On one particular project, Boart Longyear mobilized underground coring rigs to a client’s mine in the US where the mine was faced with a big water problem that was making the underground exploration coring impossible to complete. The mine had two shafts located at different levels, one above the other. The deeper shaft had pumps installed and was ready to pump water to the surface. However, the upper shaft had flooded with water – where there were no pumps.

Typical underground coring setup.

Rather than attempt to install additional pumps in the flooded upper shaft to remove the water, Boart Longyear moved their underground coring rigs down to the lower shaft and drilled a fan-shaped series of up-holes to the flooded shaft above. The idea worked, effectively using gravity to drain the water from the upper shaft to the lower shaft where the pumps were then able to move the excess water to the surface. The mine was able to continue operations in the upper shaft and Boart Longyear was able to start the diamond coring exploration drilling.

On another project, the mine was thought to be dry. After the underground coring began, the Boart Longyear crew ended up finding water – a lot of it, quite unexpectedly. The crew was able to come up with a plan to manage the water so the exploration drilling could be completed. After pressure grouting in a cement collar casing, a blow-out- preventer (BOP – used to seal, control, and monitor water to prevent blow outs and the uncontrolled release of high-pressure water) and rock pack were installed successfully, shutting the water in. Most instances where that amount of water is encountered play out quite differently. Everyone has experienced, or knows someone who has, a situation where a high volume of water blows all your tooling out of the hole, resulting in a complicated mess.

Other examples of unexpected challenges include creative solutions using Boart Longyear’s own engineered underground rigs on the surface. The Drilling Services Underground Coring division mobilized rigs to a mine site where a delay in underground diamond coring exploration had the underground rigs idle on the surface. Someone saw the rigs waiting and asked if the idle underground rigs could drill flat-angled holes on the surface. Accepting the challenge, the underground coring rigs have been drilling these low, flat-angled boreholes ever since.

The mine site has a limited surface disturbance permit – which means that to reach the geological formations outside the area of their disturbance permit, Boart Longyear’s Underground Coring division is operating underground rigs on the surface to drill low-angled and flat holes that surface rigs often can’t reach because of their truck-mounted tall masts.

The underground rigs can drill at low angles from -40 degrees down to flat. They drill underneath the area where the mining client isn’t allowed to disturb the surface. This means exploration coring can follow ore veins without disturbing the surface and drill beneath the area outside of the issued disturbance permit.

The boreholes are 2600 ft to 2700 ft (792.48 m to 822.96 m) at a -40 to -12 degree angle. Boart Longyear has the tooling and the expertise for that type of drilling but was unable to accomplish the job with surface rigs because when set up flat, you’re going to be 12 ft (3.66 m) off the ground because the mast is way up on a truck carrier. With the underground rigs, a work platform or deck was constructed, which enabled the team to work right up close to them.

The Boart Longyear Drilling Services Underground Coring division in the US runs all Boart Longyear-engineered and manufactured LM and MDR rigs. The LM series of rigs feature easily interchangeable components, allowing for space constraints without sacrificing depth requirements. These modular coring rigs offer easier access in tight underground spaces and mobility for easier moves from hole to hole or shaft to shaft. Boart Longyear’s patented tooling offers safer and more efficient up-holes at any angle.

The underground coring rigs in the Drilling Services’ fleet are modified and customized, as compared to the commercially available Boart Longyear underground coring rigs. For example, the LM90 is souped up with a 150-horsepower engine instead of the typical 90-horsepower engine and includes additional modifications for increased depth capacity and core size.

The Drilling Services Underground Coring division has the experience and technical expertise to drill dewatering galleries, geotechnical borings, tunnel investigations, grouting services, and utility borings. The division also has experience with overcore drilling to measure in-situ stress. Overcore drilling involves drilling a hole to depth with a small diameter EX- or AX-sized bit, placing a probe to measure strain response data, and then using a special resin to glue the probe in place. After drilling out a larger diameter core to retrieve the probe, the overcore sample and probe are used for stress testing the rock formation to plan for ground support. This method is often used in both horizontal tunnels and vertical shafts to measure the amount of stress the rock can take.

