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Drilling Methods
Quick Reference Guide
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Sonic drilling utilizes a high frequency sinusoidal wave vibration to produce a cutting action at the bit face, and advance steel casing.
SONIC

• Normally produces no drill cuttings. • Provides continuous core. • Method is not widely available.
• Drills 2-10 times faster than conventional • Drills almost any formation. • The technology is relatively new.
methods. • Yields exceptional core recovery rates with • Practical borehole depths are generally limited to 300’.
• Provides cased hole discrete/insitu samples. most geologic formations. • Cannot penetrate very competent bedrock formations.
• Excellent for contaminant containment. • Allows for piezometric observation.
• Can drill angled borings. • Can lower overall project costs.

Mud Rotary Drilling is one of the oldest techniques available. Viscous fluids of varying degrees are pumped through drill rod to the bit face. The cuttings and drilling fluids return to the surface where they
MUD ROTARY

are separated. The fluid is treated and recycled.

• Equipment is widely available. • Sampling by cuttings return are not com- • Sampling for chemical concentrations are
DIRECT

• Drilling depths and hole diameters are unlimited, although holes greater than 12” in diameter pletely accurate. often not considered valid, depending on
or deeper than 1000’ generally require more costly mud pumping equipment. • The use of drill muds presents significant sampling means.
• Method is extremely familiar and is generally accepted. disposal or treatment costs, especially if the • Work sites are generally sloppy.
• Results can be generated at nominally low costs. fluids are contaminated. • The potential for cross contamination when
• Easily allows the use of geophysical logging technology. • Well development time and fluids generated penetration multiple aquifers exists.
is increased. • Cemented conductors, which isolate con-
• Productive potential of lower yield aquifers taminated zones, are often required and are
can be permanently damaged due to mud very costly.
infiltration.
• Lost circulation problems are common and
may lead to costly delays or well failure.
CASING HAMMER AIR ROTARY

Direct Air is rotary drilling with compressed air used as a circulating medium through the drill pipe. Returns are forced upwards into the annular space between the borehole and drill pipe. Increased
speed of penetration in competent formation in comparison to fluid techniques is the basic purpose of the method.
DIRECT

• Well depths and diameters are unlimited although as either parameter expands linearly, the • Insitu sampling integrity is subject to question.
costs of the necessary air volumes or pressures grow geometrically. • Lithologic sample integrity may be impacted by intermingling of slough material.
• Equipment is generally available. • The use of polymeric foams or other circulation or stabilizing agents may be required. These
• Drilling production may exceed several hundred feet per day in good conditions. are difficult to contain and not desirable in environmental settings.
• Direct air rotary normally yields economical results in proper conditions. • The method is often subject to heaving, sloughing conditions, or borehole cavitations, which
may result in lost time, expense or abandonment of the well.
• Loose or wet sediments are not practical applications of this drilling method.

Air Rotary Casing Hammer is described as a temporary steel casing driven simultaneously through a smaller borehole drilled by conventional air rotary. Upon completion, the drive casing is extracted as
well construction progresses. The casing hammer method is one of the most versatile drilling methods available. It is commonly used to install wells from depths less than 20’ to 700’.
AIR ROTARY

• Drills most consolidated formations. phy samples through cuttings discharge. • Welding of drive pipe may be required, depending on the contractor. This is a slow and
• Provides ability to set wells up to 12” ID. • Allows use of any sampling device or undesirable process.
• Prevents cross contamination when drilling method. • Emissions of contaminants through discharge return may require processing.
through multiple aquifer units. • Cuttings and produced water are container- • Equipment is relatively large and has difficulties with poor access applications.
• Minimizes waste generation by the elimina- ized in a watertight discharge system.
tion of the necessity of drilling mud. • Allows dry, air less, continuous coring
• Does not plug or damage aquifers or limit operations in proper conditions.
their potential. • Allows piezometric observation.
• Eliminates costs for permanent conductors. • Can lower overall project costs.
• Minimizes development time and subse- • Drilling can continue when bedrock is
quent waste fluids produced. encountered by halting the drive casing and
• Smaller diameters can be drilled to 1000’. resuming with conventional air rotary or
• Provides for discrete/insitu samples. downhole hammer.
• Provides continuous, well-defined stratigra-

