New Watertec 50 Water Well Drilling Rig

A bespoke solution developed for a customer drilling deep water wells in Africa, the truck mounted heavy duty Dando Watertec 50 becomes the largest machine in the Dando water well rig range, featuring a pullback capacity of 50,000kgf and supplied to the client with a mud cleaning system and rod trolley & rails.

Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania is the new home to this Watertec 50, where the government is drilling large diameter holes to 400-450m for municipal water supply in the city. The geology in the area is fragile and bores are prone to collapse so the rig was prepared for air-assisted flooded reverse circulation drilling which allows for a much less aggressive flush.

A large diameter 6” drill rod was selected to allow a large enough internal diameter for this drilling method, and a combination of hydraulic rams and a high power winch provide the full 50 tonnes of pullback required to handle the drill string and large diameter casing required by the project. Power is provided by a 580hp Caterpillar engine and an 8 x 7 1/2” Gardner Denver pump is mounted onboard along with a 900cfm/350psi compressor.

Dando Managing Director Martin Fitch-Roy is pleased to see renewed interest in these large, specialised water well rigs, “This is the kind of project that really allows Dando to showcase our ability to manufacture the highest specification of water well drilling equipment available, right down to the smallest details required by the customer to ensure the success of their programme.”

Visit the Watertec 50 product page for more information.

To view the rest of Dando’s range of Water Well Drilling Rigs click here.