Using Sonic Drilling Technology in Challenging ... - Sonic Drilling Ltd.

Using Sonic Drilling 

Technology in 

Challenging 

Conditions 

www.sonic-drill.com 

www.sonicdrilling.com

A Brief History of Sonic Drilling 

First wave 

transmission rock 

drill (1913) 

The concept of sonic drilling technology was born nearly 100 years ago when 

Romanian civil engineer George Constantinesco wrote a treatise for the British 

Admiralty called the Theory of Sonics. 




In May 1918, the 

British Admiralty 

decided to back 

sonic research by 

establishing a 

new research 

facility, built in 

England, to meet 

Constantinesco’s 

specifications. 

Sonic Works facility at West Drayton, England. 




Sonic fuel injection for diesel engines. 

Silent sonic gun using compressed liquid and 

an explosive charge. 

During the next few years, a number of research projects were developed for wartime 

use. Unfortunately, when WW I ended, so did sonic research and the facility was 

dismantled. 




In 1930, another 

Romanian engineer, 

Dr. Ion Basgan applied 

sonic vibrations to the 

drill pipe string of a 

conventional drilling 

rig. 

Amazingly, the result 

was increased drill 

depth and speed. 

Basgan’s sonic drill was used in the Moreni oil fields in 1938. 




The United States took up the torch of 

sonic research during the 1940’s through 

the efforts of the Drilling Research 

Institute (DRI) which included American 

inventor Albert Bodine, supported by the 

Shell Oil company. 

Eventually, Bodine sold his sonic 

equipment in the early 1970’s to the 

British aerospace company, Hawker- 

Siddeley, who assigned the next 

generation of research to one of its 

Canadian offices. 

Albert Bodine’s sonic earth 

boring drill (1964) 




One of the first persons hired for the 

Hawker Siddeley design team was a 

young mechanical engineer named Ray 

Roussy. 

In 1980, when the sonic project was 

abandoned during a recession, Ray 

Roussy left Hawker Siddeley to continue 

development work on the sonic drill 

head. 

In a recent photo, Ray Roussy stands with 

his vintage Navion aircraft. 




After years of research and 

field-testing, Roussy’s 

persistence resulted in a 

number of patents and in the 

successful commercialization of 

a revolutionary new drilling 

technology. 

Roussy’s first commercial sonic drill rig (seen above) is still 

in active use today despite being more than 26 years old. 

Recently, Roussy’s sonic drilling 

system won a prestigious award 

for “best new drilling 

technology” from the Canadian 

federal government and the 

Canadian GeoExchange 

Coalition. 



How Sonic Drilling Works 

• The drill pipe physically vibrates up and 

down, in addition to being pushed down 

and rotated. 

• The energy produced by the drill head 

liquefies overburden and bedrock and 

pushes the material up and away. 

• Water or compressed air is used to flush 

the “cuttings” up to the surface. If water is 

used, it is then screened for particles, 

recycled then re-used as drilling progresses. 

• Depending on the soil conditions 

encountered, the drill rig operator is able to 

adjust the sonic frequency to suit the 

terrain, allowing penetration rates 3-5 

times greater than conventional drilling. 



How Sonic Drilling Works 

Today, this patented technology is only 

available on drilling rigs built by the 

Sonic Drill Corporation. 

Sonic rigs: 

• Drill 3-5X faster than other rigs 

• Drill using only water or air. 

• Don’t require drilling mud. 

• Produce 70% less mess on-site. 

• Reduce on-site clean up costs. 

• Drill to 300 ft. and beyond. 

• Produce continuous core samples. 



Drilling Green With Sonic: Environmental Benefits 

Comparing a sonic rig, you'll also notice a big 

difference that makes this technology both "green" 

and cost-effective. 

• Sonic rigs, built by the Sonic Drill Corporation, 

use 50% less horsepower while still drilling faster. 

This means that fuel consumption, on a hole to 

hole basis, is considerably less. 

• Sonic rig engines are physically smaller and 

lighter, further reducing fuel consumption when 

moving the rig around. 

• Sonic rig engines never exceed 1850 rpm, keeping 

noise relatively low and the engine running in an 

efficient rpm range. 

• Sonic rigs can use “green” hydraulic oil that will 

not harm the environment. 



Drilling Green With Sonic: Environmental Reclamation 

In an independent review, the United States Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Energy 

and Environmental Analysis Group conducted a study of sonic drilling compared to cable 

and mud rotary drilling. The review evaluated the cost of all three types of drilling on a 

clean site, hazardous site and mixed waste site. 

Graph produced by Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Energy and Environmental Analysis Group. 



Drilling in Challenging 

Conditions 

• Sonic technology allows the operator to vary the 

frequency to suit specific soil conditions. 

• This allows the drill to continue through mixed 

soils, where other drills would get stuck. 

• In holes with layers of sand, silt, clay, gravel and 

boulders, the sonic is able to buzz through without 

jamming. 

• The sonic drill rig can also be operated as a 

conventional drill rig, if desired. 

A recent geothermal drilling project produced 

this boulder which the sonic drill easily 

“buzzed” through. 

