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Publications Get The Definitive FLUTe Manual At Amazon M o st Recent The applications of the Cased Hole Sa mpler and it vari ations 9- 3-18 The FLUTe Cased Hole Sampler 8-24-18 New FLUTe Discrete Extraction Injection Liner 6-28-18 Advantages of Simultaneous Purging and Sampling-May 2018 Assessment of Packer Utility at EPA Region 2 - December 2017 FACT Method for a Continuous Contaminant Profile Presentation - NGWA October 2017 Advances in High Resolution Hydrologic Measurements - AIPG September 2017 A New Rapid Method for Measuring the Vertical Head Profile-Groundwater Journal 2016 ​ General AIPG-IH paper on FLUTe methods FLUTe Quintet of GW methods FLUTe technology summary Open Hole Well Development Problems and Solutions Why are FLUTe liners useful for karst Preferred Boreholes for FLUTe Liners The Full Use of FLUTe Technology in Fractured rock Maximum Tension and Pressure Limits on Liners Blank Liners Sealing a Borehole with a Blank Liner How deeply must a FLUTe blank liner be installed The FLUTe Blank liner ​ FACT FACT Method for a Continuous Contaminant Profile Presentation - NGWA October 2017 The FLUTe FACT Technique - Monique Beyer FACT thesis DTU High Resolution Hydraulic Profiling and Groundwater Sampling The Analysis of the FACT ​ NAPL FLUTe NAPL FLUTe presentation NAPLs and DNAPLs that react with the NAPL FLUTe systems Sonic Core NAPL FLUTe Procedure ​ Transmissivity Profiles FLUTe profiling poster Battelle FLUTe profiling tech. NGWA-EPA Maine Conference GSA paper comparing FLUTe profiler to straddle packers Keller et al_2013_Ground Water Journal Liners and Packers Similarities and Differences NGWA Paper Liners and Packers similarities and differences Portland ME NGWA presentation on FLUTe Hydraulic Conductivity Profiler Practical Use of Flexible Liner Transmissivity Profiling Results Why and How FLUTe corrects the transient in Transmissivity profiles Head Profiles A New Rapid Method for Measuring the Vertical Head Profile-Groundwater Journal 2016 Head Profiles Using a Liner Advances in the Reverse Head Profiling Technique Reverse Head Profiling Method Water FLUTe and Shallow Water FLUTe The Water FLUTe System Cherry Parker Keller Water FLUTe NGWA GWMR Journal Evolution of FLUTe Multi-level System FLUTe air coupled transducer method Unique Water FLUTe characteristics Use of Pressure Transducers with Water FLUTe system Water FLUTe sampling procedure. after May 2009 Water FLUTe sampling procedure. before May 2009 Shallow Water FLUTe Systems Subsurface vault dimensions for Water FLUTe Vadose FLUTe Keller and Travis paper on absorber utility Vadose FLUTe description ​ Karst Applications Karst Problems and Flexible Liner Experience Why are liners useful for karst Grouting of casing in Karst with a borehole liner ​ Landfill Monitoring 1996 GSA Austin Invited paper on Landfill design FLUTe Wells Under Landfills and Buildings How well can landfills be monitored ​ Geophysical Applications Flexible Liner Applications to Geophysical Measurements ​ Liner Augmentation of Horizontal Drilling LAHD presentation ​ ​ ​ ​

