System and method for rehabilitating a water well with compressed nitrogen

A system for treating a water well having a well bore, the system comprising:

• a vehicle having wheels;
• a first compressor supported on the vehicle and having a first inlet adapted to receive air at a first pressure and provide air at a second pressure higher than the first pressure to a first outlet;
• a nitrogen generator supported on the vehicle and having a nitrogen inlet fluidly coupled to receive compressed air from the first outlet and increase the nitrogen concentration of the air to produce a nitrogen gas at a third pressure less than the second pressure at a nitrogen outlet;
• a second compressor mounted on the vehicle and having a first stage and a second stage, the first stage having a second inlet fluidly coupled to receive nitrogen gas from the nitrogen outlet and provide nitrogen gas at a fourth pressure higher than the third pressure to a second outlet, the second stage having a third inlet fluidly coupled to receive nitrogen gas from the second outlet and provide nitrogen gas at a fifth pressure higher than the fourth pressure to a third outlet;
• and
• a percussive gas venting apparatus fluidly coupled to receive nitrogen gas from the third outlet.

A method of treating a water well having a well bore, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of tanks of pressurized gas;
• inserting a gas venting apparatus into the well bore;
• discharging the pressurized gas from the plurality of tanks, through the gas venting apparatus and into the well bore at an operational pressure or higher;
• depleting the pressure of the gas in the plurality of the tanks to produce low-pressure gas at a low pressure below the operational pressure;
• re-pressurizing the low-pressure gas with a compressor from the plurality of tanks into re-pressurized gas in a storage vessel at the operational pressure or higher;
• and
• after re-pressurizing the low-pressure gas, discharging the re-pressurized gas through the gas venting apparatus and into the well bore.