When drilling a well the hole is lined with casing to prevent the walls of the hole from caving in but also for appropriate aquifer selection. Upper aquifers may contain poor quality water, or may be fully committed to other users. When this occurs bores are drilled through the upper aquifers to allow tapping of the better quality or under allocated lower aquifers. Any unsuitable waters are excluded from the bore with casing. Casing float shoes or float collars are used to facilitate pressure cementing the casing in place from the bottom of the hole back to the surface when constructing a well, the cement grout barrier also protects the casing from possibly corrosive waters.
Float Shoes contain a check valve to allow fluids to pass in one direction only, preventing back flow of cement into the casing. Float Shoes are connected to the bottom of the casing string and float collars inline, providing a guide when lowering the casing to the bottom of the well. The one-way check valve also stops mud from entering the casing when lowered into the well. For traditional bore construction they also provide an effective technique of floating the casing during decent, which decreases the load on topside drilling equipment.
RIPE Float shoes are composed of a length of mild steel, stainless steel or PVC pipe, filled with a cement composite, the base is rounded to allow for easy insertion into the well, weld prepped or threaded at the top for quick connection to the casing string, a through hole with single or double check valve allows liquid to flow in only one direction. All parts are easily drillable without compromising on strength, so once the grout sets the casing firmly in place, the float shoe can easily be drilled through to install bore screens or additional casing.
Two types are available standard and stab-in. The stab-in arrangement allows the drill string to be sealed into the float shoe, ensuring that all cement flow is directed through the shoe and into the annulus.
Available size ranges from 4 inch to 24 inch in mild steel, stainless steel and also PVC with either a single or double valve configuration. All other sizes available upon request.