FACT - FLUTe Activated Carbon Technique The FACT is an innovative method developed by FLUTe for mapping the dissolved phase contaminant distribution in a sealed borehole with 6" to 3' resolution. Figure 1. FACT Construction, with the FACT stitched between the NAPL FLUTe cover (striped) and a diffusion barrier (silver). Figure 2. FACT results for TCE on a 6" scale. How the System Works: The FACT is a 1.5" contunous strip of activated carbon felt that is added to the NAPL FLUTe and emplaced against the borehole wall during the eversion of a blank liner or installation through GeoProbe rods (for overburden applications). Once positioned against the borehole wall, the FACT wicks by diffusion, contaminants in pore spaces and fracture flows. As the diffusion process takes place in a sealed borehole, the concentrations recorded by the FACT are not influenced by cross contamination and/or leakage issues often associated with packer-based characterization. After 2 weeks, the FACT is removed from the well, cut into the desired sample intervals (6" to 3') and sent to the lab for analysis (EPA 8265). ​ The pressure exerted by the liner on the borehole wall (generally 5 to 10 feet of water pressure) creates a strong seal which prevents preferential flows from developing. Concerns of influence by contact with borehole water are put to rest from the protection provided by the hydrophobic NAPL FLUTe cover and very fast installation and removal procedures. This minimizes interval exposure times (a few seconds). As a precaution, the borehole water is usually pumped from the hole as the liner is everted. ​ FACT Results: The FACT measurements are very representative and therefore show where the true contaminant peaks are located at depth. The replica contaminant distribution can be used along with FLUTe Transmissivity Profiling data to design a multi-level groundwater sampling system and fate/transport CSM. Figure 3: Transmissivity Profile and FACT data. Note the high TCE concentrations at 112' and 140' BGS in very low transmissive fractures compared to low TCE concentrations in high flowing fractures at 90' and 130'. The TCE concentrations at 140' and 112' are the same or twice as high, respectively, as the highest flowing fracture in the borehole at 130' despite the fact that they are two of the lowest flowing fractures in the borehole. This data emphasizes the need for high resolution methods rather than coarse measurements to assure that all significant contaminant source zones are properly identified during characterization. Water Samples (green diamonds), validate the FACT concentrations. Click Here for the FACT Method for a Continuous Contaminant Profile Presentation - NGWA October 2017 ​ TECHNICAL NOTES: ​ Installation Times: FLUTe liner systems should be installed as quickly as possible after the hole is drilled to minimize cross connection effects of the borehole water on the pore water in the open borehole. ​ Reaction Times: ​ Vadose Zone: The FACT is typically left in place for 48 hours for a vadose zone installation to allow the diffusion process from the formation into the carbon. ​ Saturated Zone: The FACT should be left in place in the saturated zone for about two weeks due to the diffusion coefficient being much smaller in water than in air. A diffusion calculation shows that two days is long enough to "see" about 0.5cm into the borehole wall with 7% porosity. Concentration in pores is 2,700 ug/L. That improves after 2 weeks. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Academic Analysis of the FACT: A master's thesis is available by Monique Beyer of the Danish Technical University which is a rigorous assessment of the FACT analysis method and its use for a fractured rock site.

FLUTe Frequently Asked Questions Blank Liner FACT NAPL FLUTe Transmissivity Profile Water FLUTe SPACER SPACER

Cased Hole Sampler (CHS) The FLUTe CHS is an economical multilevel groundwater and vadose sampling system designed for use in cased 2 - 4"overburden and bedrock wells. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Sys tem Overview: The new FLUTe Cased Hole Sampler is an inexpensive multilevel groundwater sampling system designed to for groundwater sampling in cased 2-4" overburden and bedrock wells. Constructed in a different manner than our traditional multilevel systems, the CHS is lowered into a place within a PVC well, instead of being everted into an open borehole. Sampling screens are located at multiple intervals on the CHS, which corresponds with the screen depths of the PVC well. The system is easily installed by the customer in minutes and allows for development of all sampling intervals and simultaneous sampling and purging. ​ ​ Installation: The FLUTe CHS can be installed in 2-4" cased overburden and bedrock wells. The installation procedure is easy and can therefore be completed by the customer, without FLUTe on site, in under 30 minutes. For a PDF file with installation specifics in open boreholes, click here . Sampling Intervals : All samples collected from the FLUTe CHS are drawn directly from the formation, with no issues of potential for cross contamination or leakage as possible with packer based multi-level systems. The FLUTE CHS is capable of many ports per borehole depending on the hole diameter and all intervals can be sampled and purged simultaneously. ​ Head Measurements: The water table depth at each port can be measured with a FLUTe vacuum water level meter system. For continuous head measurements at each port, an air couple transducer (ACT) system can be used with a simple surface connection. The transducers are located in the surface casing for easy access for reuse, replacement or repair. Well Completion: Prior to installation of the FLUTe CHS, a traditional multi-screened PVC well should be installed by the driller. Bentonite should be used to isolate screen sections and sand used as backfill. ​ Warranty and Removability : The FLUTe CHS system is fully warrantied and removable for other use of the borehole or easy abandonment by grouting the borehole. The system can be used for artesian situations with a heavy mud fill. Whereas the system can be used for a variety of borehole depths, the Standard Water FLUTe system is better suited for boreholes more than 200 ft deep or for deeper water tables. For systems in uncased bedrock wells, check out the Water FLUTe SPACER

