TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION: Where: In Situ Media: any geologic formation Targeted Contaminants: wide range of VOC's, radiological materials, heavy metals, other chemicals. This technology aims to provide rapid, cost-effective slant hole drilling and borehole emplacement for access to, and characterization/monitoring of regions within, under, and adjacent to known or suspected chemical or mixed waste repositories. Resonant sonic drilling yields continuous, relatively undisturbed cores; eliminates the downhole introduction of air, water, mud, or other drilling fluids; affords high penetration rates (up to one foot per second); is adaptable to any slant angle from vertical to horizontal) and virtually any type of geologic formation; and, most importantly, typically produces no cuttings (secondary waste stream) from the drilling process. Resonant sonic drilling technology has existed for over 30 years, originating most notably from the work of the inventor, A. G. Bodine. This technology has already been successfully applied to continuous coring, monitor well construction, and horizontal drilling activities. Components- Slant hole boring is required by the Mixed Waste Landfill ID for access to, and characterization or monitoring demonstrations at, contaminated or potentially contaminated regions (e.g., the vadose zone) under, and adjacent, landfill regions. Resonant sonic drilling systems are commercially available from Water Development Corporation. Procedures/Reliability- Resonant sonic drilling employs an inertially activated drill head which generates high-frequency sinusoidal vibrations in a drill string to produce a resultant cutting action at the bit face. This cutting action forces a continuous core of the formation into the drill string. Due to the large forces developed by the resonance head and the uniform outer diameter of the drill string, excess formation material removed by the cutting face of the bit is forced back into the borehole wall, eliminating the production of cuttings during the drilling process. Boreholes featuring different depths and dimensions can be drilled with various sizes and types of tooling. Borehole plans (e.g. location, slant angle, diameter, and depth); assessments of geologic formations to be encountered; selection of appropriate drill head, drill string, and cutting head elements; site preparation and hardware set-up; appropriate casing materials; technique for core sample recovery and handling; safe operational procedures; environmental protection measures. Cost effective, angled boreholes beneath or near potential contamination sources (e.g. landfills, storage tanks, and laboratory/processing facilities). The intense, cyclic mechanical loads associated with sonic drilling systems have led to destructive failure of certain system elements. Additionally, drilling performance is highly dependent on operator expertise. Heat generated downhole by sonic drilling may also be problematic for certain applications (e.g. bioremediation or monitoring of VOCs). Secondary waste stream is virtually eliminated by sonic drilling process; core samples are responsibility of monitoring group/agency. As appropriate for contaminants entrained in the minimal waste stream, if any. Decontamination necessary for hardware (e.g., drill head and string) retrieved from contaminated borehole, and for any contaminated vapors emanating from borehole. According to appropriate regulations and site protocol. Mechanical failure of system elements to be minimized by redesign activities. Typically, about ten percent of the time must be spent on maintenance, or about four hours a week. Current mechanical failure rates should decrease (i.e., improve) with emerging analysis and redesign of components. General Applications and Limitations- Support/Infrastructure Requirements- Technical staff and instrumentation facilities to diagnose system and component failures and guide design modifications. Program Integration Issues and Compatibility with Other Technologies- Determination of the mechanical response characteristics of a sonic drilling systems an the associated loads experienced by system elements is needed, followed by (1) development of feedback control methods for optimization of system performance, and (2) hardware design changes leading to improved component and system reliability. Applicable to a wide range of geologies and borehole requirements. No known incompatibilities. Operator Staffing/Skill/Training/Physical Requirements- To be improved by development of feedback control methods for optimization of sonic drilling performance. As appropriate for typical drilling process, with special provisions for high noise levels and site-specific contamination issues. ACCEPTABILITY: Redesign and/or field replacement of affected components. The only impact to failures is system stoppage. A typical failure involves the drill pipe breaking, in which case it only need be fished out and replaced. Environmental and Aesthetic Impacts- Minimized or eliminated by absence of secondary waste stream. Temporary visual and audible disruptions during time frame of setup, drilling, and cleanup activities. Noise level probably slightly higher than the baseline. Natural Resource Usage- No anticipated impact. Approximately 50 gallons a day of diesel fuel. Land Use Impacts- Other Socioeconomic Impacts- Sandia has a good reputation in sonic drilling, and other DOE agencies are aware that it is performing this work. Sandia is perceived as accomplishing new milestones, for instance by its drilling the first ever sonic slant hole at the Chemical Waste Landfill at Sandia. Sonic drilling has existed for over 30 years and should be easily comprehensible to anyone acquainted with well-drilling procedures. Employment opportunities for personnel to fabricate, maintain, and operate drilling equipment; logistical support of drilling crews by local businesses. Roughly several hundred man-hours per borehole. STATUS: Maturity- Future Development- Previous Applications (refs.)