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Drilling
Sonic drilling technology nominated for fourth award
August 29, 2014 By Ground Water Canada
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Aug. 29, 2014, Surrey, B.C. – The Northern Ontario Institute of
Technology has nominated Ray Roussy, developer of modern day sonic drilling
technology, for an Ontario Premier's award.
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Aug. 29, 2014, Surrey, B.C. – The Northern Ontario Institute of
Technology has nominated Ray Roussy, developer of modern day sonic drilling
technology, for an Ontario Premier's award.
Roussy, the president of the Sonic Drill Corporation and
Sonic Drilling Ltd., is an alumni of Northern Ontario Institute of Technology
(NOIT), where he was first introduced to mechanical engineering before
continuing onto Lakehead University where he graduated with a Bachelor of
Mechanical Engineering degree in 1974.
Today, 40 years later, Roussy holds dozens of patents
involving sonic drilling technology and is solely responsible for the
successful commercialization of the technology. If Roussy wins the Ontario
Premier's award, it will be the fourth award since 2008 for his technology.
Previous awards include the Technology Award from the National Ground Water
Association in 2012, the Manning Innovation Award in 2010 and the Best New
Drilling Technology award from the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition in 2008.
The sonic drill rigs, patented and built by the Sonic Drill
Corporation, are in use on six continents in multiple applications. Because of
its non-intrusive abilities, sonic drilling technology has often been used, and
specifically requested in government contracts, for sensitive projects such as
dam remediation, nuclear site investigations and hazardous waste site
reclamation, says a press release from Sonic Drill Corporation.
“Because vibrations from the drill bit are not transmitted
very far beyond the drill, penetrations can occur into very sensitive areas
such as critical eco-systems, unstable terrain or vulnerable situations where
traditional drilling would cause more harm or be impossible to complete,” said
the company.
Sonic drilling technology, once used largely for environmental
investigation, is now more broadly applied to geothermal installations, piling
and mineral exploration.
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