ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING LTD

Services

Detailed below are the wide range of services that we offer.......

Window Sampling

We offer hand held window sampling equipment and window sampling from tracked and trailer mounted rigs. Window sampling is ideal for accurate logging and sampling of shallow soils and can provide a rapid assessment of the soil profile, highlighting soil boundaries or contaminated zones. Monitoring wells can be installed within the open hole.

Hand held window sampling is ideal for limited access sites and is a useful initial investigative tool where typical depths of 5m can be reached. All equipment is hand transportable. The drive hammer we usually use is the Cobra petrol hammer unit but we also offer electric and pneumatic hammers according to fume or spark hazards.

In addition, the window samplers and other similar closed sampling systems can be driven with all our rotary rigs which can be useful where a few window sample holes are required on a site combined with rotary drilling. These rotary rigs are diesel hydraulic and can be made intrinsically safe for spark risk locations. They have a separate swing-around hammer head which is either a standard hammer or heavy duty hammer head. Rotary drilling can continue down the same hole after window sampling, without moving the rig.

Our window sampling service is with a 2 man crew and the team leader will have or be working towards an NVQ level 2 in Dynamic Sampling.

Rotary Drilling

ESL has several types of rotary rig to meet the demand of both the site’s terrain and geological formations. We offer 4 different variations of the Nordmeyer RSB rig, three of which are trailer mounted and the forth track mounted. Three are heavy weight options with twin rotary speed and heavy duty hammer. Drilling and probing from these rigs does not require the use of water or other fluid as a flush medium. All rigs are either fitted with or can be fitted with a spark arrestor and Chalwyn valve. The hydraulic oil used in our drill rigs is biodegradable.

Rigs dimensions

• Width 1.0 – 1.8m
• Mast height 3.6 – 3.7m
• Weight 1.8 – 2.2 tonne

We run the following augers with these rigs:

• Continuous Flight Auger (CFA)
• 80mm
• 100mm
• 150mm
• Hollow Stem Auger (HSA)
  ID/OD in mm
• 60 / 103
• 75 / 185
• 100 / 205
• 138 / 240

Diameters in bold indicate the most frequently used / standard augers. Our rotary drilling service is with a 2 man crew and the team leader will have or be working towards an NVQ level 2 in Rotary Drilling.

Sonic Drilling

Sonic drilling is a technique making use of intense vibrations directed down the drill string causing liquefaction of the soil at the cutter shoe, enabling extremely rapid soil penetration with relatively light drilling equipment. The system benefits from little or no drill spoil and does not require air or water flush to advance the drill string. 

We offer two Sonic Wizard tracked drill rigs which provide the highest quality of environmental soil sample. All our rigs use biodegradable hydraulic oil. Suited to soft to firm and loose to medium dense ground conditions. Not suitable for dense sands, gravels, hard rock or concrete conditions.

Downhole systems available:

• Aqualock 50
• Core liner sampling @ 75 & 100mm diameter

Rig Specification:

• Oscillator Output Force : 140kN
• Maximum Torque : 1200Nm
• Rotation Speed : 0 – 180rpm
• Maximum Pullback force : 25Kn
• Maximum Stroke : 2600 mm
• Drive track : Rubber
• Ground Pressure : 79.68Kn/m2
• Typical Noise Levels @ 1m : 81dBa
• Gross Weight : 3400

Overall Dimensions

Direct Push

We offer various direct push systems for profiling ground conditions, soil sampling, installing monitoring wells and insitu assessment of contamination.

Downhole systems:

• Geoprobe
• MacroCore
• Dual Tube
• Injection system
• Membrane Interface Probe (MIP)
• Dynamic Penetrometer
• CPT / SPT / DPT
• Window sampling

• Window Sampling / Dynamic Sampling
• Window Sampling (hand held)
• Rotary rigs
• Geoprobe injection system
• Rotary rigs
• All above Geoprobe systems
• Window sampling
• Membrane Interface Probe (MIP)

Membrane Interface Probe (MIP)

The Membrane Interface Probe (MIP) is an advanced site investigation tool for logging of total volatile organic compounds (VOC's) while classifying soil lithology in the subsurface. As the MIP is driven to depth, a permeable membrane on the side of the probe is heated at desired intervals to volatilize organic compounds. The VOC's permeate the membrane and are delivered to the surface using an internal carrier gas. At the surface, total readings are provided by using a series of detectors, such as a PID, FID and DELCD. The real time log also provides a depth / speed graph and an electrical conductivity log to identify lithology.

ESL has its own MIP system but its mobile laboratory is operated by an associate company, Geo-log based in Germany. Geo-log provides a lab technician and associated equipment which is operated with our rig and equipment. They can offer reporting, logs, 3-D graphics and interpretation. This arrangement has worked very successfully for several years but the mobilization can be expensive for projects of only a couple days duration.

The MIP can be operated from our three heavy duty Nordmeyer rigs and Geoprobe GH-40 unit (mounted on Ford Econoline 350 vehicle). Geo-log usually provide a separate vehicle to carry and operate the GC (fitted with PID, FID & DELCD) and control box. We have successfully probed to 33m in dense conditions in the past but more usual depths are 5 – 15m.

Well Decommissioning

The existence of a well represents a possible pathway from future unexpected surface spills to lower strata which can have a detrimental effect on groundwater quality. It is normal good practice to remove a monitoring well or to seal it after its useful life to prevent potential risk and liabilities.

This work can be the complete removal of the well by over drilling and grouting or grouting in situ. We use our rotary rigs for removing the old well and overdrilling and our ChemGrout trailer mounted mixing and pumping system to mix the grout  to pump down the borehole.

Bioremediation

All of our heavy duty Nordmeyer rotary rigs (tracked & trailer) have been designed to operate the Geoprobe injection system for bioremediation of sites. The hydraulic hammer is deployed to drive the injection system (Pressure Activated Injection Probe) into the ground to the required depth. We have two pumps suitable for injection. The GS500 which is a low volume piston pump which runs from the hydraulics of the rig and our ChemGrout grout mixer, an independent trailer mounted mixing and pumping system which has a progressive cavity pump. Bioremediation products are injected as the rods are removed.

Injection Pumps:

• Geoprobe GS500 Grout Machine
• Hydraulic, powered by rig.
• Grout hopper size 48 litres
• Flow rate 3.4 – 8.7lpm @ 69 bar
• ChemGrout CG-555
• Diesel hydraulic
• Mixing tank with paddles 100 litres
• Grout hopper size 75 litres
• Flow rate 45 lpm @ 15.5 bar