Another unique application for underground rigs and crews is drilling on the surface into high walls for dewatering purposes. Flat to close-to-horizontal boreholes – from 10 degrees up to 10 degrees down – can be used to create self-draining dewatering boreholes in high walls. Pressure grouting in a cement collar casing keeps the hole from collapsing and can be used with a BOP valve in case the mining client wants to shut the water in the rock formation.

To maintain the integrity of the hole, installing slotted polyvinyl chloride (PVC) keeps the hole from collapsing. If you go through a broken zone, when water starts flowing, the hole can bridge off after a couple of months. The PVC keeps the hole open and the water running.

The benefit of using underground rigs for this type of drilling is the difference between large rotary rigs that produce chip samples and use lower rotation per minute (rpm) and higher torque whereas a coring rig operates at higher rpms and less torque. Chuck-drive underground coring rigs drill slower, straighter, and deeper and collect core for further analysis.

Geologists can use core samples from horizontal drilling into a high wall to look for fractures, faults, and oxidation (to identify water-bearing zones). They can also be identified in chip samples using rotary drilling rigs, but it’s more difficult to see them that way. A core sample provides a better physical view of the rock formation. Drilling high walls with underground coring rigs accomplishes two goals with one borehole – dewatering and obtaining core samples for assaying for fractures, faults, and oxidation.

LM90 with customized feed frame. Expert drillers from left to right: John Sanchez, Jimmie Maggard, Marcus Woody, and Sal Renteria.

Whether it’s an underground coring project or a surface application for underground coring rigs, the drilling crews are the real heroes at Boart Longyear. They have wide-reaching (global) resources to find unique and inventive solutions for complex, technical, and sometimes immense drilling challenges and they’re not afraid to ask questions.

More than just a can-do attitude, great work ethic, diverse skills, vast experience, technical knowledge, and a commitment to safety and each customer’s success, they get the job done. Drillers, driller assistants, welders, mechanics, supervisors, and other support personnel travel to work in remote locations, in all kinds of challenging weather, climates, and altitudes, all while spending extended time away from their families. The work is strenuous, involves extensive training, and requires their full attention for safety’s sake.

These real heroes all contributed to Boart Longyear’s latest safety achievement of 10 million man-hours and one year of being lost-time injury-free. A big congratulations to all the drilling crews and support personnel on this company-wide accomplishment! Denis Despres, Chief Operating Officer stated, "On a site level, we value the everyday procedures from standardized pre-start information meetings that focus on daily job tasks and associated hazards and risks, our online data management system, including the system’s mobile app, and the daily team and individual-based field level risk assessments. At Boart Longyear, it is everyone’s responsibility to work safely."

Originally published in Issue 11 of Coring Magazine, November 2019

Mike Van Aacken is the US Water Services Commercial Manager for Boart Longyear Drilling Services. With more than 22 years of drilling experience, Mike started as a driller’s helper and has worked as a Driller, Field Supervisor, Contracts Manager, and an Operations Manager. Mike has extensive experience in large rotary and dual-tube flooded reverse circulation drilling methods.

 

Our host, Jon Peterson (Geo Jon for fun), works for the Products division as a Customer Service Representative. Jon graduated from the University of Utah in 2015 with his Bachelors of Science in Geology. He’s worked for Boart Longyear for the last two and a half years and interned as a geologist with an exploration company for about six months prior to coming to work for Boart Longyear. Jon has been married for a year and a half and in his free time enjoys trail running, hiking, working on his yard, spending time with family, and playing with his black lab Dexter. 

We would love to hear your questions and comments below. Thanks for listening and if you liked this episode, share it on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

Dan Ernst is the Product Manager for Capital Equipment Spares and has worked at Boart Longyear since 2011. He has his Bachelor's degree in Business Management and has more than 40 years of experience in supply chain, procurement, and product management.

 

Zac Strauss has a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering and a master’s degree in business administration. He started at the company in 2006 as a new product development engineer in diamond drilling products. He’s held other roles such as product manager for capital equipment spares and operations manager for aftermarket and fleet maintenance. He has been in his current role as product manager, capital drilling equipment since 2015.

