[[Image:drilling icon.png|right|80px]]
[[Image:Point and well screen.jpg|thumb|right|200px| Point and well screen]]
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The driven well consists of a pointed perforated or slotted pipe or a pipe with a pointed well screen attached which has been driven into an aquifer. The pipe with pointed well screen is driven into place in much the same way a nail is driven into wood. The material is forced aside rather than excavated by this technique. Normally special pipe with thick walls and specially designed couplings are used to resist the driving forces. The pipe is driven into the ground using a hammering tool or a normal hammer.
Driven wells are sometimes used in combination with augers in collapsing sand layers. If augers cannot penetrate further into a collapsing sand layer, and a temporary casing cannot be used (for example, the casing is stuck in a clay layer), a well point and well screen can be driven into the ground using a hammering tool or normal hammer.
===Suitable conditions ===
The driven well can only achieve a penetration of only 1-2 meters into the water table because of the compacting resistance of the sand. The depth can be increased to about 10 meters using an engine driven power tool. However, the type of formation (of the aquifer, permeable or not permeable) can not be determined at this depth because no soil samples can be taken. This may affect the well yield. It is not possible to install a gravel pack around the well screen.
[[Image:Self made point and well screen.jpg|thumb|right|200px| Self made point and well screen]]
===Construction, operations and maintenance===
[[Image:Driven point and hammering tool.jpg|thumb|right|200px| Driven point and hammering tool]]
Well points and well screens can be self or factory made.
===Field experiences===
Driven wells are mainly used in Chad, Cameroon and Madagascar
===Manuals, videos, and links===
* KOEGEL, R. (1985) Self Help Wells, FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper, FAO, Rome.ISBN 92-5-100398-X [http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5567E/X5567E00.htm html version].
* Rural Water Supply Network - Useful network and website for information and downloads related to Rural Water Technologies - [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/manual-drilling/168-driven-wells short information on driven wells]
=== Acknowledgements===
* The basis for the material on this page was obtained from a desk study shortly to be published on the website of the [http://www.practicafoundation.nl/ Practica Foundation], and from the [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/ Rural Water Supply Network], and specifically its [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/manual-drilling manual drilling section].
* [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/technical-briefs/43-simple-drilling-methods.pdf 43. Simple drilling methods.] WEDC.