Innovative Flexible Liners for High Resolution Hydrogeologic Characterization Sealing Boreholes Blank FLUTe Liner Mapping NAPL Bedrock Characteristics Transmissivity Profiling Reverse Head Profiling Multi Level Groundwater Sampling Water FLUTe Shallow Water FLUTe Click Here for the Full List of FLUTe Methods and Products Get The Definitive FLUTe Manual At Amazon AdsP2p Watch the Video Below To Learn More! © 2022 by FLUTe

Blank Liner Procedures ​ Blank liner installation procedures Whereas FLUTe personnel are most experienced in the installation of blank liners, it has become more common for our customers to install their own blank liners. This is especially convenient for installing sealing liners immediately after a borehole is completed and preferably after the borehole has been well developed, if the natural flow paths in the formation are important to the use of the borehole. Many drilling companies have now gained experience with FLUTe blank liner installations and removals. However, not everyone in each drilling company has the same amount of training and experience. It is important to assure that an experienced individual will be doing the installation or removal. Blank Liner Installation Information: Blank Liner Installation Procedure How Deeply Must a liner be Installed in a Borehole? Maximum Liner Tension and Pressure Limits FLUTe has developed a 55 minute video teaching the proper blank liner installation and removal procedures using FLUTe’s ancillary equipment. A blank liner can be installed directly from the shipping reel, but it requires special care and equipment to remove a blank liner. For a copy of the video, please contact us. If preferred, FLUTe can provide assistance with the installation and removal of blank liners. If there are any uncertainties about an installation or removal, FLUTe should be contacted for guidance. Blank liner use with other borehole measurements It is often convenient for all the boreholes to be completed and sealed with a liner before the geophysical, or other, measurements are performed. A common practice is to complete the drilling and sealing of all the boreholes and to then invite FLUTe to remove a liner for the geophysical measurements while FLUTe then removes a second liner. Then the geophysics crew moves to the second hole while FLUTe preforms the reinstallation of the first liner with a transmissivity profile measurement. FLUTe then removes the third liner, and then reinstalls the second liner, etc... In this manner, both the FLUTe transmissivity profiles and geophysical measurements are done in one mobilization with substantial cost savings. It has been found that the blank liner removal can be helpful to the better development of the borehole. Click here for a number of solutions to risky open borehole development. Another alternative is for the geophysics, and perhaps packer testing, to be done before the borehole is sealed with a liner, but in that case, the boreholes are open longer for cross connecting flow. The above procedures do not conveniently allow for packer testing. If a multi-level system is to be installed, packer testing for contaminant assessment may not be necessary and the time the borehole is open is minimized. ​ ​

What are FLUTe Liners? FLUTe liners are flexible sleeves of impermeable nylon fabric that are closed on one end. When installed in a well and pressurized with air, water, or mud, the liners seal to the interior of a borehole. Liners can be made of many different strength fabrics and diameters ranging from 2" to 30"+. Liners can be installed in the overburden through sonic casing and direct push and in bedrock by eversion in open boreholes. ​ ​ Applications Seal Open Boreholes Multi-Level Groundwater Sampling Map NAPL Free Product Map Dissolved Phase NAPL Transmissivity Profiling Head Distribution Profiling Unique Applications

