In 2022, WJ won a competitive tender to drill to some of their deepest boreholes to-date when we were subcontracted to install a series of wells at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals.
The scheme required a total of 14 No wells, eight at the Women’s and six at the Children’s Hospital, each one up to 200 m deep through layers made up of Sherwood sandstone and the Warwick Group. For long term environmental and aquifer protection a grouted steel casing was installed in the top 100 m section. As with many projects in the ground, it is uneconomic to carry out trial bores at every well location so there is never certainty about the strata and WJ had to overcome unexpected coal measures and unstable layers as well as achieving a high degree of accuracy in the verticality. On completion of the drilling, WJ undertook a series of pumping tests on each of the new wells. The step tests revealed flowrates of 20 litres per second (l/s) and the subsequent constant rate tests gave 15 l/s.
The purpose of these evaluations was to gain an understanding of the abstraction yield and reinjection rate, aquifer response and sustainability to ensure that the heat pumps are correctly sized and the aquifer is protected in the long term.
Based on the positive results, the Dalkia project team achieved their objectives and in 2025 will install a xxMW heat pump at the Children’s Hospital and a xxmW heat pump at the Women’s Hospital. Combined with other energy efficiency upgrades, such as the installation of new insulation and replacing old single glazed windows, the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation will reduce their carbon emissions by approximately 8,000 tonnes.
WJ Groundwater has completed similar groundwater management projects in the UK and globally. Click on the links below to learn more about what we do.
Are you ready to see what else our vision can bring to your projects? Why not speak to our team of groundwater experts today?
Copyright © WJ Qatar 2025.