• Sonic rigs are often called in as “rescue rigs” or 

specified in contracts for sensitive government 

projects. 



Drilling in Challenging Conditions 

• Another benefit of the technology is that 

vibrations from the drill bit are not transmitted 

very far beyond the drill. 

• This allows penetrations into very sensitive areas 

such as critical eco-systems, unstable terrain or 

vulnerable situations where traditional drilling 

would cause more harm or be impossible to 

complete. 

• Sonic rigs have been used (and specified in 

government contracts) for sensitive projects such 

as dam remediation, nuclear site investigations and 

hazardous waste site reclamation. 



Applications of Sonic Drilling Technology 

While there are unlimited 

applications, the top three uses for 

a sonic drill rig are: 

• Geothermal installations: The 

sonic can drill, case, loop and grout 

in one operation. 

• Environmental investigations: The 

speed at which a sonic drill operates 

allows any project to proceed 

quickly and profitably due to lower 

drilling costs and reduced site cleanup 

costs. 

• Mineral explorations: The sonic can 

provide continuous core samples to 

300 ft. 



A Battle Between Old and New Technology - Case #1 

Langara Community College 

A geothermal installation at Langara community college in Vancouver, Canada, 

became the setting for a duel between old and new technology. 

After encountering difficult soil conditions, the sonic was brought in as the 

“rescue rig” for the project. The numbers below explain why. 

Conventional rig: 

• Three rigs on site 

• Two months drilling 

• 18 holes installed 

Sonic rig: 

• One rig on site 

• Two weeks drilling 

• 23 holes installed 




University of British Columbia 

A conventional drill failed at drilling a test hole for a geothermal feasibility study 

at the University of British Columbia. A sonic rig was brought in and completed 

the hole in two hours and 13 minutes, despite drilling through tough overburden. 


• Failed on site. 


• One rig on site 

• 300 ft. hole drilled 

through tough overburden 

in two hrs. and 13 minutes. 




Woodward Hill Elementary School 

Conventional rigs working on an extensive geothermal field, under a new 

elementary school soccer field, failed due to delays in drilling through 

overburden. Two sonic rigs completed the project which called for 120 holes to a 

depth of 180 ft. each. The client reported that the sonic rigs drilled six times 

faster. 


• Failed on site. 


• Two sonic rigs used. 

• Made deadline by drilling 

holes six times faster. 



What Others Are Saying 

“Basically, a sonic rig is capable of getting through things that would take several 

other conventional methods to get through.” 

— Shane Hughes, Miller Drilling Co. Inc., Tennessee, USA 

On one mine expansion site, where we brought our sonic drill in, seven other 

companies had already tried and failed to produce the needed results.” 

— Daryl Karasch, Traut Wells Inc., Minnesota, USA 

“I have witnessed rapid drilling through materials (dense sand and silts, with 

cobbles, boulders, and sandstone bedrock) that other more common methods 

would be hard-pressed to match.” 

— Ruben Arellano, P. Eng., LEED AP, HEMMERA Energy, Vancouver, BC, 

Canada 




“In my experience, Sonic has made geothermal drilling and ground loop insertion 

quick and easy. The speed of the drilling is in my opinion unchallenged. 

I watched Sonic drill 200 ft. in twenty-seven minutes on a site in Burnaby.” 

— Chris Patterson, Paradigm Ground Loop Services Ltd., Vancouver, BC, 

Canada 

“The drilling performance exceeds our expectations. We’ve drilled through 500 

gpm aquifers, dense till with 2 ft. diameter granite boulders and limestone/shale 

(at 4 ft. per minute).” 

— Brian Beatty, GeoEnergy Solutions Inc., Bolton, Ontario, Canada 

“I think what it comes down to is that the sonic drill really has a market all its 

own that no other rig can touch.” 

— Gary Whitesell, Crater Lake Drilling Ltd., Red Deer, Alberta, Canada 




“The sonic drill is nothing short of amazing in what it can do. My newest driller 

came from working on rotary drilling rigs and was simply amazed at the 

capabilities of the sonic drill – its versatility and speed are second to none.” 

— Paul Catton, Virsare, Thornbury, Ontario, Canada 

“Geothermal is booming here and the sonic rig allows us to drill much faster and 

cheaper which keeps the per-foot costs of drilling down. And, if we hit mixed 

soils, we don’t have to pull a conventional rig off and try to put something else 

in there.” 

It’s a super machine and, for those people who have never seen one, they are 

very impressed.” 

— Rene Kroonen, Conex, Belgium 



A Hundred Years in the Making 

Despite taking nearly 100 years to perfect, sonic drilling technology is now in use 

in countries all around the world including Japan, Africa, South America, Europe 

and, of course, North America. 

Today, sonic drilling technology is robust, 

reliable and profitable. 

Across the planet, it is quickly becoming the 

drilling method of choice. 

Thank you for your interest. 

May we answer any questions? 

In 2009, the Sonic Drill Corp. unveiled a new 

mini-sonic drill rig, able to fit inside a 20’ 

shipping container.

Using Sonic Drilling Technology in Challenging ... - Sonic Drilling Ltd.

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