Liner Mechanics FLUTe liners are delivered to the site on a shipping reel with the liner wound inside out (see "Figure 1"). The open end of the liner is clamped to the wellhead and the liner is then pushed inside the casing a foot or so to create a small pocket. Water is then added to the pocket to a level above the water table of the formation, creating a driving pressure on the bottom end of the liner. The driving pressure (typically 5 to 10 feet of water pressure) allows the liner to propagate down the borehole (eversion), displacing the borehole water into open flow paths and seals the liner firmly to the borehole wall (see "Animation"). ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Figure 1. Liner on Shipping Reel Figure 2. Water Addition to the liner Animation: Liner Eversion The pressure exerted by the liner on the borehole wall is very strong and seals off all fracture flows in the borehole (see "Video"). ​ The driving pressure needed to evert the liner down the borehole mainly depends on the head of the formation. For high head or artesian conditions, differential pressure can be achieved by the addition of higher density muds to the interior of the liner or by the use of stand pipes and elevated platforms during installation. ​ Video: Liner Sealing Quality Video ​

Blank Liner Procedures ​ Blank liner installation procedures Whereas FLUTe personnel are most experienced in the installation of blank liners, it has become more common for our customers to install their own blank liners. This is especially convenient for installing sealing liners immediately after a borehole is completed and preferably after the borehole has been well developed, if the natural flow paths in the formation are important to the use of the borehole. Many drilling companies have now gained experience with FLUTe blank liner installations and removals. However, not everyone in each drilling company has the same amount of training and experience. It is important to assure that an experienced individual will be doing the installation or removal. Blank Liner Installation Information: Blank Liner Installation Procedure How Deeply Must a liner be Installed in a Borehole? Maximum Liner Tension and Pressure Limits FLUTe has developed a 55 minute video teaching the proper blank liner installation and removal procedures using FLUTe’s ancillary equipment. A blank liner can be installed directly from the shipping reel, but it requires special care and equipment to remove a blank liner. For a copy of the video, please contact us. If preferred, FLUTe can provide assistance with the installation and removal of blank liners. If there are any uncertainties about an installation or removal, FLUTe should be contacted for guidance. Blank liner use with other borehole measurements It is often convenient for all the boreholes to be completed and sealed with a liner before the geophysical, or other, measurements are performed. A common practice is to complete the drilling and sealing of all the boreholes and to then invite FLUTe to remove a liner for the geophysical measurements while FLUTe then removes a second liner. Then the geophysics crew moves to the second hole while FLUTe preforms the reinstallation of the first liner with a transmissivity profile measurement. FLUTe then removes the third liner, and then reinstalls the second liner, etc... In this manner, both the FLUTe transmissivity profiles and geophysical measurements are done in one mobilization with substantial cost savings. It has been found that the blank liner removal can be helpful to the better development of the borehole. Click here for a number of solutions to risky open borehole development. Another alternative is for the geophysics, and perhaps packer testing, to be done before the borehole is sealed with a liner, but in that case, the boreholes are open longer for cross connecting flow. The above procedures do not conveniently allow for packer testing. If a multi-level system is to be installed, packer testing for contaminant assessment may not be necessary and the time the borehole is open is minimized. ​ ​

About Our Company FLUTe was founded in 1996 by Carl Keller - Principal Scientist , to apply the unique attributes of inverting/everting flexible liners to underground measurements and other uses. The quality of construction, performance and cost effectiveness of our flexible liner systems are why our clients are highly satisfied with our work. ​ Carl Keller is the recipient of the 1994 R&D 100 Award for his flexible liner patent. The FLUTe designs have gained recognition with the National Ground Water Association Technology Award in 2008 . FLUTe systems have continually evolved and are now used in 12 countries by large corporations, regulatory agencies, and research institutions. FLUTe's unique methods are covered by 30 domestic patents, 13 foreign patents with others pending . ​ FLUTe's main plant and offices are in Velarde, NM with other facilities in Albuquerque, NM and Warminster, PA. FLUTe methods for high resolution underground measurements of many kinds have gained acceptance as superior, or complementary, to traditional methods. A company is only as good as it's staff and we have the best! ​ Our six senior staff average over 15 years in the flexible liner business: Mark Sanchez Chief Operations Officer Oversight of administrative staff and production staff and coordination of customer orders with production staff, plus maintenance of inventory, and oversight of the Velarde fabrication and test facility. Ian Sharp Chief of Field Operations Field Trainer; Defines the scheduling of our excellent field crews, and oversees the construction of our unique machines. ​ Daniel Schramm East Coast Field Manager Field Trainer; East Coast Point of Contact; Schedules and organizes field mobilizations for the Warminster, PA location. Steve Martinez Production Manager Oversees all liner fabrication, and setting the fabrication schedule. Assures fabrication staff have design specifications and the proper training, maintains quality assurance procedures and records. Lydia Martinez Administrator/Account Manager Administers contracting, accounting services, and human resources. FLUTe International distributers: BRAZIL - Paulo Negrão , Clean Environment Brasil AUSTRALIA - Mike Mercuri , Matrix Drilling PTY LTD SWEDEN- Patrik Nilsson, PhD DIC EurGeol, Rosmarus Enviro "Contact Us" or Call our office at 1-505-852-0128 for more information ​

