Crews gave Denis Despres, COO, Brian Maeck, Global EHS Director, Fernando Riquelme, RD – LAM, Guillaume Dubuy, RD – EMEA, John Kirkwood, RD – APAC a heart felt site induction, not only discussing critical risk, but also what drives them to ensure safety excellence at work.

The crew took their time explaining the new Critical Risk Management program and associated site risks to visiting EXCO representatives, three Regional Directors and the Global EHS Director, further demonstrating their buy-in and passion towards safety.

Examples such as when the crew recognized that they were too close to a rock wall they, supported by the site EHS advisor, took it upon themselves to install a screen to catch loose rock. Every step of the way, the Chilean teams have thought about each process element, and truly have put safety first, not only impressing their BHP customer but also leadership from other Regions, and our Executives. I thank them all for their safety leadership and dedication in raising the bar.

-Brian Maeck

Site collateral – crews each had Critical Risk Management posters and cards with controls posted on the back; and confidently spoke about the associated risks on their site and process. They also directed the attention of the visitors to the 16 EHS Management Field Reference standards, highlighting applicable requirements.

Hand’s off! Crews do not touch rods or tubes to ensure fingers and hands are not injured in the process.

To learn more about Boart Longyear's contract Drilling Services, find your local Boart Longyear representative.

Division Manager West Africa, Jonathan Madigan commented “Our drilling crew in Ghana on this project worked safely and diligently in directionally drilling the hole to the target depth. I couldn’t be more proud of the team that completed the project. Boart Longyear’s consistent hazard and risk-focused safety culture is embraced by the crews here in Ghana and they appreciate that the field level risk assessments, pre-shift meetings and other safety programs are designed to get them home safe to their families.” 

Crew pictured from left to right:
Jon Enu : Driller Assistant, Ebenezer Adu-Atta : Driller Assistant, Lewis Donkoh : Driller, Solomon Essien : Driller Assistant, Patrick Benfor : Driller
Kwame Yeboah : Driller Assistant, Benoni Kwabiah : Driller Assistant

Not pictured:
John Owusu : Driller, Glover Quaw : Driller Assistant, Daniel Emmanual : Driller Assistant, Frank Ennin : Supervisor, Fanie Van der Walt : Supervisor, Chris Milligan : Supervisor

The Company has received client recognition for their safe, on-target, and ahead of schedule completion of the deep coring exploration drilling project. Boart Longyear acknowledges the participation, collaboration, and contributions from every employee within Ghana and especially the drilling crew that worked directly on this record-depth hole. 

To learn more about Boart Longyear's contract Drilling Services, find your local Boart Longyear representative.

The Drilling Services Surface Coring drill crew used the powerful LF350e along with the new, patented XQ wireline coring rods featuring W-Wall, and the new Longyear diamond bits to successfully directionally drill at an angle of 65 degrees to the client’s required depth – which was almost 10,500 feet (3200 meters). An impressive feat in and of itself, the project had measurable productivity gains and proved the newest Boart Longyear rigs and tooling make a real difference in the field. 

With innovative features of the drill rig, combined with the deepest rated coring rods in the market and the fastest, smoothest cutting bits, the project’s success was also attributed to the talent, experience, and technical expertise of the crew.

Boart Longyear has combined proven technology from its most popular surface coring drill rigs to create the powerful LF350e.The forward tilting head design simplifies the rod handling process and reduces the need for operator intervention and maintenance. The rod breaking clamp is a hydraulic breaking device which means no wrench under power. The foot clamp rotates to break rod joints located between the foot clamp and rod breaking clamp. The rig also features a heated and air conditioned drillers cab to protect the operator from the elements and overhead hazards. Utilizing CAN bus communication and PLC programming, all LF350e functions are controlled electronically. The “e” in LF350e refers to the fully electronic control system. The rig is designed ergonomically to lessen fatigue and stress to the driller and helper. The LF350e has adjustable wireline speed to be able to set to lower the over shot and then pull the tube, which allows a hands-off safer approach. This is just one-way ergonomic design plays a part in reducing fatigue with this drill rig. The beauty of Boart Longyear’s business model of both contract drilling services and a drilling products business is access to immediate, direct, unfiltered feedback from drillers in the field. Drill rigs built for drillers.

