Sonic drilling
High-Frequency Power for Precision Subsurface Investigation
The MATECO Advantage: Speed, Integrity, and Sustainability
MATECO’s sonic drilling services represent a leap forward in geotechnical and environmental investigation. By leveraging high-frequency resonant energy, we deliver superior subsurface data collection while significantly minimizing project timelines and environmental impact.
Our advanced Geoprobe 8150LS sonic drilling rig is equipped to handle the most demanding project specifications, ensuring faster drilling, superior sample integrity, and a lower environmental footprint on every job.
How Sonic Drilling Redefines Subsurface Investigation
The sonic drilling method utilizes a sonic head that generates high-frequency, resonant vibrations—typically 50 to 150 HZ combined with downward pressure and rotation.
The Mechanism: Energy and Liquefaction
1.
Resonance and Energy Transfer
The high-frequency energy is transmitted down the drill string.
2.
Friction Reduction
This resonant energy temporarily liquefies loose, granular materials (e.g., sands and gravels) and micro-fractures hard bedrock directly at the bit face. This action dramatically reduces skin friction on drill casing.
3.
Rapid Penetration
The reduced friction allows for rapid, consistent advancement of the casing and core barrel through difficult and heterogeneous strata, including challenging conditions like glacial till, quicksand, and cobbles.
Key Technical Benefits of Sonic Drilling
Benefit | Technical Impact | Value to Your Project |
Superior Sample Integrity | Minimized Disturbance: Continuous core samples are collected in a core barrel inside a fully cased borehole. The vibratory action eliminates the shearing and compression common in conventional methods. | Optimal data for Rock Quality Designation analysis and accurate lithological characterization. |
Exceptional Speed & Efficiency | Reduced Friction & Pullback: Casing advancement and retrieval are consistently fast, even though sticky clay or deep overburden. | Significantly lower drilling costs and reduced time on-site. |
Environmental Responsibility | Minimal to Zero Fluids: The process rarely requires drilling muds or external fluids. Any generated cuttings are contained at the surface. | Substantially reduced waste volume (up to 80% less than conventional methods) and minimal site cleanup, ideal for sensitive areas. |
Optimal Applications for Sonic Technology
Sonic drilling is the preferred choice when project success hinges on speed, sample quality, and site sensitivity.
- Critical Core Integrity: Essential for projects where intact, continuous cores are required for geotechnical and environmental properties.
- Challenging Terrain: Effectively penetrates highly variable and difficult lithologies, from massive boulders and cobbles to rapidly expanding clays and hard bedrock.
- Deep Overburden & Contamination Plumes: The continuous casing provides a sealed environment, preventing cross-contamination between aquifers or layers while efficiently reaching deep targets.
- Hazardous Sites: The sealed sampling system reduces the risk of operator exposure to in-ground contaminants, enhancing on-site safety.
Equipment highlight
Geoprobe 8150LS
Our Geoprobe 8150LS is the gold standard for full-service sonic investigations, designed for peak performance and minimal site impact.
- Track-Mounted Mobility: Offers high maneuverability and low ground pressure, ensuring access to remote or environmentally sensitive sites with minimal soil disturbance.
- Integrated Efficiency: Equipped with a 140 automatic drop hammer for SPT’s, high speed rotary head for wireline rock coring and a wireline sample retrieval system.
- Versatile Tooling Compatibility: Capable of efficiently handling various tooling sizes (e.g., 4x6x8 and 8×10 casing), allowing us to customize borehole diameter and core size to meet precise project demands.
Sonic drilling FAQs
Sonic drilling is generally considered as a good choice for the environment when compared to conventional drilling methods. It uses less water, generates significantly less waste, and reduces risks of spills or contamination.
Sonic drilling equipment and trained operators are more expensive than conventional methods, which can make it a more costly option. The high friction during drilling also generates heat, which could alter the properties of certain types of soil or rock samples. Finally, the noise and vibration of a sonic drill can disturb surrounding bedrock or create new fractures.
The cost of sonic drilling depends on the equipment used, depth of the borehole, type of soil or rock it must penetrate, and the project’s complexity. While it is considered 1.5 to 3 times more expensive than other drilling methods, the added cost can be somewhat offset by the speed in which the samples can be retrieved.
Rotary sonic drilling uses high-frequency vibrations to reduce friction and advance the drill, but also adds rotation for enhanced efficiency.
Sonic drilling can provide continuous, nearly undisturbed core samples to depths as great as 700 feet (215 m).