 

Our host, Jon Peterson (Geo Jon for fun), works for the Products division as a Customer Service Representative. Jon graduated from the University of Utah in 2015 with his Bachelors of Science in Geology. He’s worked for Boart Longyear for the last two and a half years and interned as a geologist with an exploration company for about six months prior to coming to work for Boart Longyear. Jon has been married for a year and a half and in his free time enjoys trail running, hiking, working on his yard, spending time with family, and playing with his black lab Dexter. 

We would love to hear your questions and comments below. Thanks for listening and if you liked this episode, share it on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

In July, Vice President of Global Engineering Shayne Drivdahl discussed how Boart Longyear’s engineering team might be one of the company’s best-kept secrets. Providing a variety of professional drilling services to exploration and mining companies, the Company also designs, manufactures, and sells reliable drilling rigs, quality tooling, and accurate instrumentation.

Thanks to its team of engineers located throughout the world, the company is able to develop products and put them through rigorous testing in the hands of its own Drilling Services personnel. Tools and equipment are not only tested in the lab but also in the field. The collaboration between members of the global engineering team and Boart Longyear’s drillers elevates the performance of both Boart Longyear Drilling Products and Boart Longyear Drilling Services. Read the full article to learn more about the beneficial synergy gained between the two divisions.

In July, Design Engineer Anthony Lachance wrote about the newest developments and early testing results from the Roller Latch Overshot. Since Boart Longyear introduced the Q Wireline system in 1966, retrieving the inner tube from the core barrel has been handled the same way: an overshot with lifting dogs (spring loaded hooked “fingers”) is lowered or pumped into the hole until it snaps over a pivoting spearhead mechanism affixed to the inner tube assembly. Once the head assembly has been removed from the hole, the driller uses the pivoting spearhead to position the head assembly on their workspace and squeezes the back of the lifting dogs to release.

Since being introduced, this system has had the same basic issues. Learn how Boart Longyear’s new Roller Latch^TM Overshot has been highly anticipated and how drillers are noting the various positive developments: it’s easier to use, saves on wireline, and makes working with Q/P Roller Latch head assemblies much easier in difficult conditions.

In March, Global EHS Manager Brian Maeck introduced us to the Boart Longyear Glove Matrix. More and more mining and drilling companies are developing automation technologies to improve employee safety and efficiency. However, there are still plenty of risks for the hard-working hands of drillers: pinch points, sharp edges, rotating equipment, chemicals, etc. Hand injuries are still one of the most common and preventable injuries.

Along with following safe practices like using a risk assessment prior to any task, using the appropriate work gloves can dramatically reduce hand injuries. One solution, designed and developed to help employees select the correct glove for the task, is the Boart Longyear Glove Matrix. The Glove Matrix clearly sets the guidelines for what glove to use and when to use them. Read the article and download Boart Longyear’s Glove Matrix.

In August, Senior Engineer Andrew Salisbury wrote about the MDR500 rig’s success. This mobile underground diamond drill rig was designed exclusively for Boart Longyear Drilling Services. It leverages the upcoming LMi power and control interface and comes equipped with 500m of on-board rod storage (NQ rods) making it a self-sufficient mobile drill rig.

The MDR500 was the long-term brainchild of Geoff Moroney (Drilling Services Asia Pacific Fleet & Asset Manager) and John Kirkwood (Drilling Services Asia Pacific Regional Director). The project was given the go-ahead in the third quarter of 2016 aftermarket research indicated that there was a desire from sections of the Australian market for a medium depth underground diamond drill rig which was in the most part self-sufficient and could move quickly from hole to hole.

In this article, Anthony Markham, Senior Product Designer of Capital Equipment, describes the challenge Boart Longyear’s Drilling Services faced with moving existing StopeMaster equipment safely and quickly through a mine. With the combined dedication of many remarkable Boart Longyear employees around the world, the team started engineering a new StopeMaster MDR rig that would solve the issues the mining company was experiencing.

The newly commissioned StopeMaster MDR rig solved the issues of moving the StopeMaster, making moves from stope to stope faster and requiring less time and resources from the mine. The StopeMaster MDR equipment is also safer with rod handling capabilities and semi-autonomous drilling with a new LMi control panel which controls both the rod handler and the StopeMaster MDR rig. Check out this article and download the Drilling Services Overview to learn more about Boart Longyear Drilling Services capabilities, fleet, safety programs, and drilling methods and applications.