A unique combination of -20 degree self-locking reverse flank angle on the threads and symmetrical load distribution when combined with W-Wall double-annealed mid-body, make XQ wireline coring rods some of the deepest rated coring rods in the market. XQ has an increased negative flank angle from of -20 degrees compared to -10 degrees in RQ rods. The increased negative flank angle combined with the double-start threads, nearly eliminate box bulging and provides greater strength in high torque applications.

Patented XQ joints have opposite double-start threads that are self-aligning so mating engages smoothly. This provides a balanced load response and double the contact area, which means half the contact pressure. This symmetrical load distribution increases load capacity significantly for stronger rods with deeper capacity. The lighter drill string increased drill rig depth capacity and reduced fatigue in driller's when manually tripping. The enlarged inner diameter also significantly reduced inner tube tripping time for improved productivity.

The new NXQ and HXQ W-Wall coring rods feature patent-pending, double-upset tubing, with the same overall weight reduction and faster wireline tripping speed as V-Wall. However, the standard wall thickness in the middle of XQ rod eliminates premature mid-body wear and resists bending, performing like straight wall tubing.

As all Boart Longyear coring rod, XQ W-Wall tubing is cold-drawn from high quality, North American alloy steel, uniquely processed to Boart Longyear specifications.

Boart Longyear has successfully created a chemical bond between diamond and matrix, which is stronger than the diamond itself. The increased diamond projection and improved face flushing create a bit with more versatility, higher penetration rates, and longer life. The Longyear Bits are similar to large diamond bits, but with the easy, smooth drilling characteristics drillers prefer. This means increased productivity throughout the entire operation, and ultimately more core.

To support higher penetration rates, the new Longyear formulas are combined with a new, more open, express geometry. Tapered intermediate waterways improve flushing and prevent accumulation of debris. Designed for fast cutting in competent ground, the new express geometry is available in our 16mm crown heights to maintain bit life at higher cutting speeds.

The unique Razorcut protrusions on the face of the bit contain diamonds that enable the bit to begin cutting right out of the box – even in the softest ground. The arrangement of these protrusions also improves the tracking and balance in the hole when drilling begins.

When the right drill bit is in the right ground operated under the right conditions, more core ends up in the box at the end of a shift. There isn’t a perfect drill bit matrix or geometry that cuts every ground as quickly as possible. A Longyear bit may cut 17 inches per minute in Arizona, but cut just three inches per minute in Ontario.

Although diamond drill bit selection is often an afterthought, it’s just as important as drillers deciding how much water/mud to run or how fast to spin rods.

There are many factors to consider when selecting a drill bit, including the main objective of a project. As mentioned, the overarching objective is always more core in the box, but there are additional elements that need to be considered. For example, a rod trip takes significantly less time at 400 feet than a rod trip at 4,000 feet. While bit life is important, it’s less crucial at the top of a hole because that usually means sacrificing penetration rates.

In Australia, a site used two different bits at different depths. A Longyear Red Express bit was used to cut 60 centimeters per meter with a life of only 120 meters at the top of the hole. Once that bit was done they switched to a Longyear Yellow Stage 3, because rod tripping took too long. With this bit they only cut at 35 centimeters per minute but achieved a life of 300 meters per bit. Using a singular Longyear bit, this site put 6% more core in the box than they did with a competitor’s bit. However, using these two Longyear bits in tandem, they saw a 23% increase of core in the box over the competitor’s product. Sometimes, it’s more beneficial to cut faster even if it means tripping more.

Once a driller decides whether the objective is cutting faster or tripping less often, next it’s important to establish how hard the ground is to cut. Contrary to popular belief, the ground drillers cut is (probably) not the hardest ground on earth. This is where the Mohs scale comes into play. The Mohs scale is an exponential scale from 1 to 10 to quantify mineral hardness. Minerals with a higher Mohs hardness will scratch anything with a lower Mohs hardness. For example, a mineral classified as a four will scratch a three but not a five.

All the bits offered on the market today are targeting a specific range of the Mohs scale for the best performance. To determine the Mohs hardness of the rock to be drilled, a Mohs hardness scratch test kit is needed. This kit is a series of picks made of different materials that, when used properly, can determine the Mohs hardness plus or minus 0.5.

