Rotary jetting kit
A technology to manually drill wells for drinking water in emergency situations
The design is based on the rotary jetting kit used by many enterprises in Africa and has been adapted to fit an emergency context. For example, the entire kit fits on a pallet for easy and fast transportation. Rotary jetting is best suited for drilling through unconsolidated formations that consist of loose sand, silt, clay or thin layers of small size gravel. It cannot be used for drilling in hard formations.
General characteristics
The kit is able to drill a well up to 30 meters deep with a diameter of 7 inch. Casings up to 5 inch can be installed, which is sufficient for any type of hand pump and most mechanised pumps. Human power is used for the rotational and up-and-down movement of the drill stem, while a motor pump circulates the drilling mud down through the drill stem to bring up the cuttings. The borehole is kept full of water mixed with additive to prevent it from collapsing, so no temporary casing is needed.
The kit is simple, compact and robust and can be operated and maintained by local drilling teams. All parts in the kit are selected based on robustness, transportability, ease of use and safety. The possibility of local repairs and replacements with local materials is incorporated in the design. In addition, the included high-quality consumables such as drilling polymer can be replaced by locally obtainable alternatives.
Training
The complete kit and corresponding training programs can be delivered by PRACTICA. It is highly recommended to use experienced trainers that can provide hands-on courses when you intend to use manual drilling as part of emergency relief work. PRACTICA has a team of trainers that can help get started with a drilling program and train local staff.
While the kit has been designed primarily for use in emergency contexts or feasibility studies, the kit can be handed over to the local private sector, thereby increasing local capacity and resilience.
You can also learn more from our field manual which describes the kit.
Humanitarian organisations worldwide can order the kit through the Oxfam catalogue.