Downhole Video Cameras: An Update

Significant advancements have occurred to the tool commonly found on jobsites.

By Ed Butts, PE, CPI

As we continue through another year, the topic this month is the past and current versions of downhole video cameras and wondering how in the world did we ever survive before they were available?

As a certified member of the old-timers’ club, I can certainly remember the so-called good old days before we had anything close to a way of peering down a water well without the use of a mirror beyond 20 feet or so. You other old timers know what I am talking about—those jobs when we had to use an impression block fashioned from Styrofoam or clay to be able to figure out (or guess) what we had to build in the shop or field to pull off a drilling tool or pump fishing job.

I’ll provide an update on the current methods of video inspection of wells with this column as well as offer my two cents worth as to the proper type and use of downhole video cameras.

New Improvements

Figure 1. Laval vehicle-based well video inspection system.

During the 18 years between 2006 when I originally wrote a column about downhole video cameras and today when I’m writing this column, the primary reasons for using downhole video cameras—reconnaissance, fishing, and well inspection/documentation—have not changed. However, the systems have dramatically increased in the number of models and capability while reducing in comparable cost. There has also been an explosion in depth and vision ability and available functions.

This is all a good thing. We now pay comparably less for a camera system than we did in the 1970s or even 2006, but we also get a system with many more functions!

Part of this can be attributed to competition with several more manufacturers entering the business as well as improved electronic and digital technology. These are now viable alternatives to the expensive, vehicle-based deep-well systems that were previously the only option back in the day (Figure 1).

Garrett Jones of Laval Underground Surveys in Fresno, California, one of the pioneers and leaders in downhole camera systems, offered the following edited comments when describing the current market of water well camera systems:

Figure 2. Lateral (side) view of well screen slots.

“The widespread use of these portable systems has also provided the opportunity to significantly invest in advancing the technology of vehicle-based video systems. Consequently, several systems have made advanced borehole camera technology more accessible to the industry at competitive prices. Moreover, this has had a beneficial effect on deep water systems as well as it has
allowed allocating more resources to research and development across the board.

“What seems to be influencing the perception of reduced costs is the significant advancement in portable systems, which are generally cheaper than their vehicle-based counterparts. Previously, there was a considerable gap between the low-cost, portable systems and the more sophisticated vehicle-based systems capable of reaching depths of 4000 feet.

Figure 3. Downhole view of well screen.

“However, the introduction of borehole cameras has significantly narrowed this gap. For the first time, it became possible to conduct high-quality surveys in boreholes up to 2000 feet deep using a portable camera. Before, the portable cameras on the market were mostly used for occasional purposes, like retrieving objects accidentally dropped into a well, or they were cameras repurposed from other industries.”

But What Should You Get?

So, everybody in your drilling neighborhood has a downhole video camera now, and after reading this, you’ve decided to finally buy your own video inspection system? Great. I firmly believe that in most cases it is a great investment and almost a necessity.

But before you buy one, please heed a few words of wisdom from someone who has been there. Many of these recommendations are the same as what I wrote in 2006, but they bear repeating as they haven’t fundamentally changed:

• Make sure you purchase a color system. Even if there is still a black and white system offered (is there?), color systems are a more versatile, usable investment and tool, and carry a much higher resale value.
  

  Figure 4. Downhole view of well screen with on-screen display of depth, date, and time.

• Buy a system with both a lateral (side) view (Figure 2) and downhole view (Figure 3). Consider buying a system with a camera with an actual side (lateral) view that uses a rotary motor, not just one that uses a vertical view with mirrors for an offset image.Once again, in the early days, cameras with the ability to display a side view were expensive, but better technology has lowered the price of this considerably and you will thank me later when you discover the increased clarity and definition of an image from a camera with true lateral viewing ability over the entire circumference of the well. Looking at the slots of a well screen through a mirrored reflection just doesn’t cut it, especially when it is coming back from a videotape!
• Don’t skimp on the lights! Remember that you will likely be using this camera in larger-diameter (more than 12 inches) wells that just love to soak up light, which may make your image too dark to see, much less record.This is critical when using cameras of less than 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Make sure the system you are going to buy has sufficient lighting as well as the power to fully illuminate the largest-diameter well you plan to or conceivably could inspect.In some cases, you may need
  

  Figure 5. Well-Vu 500-foot camera system with fisheye lens.

  additional or supplemental lighting in addition to the standard lights supplied with the camera system. Many newer downhole video cameras use LED lighting, which consumes less power and is more illuminating and effective than older lighting systems. If you don’t know for sure what you need, ask the question!

