) along the header. The maximum. height that
in Fig. 20.12. The top of a wellpoint is attached to a vertical riser pipe. The water can be lifted is about 20 ft. If it is necessary to lower the water table to a
riser extends a short distance above the ground surface, at which point it is
greater depth, one or more additional stages ofwellpoints should be installed,
connected to a larger pipe called a "header." The header pipe lies on the
each stage at a lower depth within the excavation.
ground surface and serves as the trunk line to which multiple risers are con-
nected. A valve is installed between each wellpoint and the header to regulate
the flow of water. Header pipes are usually 6 to 10 in. in diameter. The header
Capacity of a Wellpoint System
pipe is connectd to the suction of a centrifugal pump. A wellpoint system may The capacity of a wellpoint system depends on
include a few or several hundred wellpoints, all connected to one or more the number of points installed, the permeabil-
headers and pumps. ity of the soil, and the amount of water pres- Flow, gallons per minute per lineal ft. of perimeter
The principle by which a wellpoint system oper- ent. An engineer who is experienced in this
ates is illustrated in Fig. 20.13. Figure 20.13(a) shows kind of work can perform tests that will pro-
how a single point will lower the surface of the water vide data to make a reasonably accurate esti-
table in the soil adjacent to the point. Figure 20.13(b) mate concerning the capacity necessary to
shows how several points, installed reasonably close lower the water to the desired depth. The flow
together, lower the water table over an extended area. per wellpoint may vary from 3 to 4 gpm, in
Wellpoints will operate satisfactorily if they are the case of fine to medium sands, to as much
installed in a permeable soil such as sand or gravel. If as 30 or more gpm for course sand. Figure
they are installed in a less permeable soil, such as silt, 20.14 presents approximate flow rates to well-
it may be necessary first to create a permeable well. points in various soil formations. 0.5 I 2 5 10 20 50 100
A permeable well can be constructed by sinking, for Using the Fig. 20.14 data will aid in the
each point, a 6- to 10-in.-diameter pipe, removing the selection of the size of pumps that should be
soil from inside the pipe, installing the wellpoint, fill- used with a wellpoint system. As an example, FIGURE 20.14 Approximate flow through various soil
ing the space inside the pipe with sand or fine gravel, consider that it is necessary to dewater a pit formations to a line of well points.
FIGURE 20.12 Parts of a wellpoint system. and then withdrawing the pipe. This leaves a volume that is 15 ft deep and that the water table is 5 ft Source: Moretrench America Corporation.
I _______ _
Construction Planning, Equipment. and Methods
670
FIGURE 20.15 Deep wells used to dewater an excavation.
below the surface of the ground. It is known that the soils to be encountered
are fine sands. Therefore, starting with a water-lowering requirement of 10 ft
(15 - 5) on the left side of the chart, proceed horizontally to the fme sand
diagonal. From the intersection of the horizontal projection and the fme sand
diagonal, project a vertical line down to the flow rate numbers on the bottom
of the chart. Consequently, a flow of 0.5 gpm per foot of header pipe could be
expected for these conditions.
DEEP WELLS
Another method for dewatering an excavation is the use of deep wells. Large-
diameter deep wells are suitable for lowering the groundwater table at sites where
the soil formation becomes more pervious with depth.
the excavation penetrates or is underlain by sand or coarse granular soils.
In addition, there is a requirement that there be sufficient depth of pervious
materials below the level to which the water table is to be lowered for ade-
quate submergence of well screens and pumps. The advantage of deep wells is
that they can be installed outside the zone of construction operations, as illus-
trated in Fig. 20.15.
SUMMARY
A compressed-air system consists of one or more compressors together with a
distribution system to carry the air to the points of use. Portable compressors are
more commonly used on construction sites where it is necessary to meet fre-
quently changing job demands, typically at a number of locations on the job site.
Pipe and hose size selection for an air line requires an analysis of friction losses.
Construction pumps must frequently perform under severe conditions,
such as those resulting from variations in the pumping head or from handling
water that is muddy, sandy, or trashy. The required rate of pumping may vary
considerably during the duration of a construction project. The proper pump
solution is to select the equipment that will adequately take care of the pump-
ing needs.
chapter 20 Air Compressors and Pumps 671
A common method for contJ:olling groundwater is the installation of a
wellpoint system along or around the excavation to lower the water table
below the excavation bottom, thus permitting the work to be done under rela-
tively dry conditions. Another method for dewatering an excavation is the use
of deep wells. Critical learning objectives include:
An ability to apply the gas laws as appropriate
An ability to calculate the pressure loss as air flows through a pipe or hose
An understanding of the diversity factor in calculating actual load on an air
system
An understanding of the types of pumps available
An understanding of the effect altitude and temperature have on a pump's
performance
An ability to determine pump performance from appropriate charts
An ability to calculate friction losses
An ability to select a suitably sized pump based on project conditions and
the quantity of water to be moved
These objectives are the basis for the problems that follow.
PROBLEMS.
20.1 An air compressor draws in 1,000 cf of air at a gauge pressure of 0 psi
and a temperature of 70F. The air is compressed to a gauge pressure of
100 psi at a temperature of 140F. The atmospheric pressure is 14.0 psi.
Determine the volume of air after it is compressed. (139 cf)
20.2 An air compressor draws in 1,000 cf of free air at a gauge pressure of
0 psi and a temperature of 60F. The air is compressed to a gauge
pressure of 100 psi at a temperature of 130F. The atmospheric
pressure is 12.30 psi. Determine the volume of air after it is compressed.
20.3 Using the Fig. 20.4 chart, determine the pressure loss per 100ft of pipe
resulting from transmitting 200 cfm of free air, at 100-psi gauge pressure,
through a 2-in. standard-weight steel pipe. (0.27 psi per 100ft)
20.4 An air compressor draws in 800 cf of free air at a gauge pressure of 0 psi
and a temperature of 85F. The air is compressed to a gauge pressure of
100 psi at a temperature of 130F. The atmospheric pressure is 12.20 psi.
J Determine the volume of air after it is compressed.
l
20.5 What will be the pressure at the air tool end of an 85-ft-long, 1-in.-
I! diameter hose if the tool requires 120 cfm? The pressure entering
the hose is 90 psi. (87 .11 psi)
l
I 20.6 A 3-in. pipe with screwed fittings is used to transmit 1,000 cfm of free air
' at an initial pressure of 100-psi gauge pressure. The pipeline includes
these items:
l
900 ft of pipe
Three gate valves