Historically, drilling was primarily used for locating and extracting the oil by using a primitive method of combining steam power and pulleys to advance an iron drill bit. 

Nowadays, drilling facilitates different procedures, such as getting soil or rock samples for testing, installation of instrumentation, or in-situ testing. Not to mention, the drilling technologies used today are far superior and more efficient. 

One of the sought-after drilling methods today is the Sonic drill rigs. This concept of drilling is not new since its early roots can be traced back to the efforts of George Constantinesco, a Romanian intellectual who immigrated to England in 1910.

And since then, the said technology was subsequently developed further by various companies to provide a sound solution in many challenges in the drilling industry. 

What is Sonic Drilling and How it Works?

Sonic drilling is an advance form of drilling that reduces friction on the drill string and drill bit due to liquefaction generated by high-frequency vibration inside the sonic head.

This technology works by creating a mechanically induced vibration in the drill steel at its resonant frequency, and as the core barrel advances, this high-frequency vibration effectively loosens the surrounding soil structure’s integrity and allows for extremely high recovery rates of virtually undisturbed samples.

Why Use Sonic Drill Rigs?

The versatility and multiple benefits of sonic drilling compared to other standard drilling methods make it the best drilling technique in the market. Also, this technology applies to different industries, including infrastructure, construction and development, mining, and environmental explorations.

Benefits of Sonic Drilling Technology

The benefits of Sonic technology are substantial, outweighing any potential limitations that drillers may encounter in utilizing this method. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

Versatility and Flexibility

There are no drilling methods in the market today that are more flexible and versatile than Sonic drilling. The various types of sonic rigs can support sonic technology. Each drill rig type has unique strengths needed in accessing a site. Since no two site investigations are the same, a high degree of adaptability in terms of equipment is required.

Safety

In every drilling operation, safety always comes first. Over the decades, there have been many personal injuries, including broken digits, fractures, and major cuts. 

And to mitigate potential risks, Sonic drilling rigs are built with smooth rods and casings. It also utilizes hands-free operating systems that require fewer workers on-site, thus lowering the risk of people getting injured on the site. 

The additional safety features of sonic rigs are safety cages, braiding for hoses, counterbalance valves, guarding measures, non-skid walking platforms, and many more.

Speed

Sonic drilling rigs operate faster by up to 400% more quickly than the conventional drilling methods, depending on site-specific considerations.

This technology utilizes high-frequency resonance that allows efficient penetration and maximum core recovery in various unconsolidated formations with unparalleled ease while carrying out continuous coring.

Clean and Environmentally-Conscious

Another distinct benefit of Sonic drilling is its ability to reduce waste stemming from site investigations and maintain the sample’s integrity. Conventional rigs produce higher Investigation Derived Waste (IDW) that may have an ecological impact and at the same time contaminates and corrupt the integrity of the core samples.

Lastly, sonic rigs are highly efficient and fast. Thus, the time spent on-site is shorter when compared to conventional rigs. The amount of energy being utilized to run the power-hungry geotechnical equipment is also lesser.