The Boart Longyear scratch test kit has four scratchers with eight replaceable tips and a sharpening stone. If the numbered tip scratches the rock, the rock is softer than the number on the tip. If a seven scratches and a six doesn’t, you know you’re in 6.5 rock. You would then select the bit created for that rock.

Once ground hardness is identified, Boart Longyear offers a Longyear Diamond Bits Hardness Rating & Comparison Chart to find a recommended bit for that ground. For example, Purple is meant for 1 - 4.5 rock, up to Red which is best for 7.5 – 9. Purple covers such a large range numerically because the Mohs scale is exponential (1 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale are closer together on “true” hardness than 7.5 and 9).

In the cross reference above, bit range overlaps, and the bars representing each drill bit are quite long. This is where the objectives of the site come into play. For example, if you are in a 6.5 rock, select a Green Bit or a Yellow Bit. Which one should you try first? It depends. If the site is cutting a lot of short holes and bit life isn’t a big concern, you would likely have the best luck with Yellow – it would penetrate faster than Green, but not have as long of life in 6.5 rock. On the flip side, if bit life is a concern because you’re drilling deep holes, you may prefer Green.

Another thing to consider for bit selection is geometry. While the Green bit is, in general, tougher than the Yellow, a Green bit with more open area and a Yellow with less open area will exhibit very similar cutting characteristics.

The geometries offered by Boart Longyear are all designed to cut a little differently. Within each color bar, the Express has the ability to cut harder rock than the Stage and the Stage will cut harder rock than the Tapered Waterway. This is a result of what is called, “open area”.

Open area is determined by finding the surface area of a disc with the same outside diameter and inside diameter as the drill bit, and subtracting the surface area of the drill bit with all the waterways cut in. What’s left is the area of the waterways, flutes, and rounds, and the percentage of this number compared to the area of the total disc is the open area. Express has an open area of 30%, Tapered Waterway has an open area of 25% and Stage has an open area of 20%.

Standard Waterways

• Most common waterway style
• Longest life based on lowest open area 15%

Tapered Waterways

• Pushes cuttings to the OD and reduces pressure across bit face
• Open area 25%
• Preferred

Express Waterways

• Faster penetration and/or lower weight
• Open area 30%
• Free-cutting formulas

Stage/GT

• Wide waterways, more versatile
• Better flushing and penetration than standard waterways
• Open area 20% for Stage

Deep ID Waterways

• Recommended for lost circulation applications; prevents the lifter case pulling into the bit and shutting off water
• Can be used instead of face discharge in triple-tube and piloted core lifter case
• Face Discharge preferred for core recovery. Open area based on waterway

Face Discharge Waterways

• Reduces water pressure on the core and redirects fluid to the face of the bit (reduces washing core material), aiding in core recovery
• Required for piloted core lifter cases
• Open area based on waterway

If cutting at the top range of these bars, more open area will be needed, and the Express, for the middle and bottom ranges, will use Tapered Waterway or Stage, respectively.

The Longyear Yellow and the Longyear Green bits overlap substantially in the cross reference. This shows either the Longyear Yellow or the Longyear Green can cut Mohs 7 rock. To cut this Mohs 7 quickly, a Yellow Tapered Waterway bit will be needed. To cut it more slowly and optimize bit life, a Green Stage bit should be used. A Green Express, a Green Tapered Waterway and a Yellow Stage would land somewhere in-between.

Once a bit has been selected for the rock type, crown height, and geometry, the last step is to collect data and test the chosen bit’s performance.

Once the ideal bit has been identified – it needs to be tested, and the only way to make an informed decision during testing is to collect data.

Here are three mandatory data points to collect:

• Penetration rate on every run
• Mohs hardness every run
• Bit life of every bit

Once the data has been collected, this information can be used to either validate the choice initially made or adapt based on unaccounted circumstances. For example, if the Green Stage bit was selected but the penetration rate wasn’t as high as expected, then the Green Express and the Yellow Stage would be good bits to try next. The Yellow Stage may not provide the desired life, but the Green Express may be a perfect in-between. All this shows in the data and at the end of the day more core ends up in the box.

With a combination of knowledge, the right tools, and good planning, every shift can be optimized, and subsequently, put as much core in the box as possible.

