Challenges and Solutions for Water Well Drilling Rigs in Karst Water Exploration

A water well drilling rig faces many challenges when exploring karst water. Karst water hides in carbonate caves, with uneven distribution and underground rivers.

 

  1. Handling cave water bursts and leaks: Equip rigs with blowout preventers to control sudden water surges. Prepare plugging materials like cement for leaks. A limestone area saw 50m³/h water gush—preventers controlled it, then cement sealed the cave.
  2. Getting full karst data and finding underground rivers: Use casing drilling or wireline coring to boost core recovery. Wireline coring raised core recovery from 50% to 85% in a karst area. Tracer tests in boreholes confirm underground river paths and connections.
  3. Assessing development risks: Test water for pollution; monitor land subsidence during pumping. A karst water source saw 2cm subsidence during pumping—plans adjusted to avoid hazards.

Combining the water well drilling rig with geophysics improves data reliability in karst areas.