Is a career in drilling right for you? In this article, the challenges of drilling are discussed, and key factors are considered when researching jobs in the drilling and mining industry. For example, at drill sites, a certain level of physical fitness is required for employees to adequately carry out their tasks. Working on a drill rig involves labor-intensive activities such as heavy lifting and manual handling.

A career in drilling is an important decision for both employees and their families. Individuals who work in drilling enjoy work that is often physically demanding in challenging conditions. But they’re also aware of the great benefits and rewards of this industry. If a career in drilling seems like a good fit for you, this article is a must-read.

In June, Global Product Manager Zac Strauss discussed the most important factors when considering a new drill rig purchase. Buying a new drill rig is a big decision and many variables and factors affect that decision. The biggest question one has to answer is, “Will this drill rig make money? Or cost more to own than some other option that can accomplish the same for less?”

It’s important to take time to consider options. Evaluate current drill rig fleet and consider what it will take to get everything maintained and updated to be competitive. Does your drilling rig take advantage of recent innovations and meet the latest safety standards? If repairs and available parts outweigh returns, look at updating your fleet. The number one reason to buy new equipment versus used equipment is to enhance productivity, improve safety, and enjoy long-term reliability.

Since 1890, Boart Longyear has been transforming the drilling industry with innovations like the wireline for faster core retrieval, dual-tube flooded reverse circulation drilling, and sonic drilling for mining applications. This article focuses on the LR500, a drill rig built specifically to meet the increasing needs for deeper dewatering wells for Nevada mining.

Check out this article to discover the distinct features of the LR500 such as the size and weight of the casing, how it’s electrically powered, and its automated drilling features. Also be sure to download the Drilling Services fleet depth chart to discover the wide range of services Boart Longyear provides.

In February, Chris Lambert, Senior Product Manager, discusses different factors that affect the way drilling could be affecting bits. The best way to save money on consumables like bits is to check drilling methods. In this article, these simple tips could decrease operating costs and add more cash to the bottom line.

Quick tips are also included, which give insight into rotational speed, weight on bits, torque, penetration rate, water flow, and sharpening. You can also download the Diamond Products Catalog to explore the full range of diamond bits Boart Longyear offers.

John Roberts, Professional Geologist and Commercial Manager for Boart Longyear, describes the complexities of designing and planning a drilling project. There are many risk factors which need to be considered in order to mitigate issues that could impact productivity and/or budget, ultimately impeding the success of the project.

This article addresses considerations and common pitfalls in drill pad planning, which is critical to the mobilization of the drills and crews that will complete your carefully designed drilling project. The first thoughts should be “what purpose is the hole, and what type of drilling will be performed.” Make sure to download the recommended drill pad layouts!

As we move into 2019, you can look forward to additional case studies, interesting and complex drilling projects, tips and tricks, and how-to articles. We are working hard to bring you the content that makes a difference and makes your life a little easier. Thank you for reading INSITE and engaging with Boart Longyear. We couldn’t do any of it without all of you! Wishing all of you a successful and prosperous 2019!

If you have any questions or feedback, we would love to hear from you! You can leave comments below by clicking to expand on the icon and word DISCUSSION.

Deven Wood, Operations Manager of the Boart Longyear Pump Division, has been with the company since 2003. Deven began as a driller and field supervisor, and later gained experience with the rotary group before transferring to the pump division.

Our new host, Jon Peterson (Geo Jon for fun), works for the Products division as a Customer Service Representative. Jon graduated from the University of Utah in 2015 with his Bachelors of Science in Geology. He’s worked for Boart Longyear for the last two and a half years and interned as a geologist with an exploration company for about six months prior to coming to work for Boart Longyear. Jon has been married for a year and a half and in his free time enjoys trail running, hiking, working on his yard, spending time with family, and playing with his black lab Dexter. 

Learn more about Pump Services

We would love to hear your questions and comments below. Thanks for listening and if you liked this episode, share it on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

Once the right tools for the job have been determined, attention must be paid to their condition and performance. The nature of top hammer operations in extreme environments means that wear will quickly have an impact on how long various components can be used before replacement is required.

These tools represent a relatively small operational expense; however, incorrect use of the tooling can have a significant adverse impact to overall costs.