Learn more about bit optimization and the productivity results from the field - New Longyear Bits Put 23% More Core in the Box

Ready to start testing? Contact your local Boart Longyear representative or visit My Drill Store.

But it’s not just science fiction anymore as we see the likes of Elon Musk and his SpaceX advancements that launched a Tesla Roadster car into outer space back in February 2018, or the latest NASA InSight module landing perfectly on Mars at the end of November 2018. Not long ago in 1969, NASA’s Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Imagine with the acceleration in technology and human capability where we might go in the next few decades.

So why look at mining outside of Earth? Many reasons are proposed as to why we should mine in space. Mineral resources are vast in outer space and could be used to build new colonies or help to fuel and propel space exploration even farther afield.  

As early as the mid-1950s, Boart Longyear was already involved in developing equipment for the space race. As part of a special project team in 1955 and 1956, Boart Longyear engineers worked as subcontractors to NASA’s primary contractor, Westinghouse Electric, to design a drill, mounting, diamond bit, core barrel, and drill rods for lunar exploration. The project was called “Development of a Sub-Surface Drill System for Post Apollo Mission.” Westinghouse Electric’s responsibility was to develop the electrical system to power the drill’s operation. Westinghouse was involved with many NASA projects and later went on to develop the slow-scan Apollo TV Lunar Camera used to film Armstrong’s “Giant leap for mankind.”

The core drill project required thinking outside our atmosphere to a place where tools could operate within a vacuum with lower gravity and varying temperatures. The Boart Longyear team was tasked with drilling without a circulating fluid while being able to maintain bit operating temperatures, remove any cuttings, and retrieve lunar core samples. A ‘Moderate Depth Lunar Drill’ was designed that would be capable of taking core samples to depths of 100 feet. Testing of the specially designed lunar drill prototypes were conducted in Westinghouse’s 40-foot deep vacuum chamber with early results proving successful. Although the ultimate test would have been actual lunar exploration, NASA abandoned the project as their path took another direction and the drill was placed in storage.

In addition to the lunar drill, considerable work was performed by Boart Longyear in the late 1960s and early 1970s to develop space-worthy auger drill strings and drill bits. More than 80 specialized diamond drill bits of 14 types were tested in drilling basalt across a range of compressive strengths and hardness and over a wide range of speeds and loads. This style of bit was “surface set” with the crown matrix impregnated with diamonds and bonded to a steel body. The success of these early prototypes added to Boart Longyear’s proven track record and history of innovation.

Decades later, these drilling accomplishments were again recognized in the space exploration industry by JPL-Caltech as the company invited Boart Longyear to contribute its drilling expertise to the Mars 2020 Rover program as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. For this project, engineers worked on a “monolithic” dry-auger impregnated diamond drill bit. The bit was cast as one piece with impregnated diamonds in the crown portion and tungsten and metal in the auger body portion. This bit was successfully tested on various rock types including granite.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The current Mars InSight lander includes instruments to drill down to approximately 16 feet below the surface to measure and help scientists determine Mars’ heat temperatures. According to NASA’s Mars InSight Mission website, “That's deeper than previous instruments to any other planet, moon, or asteroid, which have only ever dug through the upper inch of rock or soil.”

Boart Longyear engineers continue to pioneer new technologies in the mining industry that are taking exploration even deeper and farther and with more efficiency and greater results. Is “Space: the final frontier”? What is being learned on Earth, can be adapted and taken into space and underwater exploration. 

Amazing technology and an appetite for discovery continues and space travel and exploration is breaking through that barrier bringing us to the reality that mining in outer space is not just for the galaxies far, far away. Before we know it, virtual remote drilling could help us discover those precious diamonds in the sky.

Designing and planning a drilling project can be a complex exercise.  Many risk factors should be considered to mitigate issues that could impact productivity and/or budgets. Some of these facts include permitting and licensing which could ultimately impede the progress and success of the project. After careful planning, there is a healthy amount of cautious optimism that everything has been properly addressed and planned for, however, there is always that small chance something was missed.

Mistakes or missteps can be costly if your project doesn’t have everything in place when it comes to licensing and permitting.