- Patents- Resonant drilling technology U. S. patents, most notably those of the inventor (A. G. Bodine), are held by Water Development Corporation. None known. D. S. Drumheller, Analog Circuit for Controlling Acoustic Transducer Arrays", U. S. Patent No. 5,056,067. D.S. Drumheller, "Acoustical Telemetry in a Drill String Using Inverse Distortion an Echo Suppression," U.S. Patent No. 5,128,901. Industrial Partnerships- Water Development Corporation Water Development Corporation operates ten of the eleven known U.S.-based sonic drill heads and rigs. Nondisclosure agreement between Sandia National Laboratories and Water Development Corporation. Currently working to get a CRADA. None known. Several Canadian firms are active in the sonic drilling area. COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES: Cable Tool Drilling (Cable Tool) EFFECTIVENESS: Not relevant for a drilling technology which only provides access for characterization, monitoring, and/or remediation. COST: Start-up- Probably around $500 K for the rig (this is only a guesstimate). Dependent on pricing set by manufacture (Water Development Corporation). O&M- Expected lower overall project costs compared to baseline technology. Decommissioning- Dependent on frequency and intensity of drilling application Regulatory Oversight- Sonic drilling aids in the achievement of cleanup milestones by providing a means through which characterization activities can be done. The total number of U.S.-based sonic rigs (about 11) may be insufficient for meeting nationwide cleanup commitments. Existing infrastructure should be sufficient to verify personnel qualifications and site plans for drilling in contaminated areas. There are currently no sonic drilling-specific regulations that require anything more than standard drilling permits. No anticipated problems meeting regulatory compliance. RATE/SCHEDULE: This technology is currently available, with process improvements (e.g., feedback control and hardware redesign) expected within 2-3 years. Penetration rates are geology dependent; rates as high as one foot per second have been observed. It takes about two days to drill a single borehole. However, this is heavily dependent upon the parameters of the drill: whether or not the hole will be cased, whether it is vertical or horizontal, the desired size of the hole, depth and soil type. SAFETY (worker exposure, safety impacts, etc.): Hazards generally comparable to conventional drilling methods, with special provisions anticipated for high noise levels and site-specific contamination issues. Worksite monitoring and personal protective equipment (PPE) required, as appropriate, for mechanical, noise, and potential contaminant exposure hazards. Standard construction requirements. Typically 3-5 people operate drilling equipment. Standard risks associated with the use of heavy equipment and hydraulics. Prevented by establishment of authorized/limited-access exclusion zones to be maintained during setup and drilling process. Risk levels typical of those associated with any mobile, truck-mounted heavy equipment. REFERENCES: D. S. Drumheller, "Acoustical Properties of Drill Strings", J. Acoustical Society of America, 85, 1989, 1048-1064. D. S. Drumheller, "Extensional Stress Waves in One-Dimensional Elastic Waveguides", J. Acoustical Society of America, 92, 1992, 3389-3402. Stearns, S.D. and R.A. David, Signal Processing Algorithms, Prentice Hall, 1988. Wise, Jack L. "Development of Extended Dynamic Pressure-Shear Testing Methods," D.E. Grady and J.L. Wise, Dynamic Properties of Ceramic Materials, SNL Report SAND930610, 1993 (in press). CONTACTS AND ADDRESSES: Department 6111 and 9333 Jack L. Wise, 505-844-6359, Fax: 505-844-3952; Jerry W. Mercer, 505-845-7564, Fax: 505-845-7602 Developers: Water Development Corporation & Sandia National Laboratories REPORTER: Andrew L. Thomas, Project Geologist Golder Associates Inc. 4104 148th Ave NE Redmond, WA 97552 USA Tel 206-883-0777, Fax 206-882-5498 Processed from ProTech on 8/4/94 at 15:33 VALIDATION: Technology information obtained from: ProTech v3.0, The Prospective Tech- nology Communication System [database on diskette], 1994, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. Publically available from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161. The ProTech v3.0 manual contains the following disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor Battelle Memorial Institute, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents that the use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product process, or sevice by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or Battelle Memeorial Institute. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. No additional validation has been performed on the technology data or description
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 25 1997 11:38