In regards to wear, bit condition will have the most immediate impact on drilling success. Drilling with worn bits not only decreases productivity but also escalates costs by reducing the life of the drill string components, the rock drill, and the rig components. Over time, direct contact with the rock and the extreme energy being applied to the tooling takes its toll on the bit and its buttons, making their condition deteriorate.

There are many factors that contribute to premature bit wear, whether it’s ground conditions, risky drilling practices like hole collaring, excessive feed pressures, or not maintaining equipment correctly. Premature bit failures are substantially reduced when over drilling is eliminated and correct sharpening practices are followed.

Here are a few things to consider to keep energy utilization optimized and to get the most out of top hammer tools.

If drilling through abrasive materials such as sandstone and quartzite the wear tends to be greater on the bit circumference. Drillers should consider bit replacement or restoring the gauge button-to-body gap to original (new) condition.

When drilling in non-abrasive materials, carbide wear is minimized and drilling intervals are possibly longer. This allows for continued chip removal around the bit and wears away the bit body quicker than the carbides also referred to as body wash.

Similar wear occurs in fractured and loose formations where constant hole cleaning and re-drilling of the materials is required for stabilizing the hole and to keep the hole open during retraction. To prevent button loss or shearing under these conditions, the protrusion should be reduced to the original height by scheduling grinding intervals.

To use top hammer tooling effectively and get the most life out of tooling, it is recommended to work with a technical representative. A good technical rep will help establish specific guidelines for maximum suggested life of the bits.

To purchase the most advanced and reliable top hammer tooling, look for companies that have developed the tooling over decades of experience and continue to improve the products they offer.

It is always important to care for and maintain tooling and equipment. Consider training and regularly reminding drillers on how to get the most life out of top hammer equipment. More often than not, drillers come to work to do their very best and everyone wants to improve. Share these tips and top hammer drilling productivity will increase.

With the current procedure, the StopeMaster rig had to be escorted by a scoop in front of and behind the equipment on every move. The StopeMaster rig is essential in production drilling in the mine, but slow to move and it would hold up traffic on the ramp as it moved throughout the mine. This process was costing the mine time and resources.

In order to solve this challenge, Boart Longyear’s Drilling Services engineering team created a multi-phase plan to add both functionality and mobility to the existing StopeMaster equipment. The first phase of the plan was to design and build a more mobile StopeMaster rig, then move to hands-free rod handling, and finally to semi-autonomous drilling.

With the combined dedication of many remarkable Boart Longyear employees around the world, the team started engineering a new Stopemaster MDR rig that would solve the issues the mining company was experiencing.

A few weeks before the MDR rig was to be delivered, representatives from Boart Longyear’s Drilling Services team accompanied the mine’s pre-assessment team to scour every nook and cranny of the prototype rig to proactively identify and address conformance to the customer’s standards.

To ensure successful deployment of the new StopeMaster MDR mobile drill rig, a specialized Boart Longyear team spent 16 days onsite working out all the fine details and making sure everything was up and operating smoothly. The team included dedicated percussive drillers and a senior production designer.

On the afternoon of March 10, 2018, the very first Stopemaster MDR rig took to the ramp as it entered the portal for its inaugural deployment at a mine in Northern Ontario, Canada. Shortly thereafter, it collared its very first hole.

From the moment the rig arrived at the mine, the Boart Longyear team worked diligently with the customer to rapidly address any new concerns identified by the onsite reviewers. Over the subsequent days, the drilling team quickly learned the new LMi interfaces - a couple of joysticks, a knob, and a touchscreen had replaced the recognizable matrix of gauges and controls native to the stalwart StopeMaster machine. 

(Left-to-Right) Boart Longyear employees: Willie Coderre, Tyler Allin, Zane Clark, Al Portugie, James Forest, Dan Kirkey

After days of fine tuning the rig and tweaking the software controlling the rod handling aspects of the drill, the drillers were finally allowed to drill. These enthusiastic men cooperated as a tag team to complete the first 17-meter hole that expectantly broke through a known water fault that cascaded 4°C water down onto the drill and drillers. 