While it doesn’t happen very often, paying a drilling contractor stand-by rates waiting for a project that’s been scheduled, but not properly authorized or permitted takes money from the project itself. How much more exploration could have been achieved with the money lost by paying for services and support that cannot move forward because a project is delayed on a technicality – usually paperwork?  There’s a risk of reputation as well. Costly mistakes are not great for anyone’s career or a company’s reputation regardless of the jurisdiction.

While Boart Longyear is no expert in licensing and permitting, the experts are out there. Boart Longyear maintains working relationships with local consulting and engineering firms as well as government agencies and you should too. When planning a diamond core exploratory drilling project, it is highly recommended that you ensure all license and permit requirements are met before the drill crew and necessary equipment mobilizes. Additionally, careful planning for the size of the drill pad for the permits and figuring out the logistics of accessing a site can save time and money later. For more information, ask Boart Longyear about their equipment specifications in order to prepare the proper size drill pads and access roads. That way, a budget estimate for all aspects of the work can be adequately prepared to complete a project safely and effectively.

Drill pad layout can be just as critical to a safe, smooth, and successful drilling program. A drill pad setup where safety or productivity is compromised can result in wasted expense and possibly lead to an accident. Not having permits with the right amount of surface disturbance for the project is a risk that can be mitigated with communication. A miscalculation in required disturbance area can lead to holes being removed from the scope of the project to remain in compliance with regulators.

Working diligently with all stakeholders in the permitting application process helps ensure the exploration/project team(s) and the environmental/permitting team(s) are on the same page. A simple oversight or misunderstanding can possibly delay site mobilization or start-up. Ideally, these conversations should happen early in the planning stages of the drilling program.

For more information, ask Boart Longyear about their equipment specifications in order to prepare the proper size drill pads and access roads. That way, a budget estimate for all aspects of the work can be adequately prepared to complete a project safely and effectively.

One of the biggest challenges of licensing and permitting for a diamond core drilling project is timing. Depending on workload and resources, government entities are not typically known for their speed. Early planning and working with experts can ensure the timing of licensing and permitting doesn’t affect your project start date. Obtaining most permits and licenses takes longer than expected in most cases. Proper planning and early submission to agencies are highly recommended.

Boart Longyear, if asked, can direct clients to a number of qualified groups in order to plan and help permit their programs before sending out RFP’s. Boart Longyear also works closely with a variety of consulting groups for clients that are in need of expert and sometimes urgent support. 

If you’re planning an exploration project, contact a Boart Longyear representative for a consultation. We are here for you and happy to help.

This article originally appeared in GeoDrilling International, October 2018 edition, pages 16-17.

The MDR500 was the long-term brain child 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 after market 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. The concept design kicked off at the start of December 2016 and the first completed rig rolled out of the workshop in early December 2017.

The basis of the idea was to convert the existing MDR150s in the Australian fleet into MDR500s. The original MDR150 was designed and built by Geoff Moroney and Nathan Kaesler (now Global R&D Engineering Manager) nearly 10 years earlier, back when Geoff was working on tooling and Nathan was a fresh, keen, new engineer at Boart Longyear. The MDR150 consists of a 75kw power pack and a nimble 400 series feed frame mounted to the telescoping boom of a very solid Normet carrier, finished off with 144m of on board rod storage. It is perfect for quick, short holes on sites where the manual handling of rods into the drill string is allowed. The MDR500 meets the increasing demand within the market for a mobile rig for deeper holes combined with the ever increasing push to reduce manual handling. That combined with the MDR150’s being almost 10 years old, most in need of a major rebuild and with several key control system components outdated, it made sense to convert these MDR150’s into new MDR500s.

With the project coinciding with the first prototype tests of the upcoming LMi underground power pack platform it was an easy decision for the design group to choose the new 110kW LMi design to power and control the drill that consists of a Boart Longyear HQ high speed drilling head mounted on a 700 series feed frame and utilizing a standard underground rod handler. After the basic concept was decided upon, the project became somewhat of a complex packaging task for the Asia Pacific Drilling Services Engineering team. Finding ways to shoehorn all of the LMi components along with the 500m of rods onto the carrier and then design an arm that could hold the much heavier drill out the front of the rig while still allowing a full 360 degree horizontal and plus 90 to negative 90 degree drilling angles to be achieved was no easy task.

