Vertical drilling

The right drilling for every layer

From geotechnical investigations to water extraction and geothermal energy: we cover the full range, down to a depth of 5,000 meters. Based on your specific environment—which we’re often already familiar with—we always select the method that best suits the soil type, depth, and purpose of your project. This way, you get exactly what you need from every layer: data, water or heat.

Applications

No matter what drilling challenge you face, we can provide a smart solution for:

  • Geological surveys for future raw material extraction and foundation works
  • Soil decontamination, groundwater monitoring or permit applications
  • Water extraction for drinking water and industrial processes
  • Underground water storage for later retrieval (ASR)
  • Test drilling for geothermal energy

Water extraction wells as the foundation for a sustainable water supply

Our extensive drilling expertise serves as the starting point for water extraction and storage projects. This on behalf of the water utilities and the industry. The wells are drilled in large diameters and usually with highly complex and drilling-wise challenging geological subsurfaces.

Water extraction and environmental drilling

Simple set-up, yet highly versatile and applicable to unlimited depths. We use this method for industrial projects. It is a simple and fast drilling process.

An efficient method for drilling operations with a large diameter. A pump is used to draw the drilled material upward through the drill pipes. This ensures sufficient upward velocity to bring the drill cuttings to the surface, even in large-diameter boreholes.

During this process, we inject air into the drill pipes to create an upward flow and bring the drilled material to the surface. This drilling technique is similar to suction drilling (the air replaces the pump), but allows us to reach greater depths and work faster.

A technique we use to drill through hard soil layers, often in fractured and karst-rich terrain. A hammer is located inside the borehole; powered by compressed air, it shatters the rock. The drill cuttings are carried upward along with the air through the annular space.

Geological and geotechnical drilling

This exploratory drilling reveals the composition, natural resources, bearing capacity, and groundwater parameters of the subsurface. With hundreds of thousands drilllings completed, we have a comprehensive knowledge database of subsurface types and drilling parameters. Together with the new drilling data, this information supports research projects, mineral extraction, foundation selection, stability calculations, geothermal projects, and design decisions.

Soil study

We extract core samples from concrete or rock to accurately analyze the composition and structure of the subsurface. This technique is often used for deeper structures such as tunnels or basement walls.

Inside the borehole, a pressure meter probe measures how the soil deforms under gradually increasing pressure. This allows us to determine the strength and stiffness of the soil at any desired depth, even in dense clay, compact sand, or weathered rock where conventional probing fail. The results can be used directly to design foundations and calculate compaction.

With this solution, we collect both disturbed and undisturbed soil samples. This is crucial for foundation designs where precise soil characteristics are essential. The drilling is performed inside a support casing using an auger, bailer or casing shoe.

To collect high-quality continuous geological samples from sand and clay layers, Smet Group has developed the push drilling technique. The samples are extracted by pressing the drill bit into the ground and then drilling through the core, thereby preventing contamination of the core samples. This is important for detailed geological and geochemical investigations.

By measuring the drilling parameters during a destructive drilling (drill head speed, fluid pressure, weight on the drill bit, etc.), information about the subsurface structure can be quickly gathered. This information must always be calibrated against a drilling in which samples were collected.

Geothermal drilling

Smet Group is a pioneer in geothermal energy systems, with sustainability as its fundamental principle. Our broad expertise enables us to offer a well-thought-out comprehensive package, from design to implementation.