Dual tube utilizes two fixed concentric pipes where air is forced through the annular space between the strings to the bit. Return air, drill cuttings and fluids are forced back to the surface through the
PERCUSSION

inner tube. The dual tube pipe is driven into the ground usually by means of a diesel-fired pile-driving unit. Hydraulic jacks extract the pipe assembly.
DUAL TUBE

• Provides good penetration rates through most formations, excellent in coarse-grained al- • Will not drill bedrock or large boulders. • Well construction is limited by the narrow
luvium. • Practical depth limitation is 300’. space between the inner tube and well cas-
• Can prevent cross contamination when drilling through multiple aquifer units. • Well diameters are normally limited to 4’. ing, particularly at deeper depths.
• Minimizes waste generation by the elimination of the necessity of drilling mud. • May produce excess drill cuttings or forma- • Penetration rates are slowed in dense forma-
• Does not plug or damage aquifers or limit their natural conductivity. tion water during drilling in comparison tions.
• Eliminates needs for permanent conductors. with similar techniques. • Heaving formations present particular dif-
• Minimizes development time and the fluids produced. • Continuous drive sampling is cumbersome. ficulties with the method, particularly for
• Provides continuous well-defined stratrigraphy samples through cuttings discharge. The spatter from the diesel-fired pile driver complex well construction.
• Cuttings and produced water are containerized in a watertight discharge system. • is messy and requires covering of sampling • Emissions of contaminants through dis-
• Angle drilling is possible with some equipment. equipment, subsequent drill pipe sections charge return may require processing.
• Allows piezometric observation. and well materials. • Equipment is relatively large and has dif-
• Can lower overall project costs. ficulties with poor access applications.
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
PERCUSSION

The Triple Tube technique employs the addition of an outer (10 3⁄4”) sleeve, which fits over the dual tube system. This effectively increases the borehole diameter for the installation of shallow wells with
TRIPLE TUBE

diameters to 6” or it is used to reduce friction to allow the Dual Tube system to reach deeper depths.
• Allows for more flexibility in shallow well design and construction than the dual tube • Drill penetration rates are usually very slow.
method while retaining the relative ease of obtaining samples. • There is a significant incidence of drilling refusal.
• Prevents cross contamination when drilling through multiple aquifer units. • Triple tube equipment is not widely available.
• Minimizes wastes generate by the elimination of unnecessary drilling mud. • Practical depth limitation is approximately 100’.
• Does not plug or damage aquifer production. • May produce excess drilling wastes in comparison with similar techniques.
• Eliminates needs for permanent conductors. • The spatter from the diesel fired hammer is messy and requires the covering of equipment
• Allows for select sampling intervals. and supplies.
• Minimizes development time and fluids produced. • Emissions of contaminants through the air discharge system may require processing.
• Provides continuous well-defined stratigraphy samples. • Equipment is relatively large and has difficulties with limited access applications.
• Cuttings and produced water are containerized in a water right discharge system. • Need large, expensive air compressors.
• Allows piezometric observation.

