Drilling Sonic & Auger
Sonic Drilling
Sonic drilling & sampling technology uses high frequency resonant energy to provide high quality continuous core samples.
Omega Drilling has two sonic drill rigs:
• 2022 – Terra Sonic Track Rig 150CC
• 2018 – Terra Sonic Track Rig 150CC
There are many advantages of using sonic drilling methods over other conventional overburden methods.
• Obtain a much more accurate and higher quality undisturbed continuous core sample
• Reduce waste by 80% compared with other methods
• Fast & efficient typically 3x faster than conventional methods
• Minimal risk and disturbance to structures and site conditions
• Used for all types of formations drilled by conventional methods but in addition is best used for difficult drilling.
• Ideal for no refusal
Auger Drilling
Omega Drilling has a midsized auger drill rig M5D Drill Rig and a B54 4×4 Truck Auger Drill. Conventional auger drilling is still very frequently used for many projects. Some main advantage of auger drilling are:
• Low-cost drilling for easy “clay” formations
• Does not require circulation fluids
• No casing is necessary when the formation is stable
• Allows for collection of a representative sample in certain formations
• Hollow stem augers can be used as casing to prevent heaving
• Very cost effective for most shallow drilling
Monitoring Well Installations
Monitoring wells are essential for monitoring groundwater contamination or groundwater levels.
We install:
1" to 5" diameter wells.
Pre-packed screen and pipe
Specialty screen and pipe
Hollow & Solid Stem Auger
Hollow Stem Auger (HSA) is ideal for wet or unconsolidated soils that are prone to collapse. When the auger reaches the desired depth, the centre rods and bottom plug are pulled up while the casing remains in the soil, allowing for sampling or installations.
Solid Stem Auger (SSA) is ideal for soft, consolidated soil that will not collapse on the bore hole. SSA can create smaller diameter boreholes for accurate soil sampling as well as set monitoring wells and certain instrument installations.
Grouting
With a grout pump mounted on the rig we are able provide grouting services with the rig. The grout is a mixture bentonite, granualar grout, cement that ensures all the "voids" are tightly sealed in the wells. The grout mixture is designed to be used as a water well grouting fluid, drill hole abandonment fluid, and grout for monitoring wells after casing placement.
Decommission / Well Closure
Omega provides decommissioning services for abandoned monitoring wells and water wells.
We are certified well drillers and can sign off on well closures.
We use specialized equipment and techniques to comply with the ground water standards of the BC Ground Water Association.
Steel/Sub Slab Vapour Probes
Omega provides installation of stainless steel vapour probes and sub-slab vapour vapour for all your vapour intrusion investigations and sampling of volatile organic and inorganic compounds from beneath floor slabs.
Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
SPT is an in-situ test that is simple and inexpensive way to determine the relative density of the geological formation.
The test uses a thick-walled sample tube, that is driven into the ground at the bottom of a borehole from blows from a drop hammer. The sample tube is driven into the ground and then the number of blows needed for the tube to penetrate is recorded. The sum of the number of blows required provides an indication of the density of the ground.
Dynamic Cone Pentrometer Test (DCPT)
The DCPT is an in-situ test that is widely used for testing density and load bearing capacity. The test is performed by driving a metal cone into the ground by repeatedly striking it with a weight dropped from a distance. The penetration of the cone is measured after each blow and is recorded to provide a continuous measure of shearing resistance.
Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
The CPT is an in-situ test used to determine the properties and stratigraphy of soils. CPT is one of the most widely used and accepted methods for soil investigation.
The test method consists of pushing an instrumented cone with the tip facing down into the ground at a controlled rate. The steel cone contains an electronic measuring system that records tip resistance and sleeve friction. As the cone is pushed into the ground the soil responds with differing degrees of resistance. This resistance is recorded using force sensors in the tip. At the same time as the sensors are recording resistance at the cone tip, sensors in the friction sleeve are recording sleeve friction.
Shelby Sampling
Shelby tubes are ideal for sampling cohesive soils and clays and retrieving an undisturbed soil sample. Shelby tubes have thin walls to reduce soil disturbance and work well for sampling with Hollow Stem Augers.
Vane Testing
The vane shear test is an in-situ method to determine the sensitivity and undrained shear strength of soft fully saturated clays without disturbance. The test can be conducted in soft clays situated at a great depth, samples of which are difficult to obtain. The test consists of a four-blade stainless steel vane attached to an AWJ steel rod that will be pushed into the ground. The vane is then rotated at a slow rate. The torque is measured at regular time intervals and the test continues until a maximum torque is reached. The vane rotates rapidly for several revolutions. At this time, the soil fails in shear on a cylindrical surface around the vane. The rotation is usually continued after shearing and the torque is measured to estimate the shear strength of the soil.