Direct Push Drilling

Direct-push drilling is another form of exploratory drilling and it is done by pushing the drilling tools into the earth. Unlike the other methods of exploratory drilling no rotation is used in order to get the samples.

This has the added benefit of there being no contamination as the samples never touch the surface. A large number of sands and soils can be drill into when applying direct-push drilling and the samples taken can be quickly packaged to avoid contamination. This ensures that high quality samples can be extracted from the earth.

The use of direct-push drilling goes beyond the exploratory mining aspects and can also be used to examine soil samples and underground water supplies. Using this method can save time and money for a company, when compared to other forms of mining and drilling. Samples can be gathered into the machine once mined and this aids in the prevention of sample contamination. The direct-push drilling process requires little to no clean up procedures as the drilling process requires no water. As the mined materials do not come up onto the surface there is no need to clean up mined materials. When looking for a place to drop a well, direct-push drilling is also a great way in which to find and monitor wells.

The process is relatively inexpensive and the process can be done quickly which helps to minimise the costs. The usually depth which the direct-push drilling can go is around 7 metres.

Direct push techniques are generally limited to shallow soil sample recovery in unconsolidated soil materials. The advantage of direct push technology is that in the right soil type it can produce a large number of high quality samples quickly and cheaply, generally from 50 to 75 meters per day. Rather than hammering, direct push can also be combined with sonic (vibratory) methods to increase drill efficiency.

What are the advantages for direct-push drilling?

• Direct-push drilling is cheaper than most forms of drilling.
• The drilling process can be done quickly.
• The samples collected from direct-push drilling are not easily contaminated and the samples are of a high quality.
• Direct-push drilling has little clean up processes.