• Don’t forget that you will be lowering a high voltage electrical device into potentially hundreds of feet of conductive water with an electrical short (boom!) just aching to happen. Make sure your proposed system is UL, CSA, or ETL listed or certified for safety and will effectively and safely operate at any depth or well condition you anticipate.
• Purchase a system with an on-screen depth display and time/date stamp at a minimum (Figure 4). In some cases, you can even display and record your firm’s name and well description on the recording. Although this sometimes costs a few more bucks, it is much more professional and lowers your liability to be able to directly correlate the position of your camera in the well with an on-screen depth and time/date display.When using the system, always calibrate the display for time and date plus a beginning depth. There is nothing more embarrassing than testifying in a court case with no depth and a never-changing time and date flashing on the screen.
• Make sure you consider both aspects of a downhole video camera system: the camera and cable and the recording device/equipment.
  

  Figure 6. Fiberscope Strahl high definition (HD) well camera system

  Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Purchase a quality system designed for water well applications for a minimum depth of 500 feet with a downward and lateral view capability. Some are even capable of a 3D or fisheye view (Figure 5). Make sure you have a sealed cable connection that, in my opinion, will function at least 100 feet greater water depth (head) than you anticipate as maximum. This maximum permitted water head should exceed the maximum setting depth.In other words, a 500-foot maximum setting depth should utilize a camera and cable arrangement with no less than a 600-foot submergence depth rating.

• In addition, a downhole video camera is of little overall use if you cannot view, record, and store the images in real time. Sure, there will be instances when all you will need is an immediate image and won’t need to record it. But in most cases, clients will want something to show and preserve for their money spent. If nothing else, they’ll want to wow their friends with it.Even in simple fishing jobs, you may wish to refer to the recorded image, especially if the first fishing attempt fails or if your memory is starting to fade. Also, if you ever intend to offer the services of your system to other professionals (lawyers, hydrogeologists, other well drilling firms, engineers), being able to document and store the video on a computer, laptop, or thumb drive is a must.
• Don’t be too cheap and purchase a 500-foot maximum depth system, even if you seem sure you will be using it at no more than 450 feet of well depth. This is when you get a call from another driller with a freak 650-foot well in the next county who needs a video inspection performed on their well. You know the call; he needs it right now and money is no object. When that time comes, your system won’t do the job, and you’ll lose out on good money. Don’t even think about trying to splice more cable onto your existing cable.
  

  Figure 7. Flexi 2000-foot downhole camera.

• Next, although you may never use your downhole camera and inspection system for anything but water wells, many contractors have realized additional business and revenue by offering their video inspection services to underground pipelines and stormwater and wastewater utilities. This may require the purchase of a dedicated system with more diverse options and functions. Just be sure you maintain sanitary conditions for the camera and cable between uses or purchase a separate system for any non-water well applications.
• Finally, the plethora of downhole well video inspection cameras and systems currently available on today’s market provides a contractor with numerous choices as to cost, capability and functions, options, and allowable depth. Don’t be afraid to shop around and consider the system and options best for your business and local market.Some firms will benefit by sticking to a vehicle-based camera system while others will prefer a smaller and more lightweight unit that is portable, flexible, and compact. Many of these portable systems are available with simple or more sophisticated onboard display and operator stations. Two examples of portable systems are illustrated in Figure 6 and Figure 7.

Like most things in life with a moderate to high investment value or cost, a smart purchase of a downhole video camera system requires research, some common sense, and shopping around for the best overall system for your specific market, what you are willing to pay, and your needs.

Remember: If you put the same kind of thought into the purchase of a new downhole video camera system as you do with a new drilling rig or pump hoist (or even a pickup for that matter), you will usually come out as a winner.

Remember, work safe and smart.

Ed Butts, PE, CPI, is the chief engineer at 4B Engineering & Consulting, Salem, Oregon. He has more than 40 years of experience in the water well business, specializing in engineering and business management. He can be reached at epbpe@juno.com.