Direct Push continuous sampling

Over the years, we’ve worked with different sampling tools and techniques. We believe that direct-push is the best at balancing cost and quality - so do organizations and regulators across North America. We have advanced thousands of bore holes and completed monitoring wells across all western provinces under a variety of conditions. Direct-Push refers to tools and sensors that are “pushed” into the ground, usually by hydraulic percussion. Direct-Push assessment techniques are unique because they do not involve drilling to remove soil or make a path for the tool – like traditional augering methods.

Direct-Push has re-defined how contaminated sites are assessed – in many jurisdictions it is one of the few assessment techniques approved for use by regulators.

Benefits of the Direct-Push Method

There are numerous reasons why this technique has found such wide acceptance in the field, including:

• No cuttings are produced during the sampling process
• Probing is fast: typical penetration rates are from 5 to 12 feet (2 to 4 m) per minute (in certain soils)
• The sampling process is fast; up to 20 to 30 sample locations per day
• Produces relatively undisturbed soil cores, for easy viewing
• Minimizes soil “smearing” across different zones
• Minimal intrusion into aquifers
• Prevents the volatization of contaminants
• Assists in identifying small or discontinous granular soil lenses, which may facilitate the movement of contaminants
• Can be used to sample subsurface media including soil, groundwater, and soil gas

Dual tube tooling is used to collect soil samplers continuously from the surface or from a desired depth below the surface while minimizing the chance of liner failure.

Continuous sampling can be conducted by repeating steps shown in figures 3 and 5 to the maximum desired depth.