Then it was time for a crew change, and a new set of drillers embarked on the project. The next hole had to be drilled in the stope with a cascade of refreshing Canadian ground-water endlessly spewing onto the drill. Without much of a grumble, the assigned driller donned his oilers and dutifully braved the damp, frigid conditions, rod after rod. The drill was struggling to dig with the last few rods, so the dedicated driller pulled them all to check the bit, then sent the drill string right back up. Only later was the penetration issue attributed to a malfunctioning valve, but the driller trudged through. With half a meter to go, the shift was over and it was time to quit for the day.

Due to logistical challenges that followed, some members of the drilling crew were, for one reason or another, temporarily unavailable. Another team member accepted the challenge of training on the new drill.

Willie Coderre tramming the MDR into its first Stope.

He diligently battled through the still undiagnosed valve issue to complete the last half meter of the previous hole and followed that performance up by completing a 17-meter-long hole of his own. With the drill onsite for well over a week at this point, the latest driller now held the “Most Meters Drilled” title for the new StopeMaster MDR rig. 

After agonizing over the extremely slow penetration rate, the striking bar on the drifter snapped with only three more meters left in the hole. The crew replaced the striking bar and completed the stubborn hole. 

While repositioning the drill for the next hole, the driller was quickly able to identify a weakness in one of the actuators that deploys the drill’s outriggers. The drill was again shut down and made safe before the team made their way back up to the surface to brainstorm a plan to reinforce the outrigger. With a plan in hand, the team took another maintenance day to execute the fix.

With the outrigger issues now resolved, the drill was successfully repositioned and began another hole, this time with the team focusing a keen eye on the detailed micro-behaviors throughout the drilling process. The drilling team was able to identify and diagnose the misbehaving valve and in no time, the new drill received a replacement part. A couple of hoses here, a few bolts there, and the feed pressure control was snatched from the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and temporarily placed back into the hands of an experienced longhole driller.

Finally, with multiple issues resolved, the team united to attempt to get some meters drilled without issues. With the drill behaving much better, five holes were easily drilled for a total of 83 meters that day.

Although challenges were initially experienced with the prototype, having the Boart Longyear team available onsite meant they could quickly adapt, adjust and correct any problems. Because of their dedicated teamwork, the crew was able to deliver on the customer’s request to upgrade the StopeMaster to a mobile drill rig with rod handling and semi-autonomous drilling.

The newly commissioned StopeMaster MDR rig solved the issues of moving the StopeMaster, making moves from stope to stope faster and requiring less time and resources from the mine. The StopeMaster MDR equipment is also safer with rod handling capabilities and semi-autonomous drilling with a new LMi control panel which controls both the rod handler and the StopeMaster MDR rig.

Boart Longyear operates the exclusive LR90H Horizontal Drilling Rig for mine dewatering. This FOPS Level II certified rig drills a hole at a 5-degree angle for self-draining dewatering – directly against a high-wall face for the best productivity. This electric rig offers completely hands-free rod handling and can drill 152 to 182 m (500-600 ft) in a shift to depths of 450 m (1500 ft).

Recently, a client requested that the driller controls be moved away from the rig for 24/7 operations. At night, it’s difficult to monitor high walls visually. By moving the driller and the controls away from the high-wall in a remote operations cab, drilling can safely occur even at night when high-wall movement can be missed visually.

The LR90H drill rig will continue to work directly against the high-wall and the driller controls will be extended to a custom trailer and a remote operations cab that can be approximately 150 feet away from the high-wall, thus removing the driller and crew from hazards.

The LR90H is equipped with hands-free rod handling.

The remote operator system will maintain the current control panel functions in the cab and have a pass function that only allows operation from one location at a time to avoid unwanted operation of any function.

 

The new remote cab will move the driller out of the rig and away from the dangers of working directly against a high wall.

Communication with the rig will be via umbilical cord connections and the inline electric operated pilot controls will look and feel as much like the current control panel on the rig. The remote operations trailer will be equipped with six cameras capable of night vision showing needed angles and with viewing monitors in the cabin. Current LED lighting will be doubled for better night vision and an intercom system will be installed for communication to helpers outside. Due to the electric power, operating noise levels are extremely low compared to its Diesel Hydraulic brother. The mobile drill cabin trailer will be a 7.5X14 foot mobile office trailer, set up with electrical, insulation, lights, windows, air conditioning, and heat.

It’s just another example of how Boart Longyear is, at your service.