The Well Done Foundation has announced that Texas-based distillery Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the Felty Family Challenge will fund the non-profit’s first well-plugging project of 2022. The well, known as Fenner #2, was installed near Caddo Lake on the Louisiana/Texas border in 1985, and abandoned in 2017.

Crews were expected to begin plugging and site restoration at Fenner #2, part of the foundation’s 2022 “Five Bayous Project,” on Jan. 6, 2022.

“We first learned about Well Done Foundation’s incredible work while reading a news article about them and reached out to understand how we could support their initiatives,” says Lisa Huddleson, director of strategic philanthropy for Love, Tito’s, the company’s charitable arm. “We’re honored to join other donors and help WDF kick off the Five Bayous Project to plug abandoned wells.”

Tito’s will also support the foundation on Gish A #35 and Gish A #31 well projects, both in the same region as Fenner #2. The company also plans to fund a WDF Five Bayous project manager position. The role will review emissions on 70 identified wells in the Five Bayous Project scope, search for other orphan wells in the project region, and coordinated plugging and abandonment work.

“Given that both Tito’s and the Felty Family’s home state is Texas, which shares Caddo Lake, we’re thrilled that they have taken an interest and are supporting our work,” Well Done Foundation Chairman Curtis Shuck says. “The Five Bayous make up a highly important and sensitive ecosystem that feeds into Caddo Lake, and we should do everything we can to sustain and protect them and our orphan well projects do just that. We are making a real difference, one well at a time, through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving water quality and delivering surface area restorations — air, land and water.”

The Well Done Foundations, founded in 2019, builds partnerships between regulators, owners and adoptive parties to plug “orphan” oil & gas wells. The non-profit is based in Montana but is also building capacity in Pennsylvania, Louisiana and several other states. For more information, or to contribute or sponsor a well plugging project, visit welldonefoundation.org.

Solinst says the Power Winder works best with Solinst water level measurement devices, but also works well with Solinst tag lines or pump tubing reels, such as the Model 425 Discrete Interval Samplers. When connected to a Solinst level measurement device, using a drill at a very slow speed setting can allow precise level measurements.

Solinst Canada Ltd. has served clients in the groundwater and surface monitoring sectors for more than 40 years. The company offers a range of loggers, peristaltic pumps, samplers and other equipment for hydrogeologists, hydrologists and other water professionals. For more information, visit www.solinst.com.

Manufacturer Solinst Canada Ltd. has introduced the Model 101 Power Winder, a tool the company says will save contractors time and effort in the field. In a release, the company says it connects to the frame of any size or model Solinst reel for “effortless” winding of longer lengths of tape, cable and tubing.

Solinst calls the Power Winder lightweight and easy to adjust to fit small, medium or large reels on the company’s products. It features adjustable telescoping arms and rollers, allowing it to also  work with other water-level meters on the market. The company says that, while the Power Winder is simple to remove and use with multiple meters, it is ideal for dedicating to one reel.

The Power Winder operates using a standard power drill, which connects directly to the ¼-inch hex fitting on the winder or to an optional flex-drill adaptor for more ergonomic operation. The drill turns rollers that are in contact with the reel. Unwind and rewind tape by operating the drill in forward and reverse at various speeds.

The company says reels using the Power Winder can be placed on the ground, on a Solinst Field Table or other flat surface. Users can secure small reels to a well casing using a tape guide or optional cinch straps.

SJE markets three brands — CSI Controls, PRIMEX and SJE Rhombus — that deliver pump controls for a wide range of residential, commercial, municipal and industrial applications. The company, based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, does business globally from multiple locations across the United States and Asia. SJE is employee-owned and privately held. To learn more, visit www.sjeinc.com.

SJE Vice President of Research and Development Julian Atchia was recently selected to serve as a board member for the Hydraulic Institute. He and two other new members will begin their three-year terms at the group’s Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, in March of 2022.

“The Hydraulic Institute has been a global authority in creating pump standards since 1917. It is a great honor to serve as a board member,” Atchia says.

The Hydraulic Institute is the largest association of pump industry manufacturers in North America. It has served member companies and pump users by providing product standards and a forum for the exchange of industry information. Board members are responsible for maintaining the missions, goals and key strategies of the institute; ensuring adequate financial, staff and volunteer resources; and providing leadership support to key committees to accomplish Institute goals.

Epiroc says the system displays data in an easy-to-use layout to map drill usage, evaluate statistics, track consumables and compare planned outcomes against actual results.

“Mobius for Drills is an ideal management tool because of all the support it provides in decision making, but Mobius for Drills also helps with driller training, so it is useful for the whole workforce,” adds Christopher Blignaut, product owner–data solutions, Epiroc Surface division.

The company adds that Mobius for Drills works across fleets with drills from multiple manufacturers, condensing all sources of information in one place. Mobius for Drills may be used as a fleet management system or integrate with a mine’s existing system.

“Mobius for Drills enhances engagement of all stakeholders with the drilling process. It provides valuable insight at each stage of the drilling process through a drill plan builder for planning, situational awareness for drill controllers and reporting for supervisors. It is a scalable product, which accommodates evolving needs of a mine,” explains Mahmood Hassan, engineering project manager–automation, Epiroc Surface division.

The system can import drill plans, monitor drilling and create reports over a secure system on site or remotely. It supports manned operations, teleoperation, and semi- and fully-autonomous modes, and covers applications from drill and blast through autonomous haulage systems.

Epiroc serves customers in the mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries in more than 150 countries. It develops and produces drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment, and also offers services and consumables. For more information, visit epiroc.com.

Manufacturer and servicer Epiroc, in partnership with ASI Mining LLC, has introduced Mobius for Drills, what it calls “a new platform to convert data into useful, actionable information.” Epiroc says it will lead mines toward automation and connectivity.

“We think of it as a tool to directly support making quick and effective interrelated decisions,” says Tyler Berens, automation director, Surface Mining, Epiroc Surface division. “Mines can get greater productivity and economies of scale as a single operator controls multiple remote and autonomous vehicles. Mobius for Drills is designed to tie the whole value chain together.”

In a release, the company says the Mobius system, driven by artificial intelligence, enables multi-vehicle command, control and monitoring to maximize productivity and safety.