Core Drilling, RC (Reverse Circulation) Drilling, DTH (Down –the-Hole) Drilling & LD (Large Diameter) Drilling are some of the main forms of Mineral Exploration Drilling. SWPE is one of the key players in providing services, of all the above drilling methods in the country. It has a big fleet of almost 30-32 Rigs, that have successfully executed various mineral exploratory projects for a wide array of minerals, like – Coal, Iron Ore, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Chromite, Manganese & Atomic Minerals, both in India and overseas.
WIRELINE CORE DRILLING
In this type of drilling, the wire line core barrel comprises of an inner tube which is receptacle of the core, that can be lifted to the surface through the rod string, without removing the drill rod string assembly (thus increasing the yield considerably), while the coring bit and the outer tube of the core barrel remain in the bore hole, that acts as a casing to avoid the collapse of the side wall.
SWPE has successfully carried out Wireline Core Drilling for an Australian Mining Co. – ALARA RESOURCES, for the exploration of Copper & Gold, in Oman.
RC (REVERSE CIRCULATION) DRILLING
Reverse Circulation (RC) Drilling is much faster than the Wireline Drilling and is mainly carried out in hard rock formation. Unlike wireline core drilling, RC drilling produces samples of rock cuttings instead of a sample of rock core. It uses a bit attached to a down- the hole hammer, to produce a hole and comprises of rods with inner and outer tubes. The drill cuttings produced, are returned to surface through inside the rods by reverse air circulation, which are then collected in various sample bags, to be analysed by geologists for determining the overall mineral composition of the drilled holes.
SWPE till date has drilled approximately 35,000 m by RC drilling (which is a feat by itself).
LD (LARGE DIAMETER) DRILLING
Large diameter core drilling is recommended for bulk sampling and where core of target samples are required.
SWPE has been the pioneer and the preferred choice of clients for LDC drilling in India. Where continuous bulk sample is required over the target area, our Large Diameter Core (LDC) drilling has proven to be the most accurate & economic sampling tool.
SWPE has been using precision instruments designed with exceptional sample recovery capabilities even under the most adverse conditions. The results derived from the quality of these samples have been a contributing factor in the investment of large sums of money in the development of mineral resources.
Why SWPE?
SWPE has not only been the pioneer of LDC Drilling in India but is also the preferred choice of clients in this field, because of the constant in house innovations and development to improve upon the safety aspects and better outcomes with respect to productivity.
Some of the in house developments made by SWPE on LDC are:
SWPE has achieved a major feat by having drilled LDC (Large Dia Core) corehole upto a depth of 350 m in Kimberlite for RIO TINTO MINING.
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
Drilling for deeper target is not only costly but is also quite difficult, if it is located in various pockets of mineralized ore. A single bore hole can be plugged back at a certain depth and deviated to make new boreholes. Sometimes, target located beneath a locality, river or environmentally sensitive area, makes it necessary to locate the drilling rig some distance away.
To achieve drilling in the above mentioned challenging scenarios, Directional Drilling is the most suitable option.
In Directional Drilling, Down Hole Motor (DHM) is used to steer the borehole at desired path or direction and an adjustable bend sub at the front of the DHM controls the amount of deviation. In this method only the drill bit rotates and this is driven by the positive displacement pump (power section) at the top of the DHM.