STRATEX® systems are utilized in abnormally difficult debris flow or overburden environments. The method drills by use of a down hole pneumatic hammer and eccentric oversize tungsten carbide bit. The bore-
hole is stabilized by high tensile strength temporary casing driven simultaneously as drilling progresses. Drill cuttings are discharged by negative pressures initiated by directing airflow away from the bit face.
• Is an extremely efficient and reliable tech- • Helps prevent cross contamination when • Drive sampling is somewhat difficult as the drill pipe and bit must be pulled prior to the
STRATEX®

nique for penetrating boulders, cobbles, drilling through multiple aquifer units. sample run. However, driven or other type sampling is often impossibility due to the geo-
large gravels, fractured bedrock, etc. • Minimizes waste generation by the elimina- logic conditions where the system is used.
• Minimizes air introduction to the formation tion of the necessity of drilling mud. • Bit costs are considered expensive and bit life can be shortened by the alternating hardness
affecting contaminant concentrations. • Eliminates needs for permanent conductors. of the conditions encountered.
• Depending on borehole size, is capable of • Minimized development time and fluids • Continuous coring is not a practical application.
depths approaching 1000’, or wells to 12” produced. • Expertise with the method is specialized and somewhat limited.
or larger. • Provides continuous well-defined stratigra- • Emissions of contaminant through return air may require processing.
• Does not plug or damage aquifer produc- phy samples. • Equipment can be large and has difficulties with limited access applications.
tion. • Cuttings and produced water are container-
• Drilling can continue to unlimited depths ized in a water tight discharge system.
when bedrock is encountered by halting the • Allows piezometric observation.
driving of casing and resuming with con-
ventional hammer or air rotary drilling.

The ODEX® method is the precursor to STRATEX®. Both systems operate similarly but differ by the use of conventional direct airflow and the use of thinner walled, lower tensile casing, which usually requires
welding and is not designed to be retrieved. Production wells are often sized according to the ODEX® pipe size.
ODEX®

• ODEX® systems are generally available in areas requiring their use. • The use of lower grade casing usually results potentially shortened lives due to alternating
• Is somewhat efficient in penetrating difficult geologic environments. in the need to leave an unprotected or geological conditions.
• Well diameters of 12” or larger are possible. parted casing in the ground. • Drilling discharges are usually not con-
• Does not plug or damage aquifer production. • Air directed into boulder or cobble matrix trolled.
• Drilling can continue to unlimited depths when bedrock is encountered by halting the driv- may cause slowing of drill penetration or • Drive sampling is a difficult process.
ing of casing and resuming with conventional hammer or air rotary drilling. refusal. • Equipment is relatively large and difficult for
• Provides some slowing of cross contamination. • Normal depth limitation is approximately poor access areas.
• Provides continuous well-defined samples. 350’. • Is not well suited for fine-grained materials.
• Allows piezometric observation. • Drill bits are expensive and subject to
DOWNHOLE

DOWNHOLE Hammer Drilling is a hard rock technique conceptually similar to the air rotary method except that it accelerates the chipping and crushing action by the use of a high-speed hammer. Drilling
of rock material is analogous to the action provided by construction jackhammers.
HAMMER

• Drilling equipment is generally available. • Unconsolidated sediments are not practical applications of the method.
• In proper conditions, allows for relatively economical well or boring completion. • Equipment can be large.
• Depths and diameters of borings are basically unlimited although there are exponential cost • Applications of straight downhole hammer drilling are normally somewhat limited; usually it
increases as either input increases linearly. is used in conjunction with another method, e.g. STRATEX®/ODEX®, ARCH.
• Provides open hole testing. • May require circulation enhancing foaming additives.
• Drilling air discharge is usually uncontrolled.
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
DUAL TUBE

Dual Tube Rotary, or Dual Tube Reverse Rotary utilize the same concentric pipe arrangement and reverse airflow of the percussion method, but drilling is accomplished by rotation rather than percussive
ROTARY

driving. Originally devised as a fast slim hole mineral exploration technique, to obtain lithologic information due to the speed of returns and lack of mixing with previously drilling materials.
•Proper conditions allow potentially 1000’ or more per day of continuous sampling. • Driven samples are not possible.
•Logging of cuttings provides very accurate lithologic information. • Geophysical logging is not possible through the smaller pipe.
•Provides the possibility of the use of downhole hammer equipment to further speed penetra- • Loose formations are not a practical application of this technique.
tion rates and to cut air volume requirements in some conditions. • The larger diameter equipment is very limited in availability.
•A ten-inch O.D. system is available which allows for the installation of small diameter wells. • Requires some degree of competency of the lithology drilled.
• Well construction is not possible through pipe assembly.
• May require the use of polymers, water or mud injection for borehole or fluid level stability.
STEM AUGER CIRCULATION

