Grouting is the process of injecting a material usually cement into a cavity or void to provide reinforcement. Injection grouting inflatable packers are a tool used to isolate that cavity or void, typically the lower section of a borehole for pressurized grouting to then take place. Used across a range of industries from geotechnical, construction, mining and even tunnelling, injection grouting packers have an extensive range of applications.
Extensive Range of Applications
- Casing installations
- Improving structural foundations
- Well/Bore abandonment and decommissioning
- Stabilizing rock formations
- Pile grouting
- Chemical injection
Injection grouting inflatable packers are usually lowered downhole with threaded rods or rigid pipe this also doubles as the injection channel. External inflation tube is also lowered to inflate the packer. In single packer applications a TAM valve may be fitted to the base of the packer. This prevents backflow of grout up the rods and also allows for flushing of the rods before retrieval, for quicker cleanup.
Grouting packers are manufactured to hold back the differential pressure that is essentially trying to expel the packer back out of the hole while injecting grout. For that reason it is necessary that grout injection pressures are known and provided to RIPE, so that a suitable and cost effective grouting packer can be designed and manufactured.
Injection Grouting Packers can also be used in a straddle configuration, where two packers are inflated downhole to isolate the zone between them. This configuration is used in Tube a Manchette (TAM) grouting where the well casing made from PVC or steel pipe (tube), contains rubber sleeve covered holes (Manchette) on the outer part of the pipe at specific intervals acting as a one way valve. These TAM pipes are lowered down drilled bore holes, into the work area, known as the grout zone. Packers are then lowered down the TAM pipes in a straddle configuration to isolate the valve zones with an inflated packer sitting either side. Grout is then pumped though the first packer and into the straddle zone via the perforated straddle pipe connecting the packers. A high pressure is initially required to push the grout through the rubber sleeve covered holes and out into the formation. Grout is injected with a pre-determined pressure and volume before packers are deflated and moved to the next valve zone. Once grouting is complete and the procedure is repeated at every sleeved position, typically from deepest sleeve to shallowest, the TAM pipe is thoroughly cleaned with water to easily facilitate grouting in future, if and when required. TAM grouting has some great advantages compared with other grouting methods, it can be zone specific and can also be repeated over and over again without the need to re-drill or re-install pipes.
RIPE offers a large range of Injection Grouting Inflatable Packers and associated ancillary equipment to suit low and high pressure grouting activities in small to large diameter boreholes.
- Single Packers can effortlessly be converted to a straddle configuration with additional fittings
- Straddle zones can be adjusted if required with additional straddle pipe
- Easily inflated with tube run back to the surface
- On a single packer a TAM check valve at the base prevents back-flow of grout
RIPE packers is a one stop shop and all associated packer ancillary equipment for your next grouting project is also available for purchase:
- Grout Gauge Savers
- Inflation Gauge Boards
- Inflation Tube
- Hose Reels
- Inflation Fittings
- Hand Pumps for Hydraulic Water Inflation
- Nitrogen Regulators for Pneumatic Nitrogen Inflation