​ ​ While FLUTe’s many methods are useful when used independently of one another, when coupled together, they offer a cost effective and thorough characterization of sub surface environmental and geologic conditions including the following: ​ 1. Absence/presence and location of free product ​ 2. Distribution of dissolved phase contaminants ​ 3. Transmissivity and H ead distributions ​ 4. Groundwater Sampling Systems The Blank liner, NAPL FLUTe and FACT A common question is “where is the contaminant?” This combination uses the Blank liner covered with the color reactive NAPL detection covering (NAPL FLUTe) plus the activated carbon felt strip (FACT) for wicking the dissolved phase of a variety of contaminants. The covered liner is installed immediately after the borehole is drilled to prevent cross connection. Two weeks later, the liner is removed. Any stains on the cover are photographed with an adjacent tape measure to locate NAPL sources. The FACT carbon felt is cut from the cover, rolled, and stored in DI water for future assessment as desired for identification of the dissolved contaminants. The blank liner is immediately installed back into the borehole to seal against cross contamination. Sometimes, geophysical measurements are made in the open hole before the liner is reinstalled. Whereas the NAPL FLUTe system can be installed without the FACT, the FACT system is always installed in the NAPL FLUTe cover. The Blank liner, NAPL FLUTe, FACT and Transmissivity profile This is the same as the above sequence, but when the blank liner is reinstalled, it is done while performing the high resolution transmissivity profile of the formation. When completed, the borehole is sealed. Sometimes, geophysical measurements are made in the open borehole before the liner is reinstalled. The transmissivity profile is very helpful in detection of the active flow zones in the formation and in guiding the selection of sections of the FACT to be analyzed. The Blank liner, NAPL FLUTe, FACT, transmissivity profile, and Water FLUTe This is the same as the above measurements followed by the construction of the Water FLUTe multi-level system. The blank liner is then removed and the Water FLUTe liner is installed in the same day for water quality and head measurements. In some cases, the combinations above are reduced to a popular FLUTe Trio which includes the sealing Blank liner, the transmissivity profile for each borehole after they are all sealed (sometimes following the geophysics measurements in each hole as the blank is removed) and the Water FLUTe installation in all the boreholes. The advantages of the combinations The combination of the several methods, sometimes including various geophysical measurements, in a single fielding campaign can be very cost effective and provide a wide range of hydrologic information. The ability to consider the results from the measurements in all boreholes before selecting the monitoring intervals in each hole allows the best use of the resources without the need to make a snap judgment of the completion of each well as it is being drilled. With the transmissivity profiling results in hand, one can also select the minimum sections of the FACT activated carbon from each borehole for the relatively expensive analysis with the GCMS technique. The activated carbon felt can be stored in DI water with little concern about loss of contaminants for many days based on tests done by the Danish Technical University. The uncertainty of straddle packer seals in an open hole in fractured rock makes the dependence on those measurements problematic. This is especially true if the objective is to determine the depth of contamination in the formation. The uncertainty of the packer seal is also compounded by the time the borehole is open to cross connection during the straddle packer testing. The power point presentation “The Full Use of FLUTe Technology in Fractured Rock” describes the potential efficiencies of combinations of the flexible liner methods for a wide variety of hydrologic assessments. Combinations of FLUTe Methods SPACER