Reverse Circulation Rotary is normally used for the construction of large diameter (12-30 inch) water production wells. Generally, clean water is used as the circulating medium. Air is introduced into the
center of a relatively large internal diameter drill pipe. In a fluid filled hole, the air lightens the fluid weight in the drill column. For balance, the water in the annular space will rush around the bit bringing
drill cuttings into the drill pipe where it is brought up and discharged at the surface.
REVERSE

• Produces exceptionally productive wells since no mud or drill • Requires a water supply adequate to com- set up time is required.
cuttings contact the aquifer producing area. pensate for fluid lost due to hydraulic over • Discharge fluids are difficult to contain.
• Depth range is between 100’-2000’. balance. • The potential for aquifer cross contamina-
• Virtually any borehole diameter can be obtained. • Artesian conditions may pose serious prob- tion exists. Permanent conductor installa-
• Sampling of cuttings is very accurate. lems in order to control. tion may be required which increases costs.
• Will drill most formations. • Will produce a significant amount of fluid • Polymeric or clay colloidal additives may be
and solid wastes. required to cut water loss, prevent cavita-
• Generally equipment is large and significant tions or otherwise stabilize the borehole.

A widely known, simple and accepted method. A wide variety of equipment capabilities are commonly available.
HOLLOW

• Acceptable results can be obtained very economically. • Drilling refusal problems are common and require de-mobilization.
• Practical depth limitation has increased to approximately 400’ in ideal conditions. • Smearing of marginal aquifer materials commonly inhibit water production and decreases
• Equipment and experienced crews are widely available. well efficiency.
• Continuous cores are easily and commonly produced. • The potential for cross contamination between aquifers exists.
• Newer high torque equipment can drill many formation types. • Geophysical logging through auger equipment is not accepted.
• No fluids are required in order to drill. • Well diameters are generally limited to 4”, although some contractors can offer equipment
• Auger equipment has a reasonably fast set up time, is mobile and has limited access capa- for wells to 8” in diameter.
bilities.

Bucket auger equipment is a very familiar foundation-drilling rig and is often used for geotechnical testing. Some environmental borings and shallow (less than 100’) large diameter leachate or catch basin
BUCKET
AUGER

wells are constructed with the bucket method.

• Equipment is generally available. • Drilling into the water table presents sig- • There is difficulty in finding OSHA trained
• Borehole diameter is unlimited. nificant problems and costs due to heaving and experienced environmental crews for
• Large material can be drilled depending on the size of the bucket opening. conditions, especially if more than one some projects.
• Some equipment can install temporary casing for borehole stability purposes. water-bearing zone is encountered. • Bucket equipment can be expensive.
• Mucking of cuttings and fluid material is an • May produce excess cuttings due to rela-
extremely messy process; contaminants are tively large borehole volumes.
difficult to contain. • Large equipment
CABLE TOOL

Cable Tool is the original drilling method. The borehole is drilled by the reciprocation action of a wireline-advanced scow or chisel like bit. Drill cuttings are removed by bailing. Steel casing is driven for
borehole stabilization purposes where required.
• Can be used in any formation • Normally is extremely slow with daily penetration rates sometimes less than ten feet per day.
• Equipment is widely available. • The introduction of water may be required to assist in cuttings removal.
• Can provide casing sealing effects between aquifers. • Geophysical logging requires the use of source equipment.
• No air or other significant amount of fluid is required. • Project scheduling deadlines and economics may not allow use.
• Depth capabilities and well diameters are somewhat unlimited. • Unsealed casings may be required to be left in the well.
• Equipment is normally inexpensive. • Hard to find driller.