An innovative concept from Stewart Jones allowing for the front rod bin to sit over the front axle during transit and then tilt into a vertical configuration on either side of the rig during use allowing for ergonomic rod handling was an additional bonus along the way. The project was certainly not without its challenges with some strengthening of the Normet chassis and a larger front axle being required to take the substantially heavier load now carried by the front of the machine.

The tight project timeline meant that the design and build had to happen concurrently and the team in the workshop, under the direction of the lead fitter on the project, Darren Watson, did a superb job of building and assembling the first rig despite only having half-finished designs and partial drawings in the beginning. Designing the hosing runs for the MDR500 was a mammoth task given the amount of movement required from the front arm and the workshop team were pivotal in the design and build of this, much of it being designed in the workshop at the rig.

As the heavy lifting on behalf of the mechanical team was nearing completion the design baton had well and truly already been passed over to the then products engineering electrical and control systems duo of Bernie Chia and Glen Verrall to make this rig come to life with all control of both the setup functions and the drill handled through either the touch screen interface in the cab of the carrier or from the LMi electronic control panel. Glen worked his magic to weave the additional MDR functions seamlessly into a modified version of the LMi software.

Throughout the project the engineering team was in close contact with the end users in the field, chiefly Matt Barnes who leads the operational team at the MMG Dugald River Mine in Queensland where the first two MDR500s were deployed. This collaboration occurred through every phase of the project starting with a site trip by the engineering project team to scope out the requirements of the rig with Matt and his team to ensure that the end result would be just what was required. The team’s involvement continued throughout with Matt being an invaluable subject matter expert and also a key participant in the design reviews and risk assessments. The project was closed out with an engineering site visit in early January 2018 and then again in March coinciding with the operational deployment of each of the MDR500s to Dugald River. The primary purpose of these visits being to train the operators on the features of the new rig and to be at hand to fix any issues immediately should they arise.  Luckily there were no significant issues and Glen was able to use the trips as a valuable source of driller feedback for further LMi software development.

The first MDR500 arrived on site and after going through its routine site clearance inspections basically went straight to work drilling its first hole without issue. This was in no small part due to the significant contributions from the operations team throughout the project and the quick adoption of the new rig by the drillers. The drillers at Dugald River were quick to pick up the MDR500’s new LMi control system and their level of acceptance of the interface has been very pleasing. The Dugald River team were quickly outperforming their meter rate achieved with the previous MDR150s and are now averaging an impressive 2 additional meters per hour.

A third MDR500 is nearing completion in the Adelaide Workshop and when complete, will be used as a carrot for attracting new work with several potential sites currently being discussed. If the market demand remains strong the intention is to steadily convert the aging fleet of 8 remaining MDR150s into MDR500s over the next few years with the possibility of sourcing additional carriers to make even more if required.

The MDR500 has and is continuing to be a success in the field and a key point of interest for the Asia Pacific Drilling Services team when negotiating underground drilling contracts. The success of the project was obviously the result of a lot of hard work, but also the excellent teamwork and collaborative effort exhibited by the various Boart Longyear functional groups involved, with many more people than could be mentioned here playing an important part in the project.

Robert Jex started working in the drilling industry 35 years ago as a driller assistant. Now, Robert oversees the coring division in the US and Mexico. Working for Boart Longyear for the past 30 years, Robert has experience in both surface and underground operations here in the US and globally.

On this episode, Robert discusses the importance of quality core, how things can sometimes go wrong when retrieving core, the impact, and some troubleshooting tips for core recovery.

Learn more about Surface Coring Drilling 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. 

Mike has Bachelor's degree in Geology and a Master's degree in Earth Sciences and has experience as a hydrogeologist. He's worked with Boart Longyear for the last 10 years and has been instrumental in the research and development of TruScan and the technology behind it.

On this episode, Mike discusses the benefits of TruScan and how working with Boart Longyear now means better, faster geological data while the drill rig is still on site - all thanks to TruScan.

Learn more about TruScan

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. 

The contract required a minimum of 90% core recovery and the Boart Longyear Drilling Services crews managed to average 98.39% core recovery with zero re-drills which resulted in huge cost savings for Boart Longyear and Canadian Natural Resources Limited. This was the first year the project was completed without any re-drills. 

Our high-quality workers and our experience with drilling at that mine since 2002 were key factors in our ability to accomplish the project with zero injuries and zero re-drills.

—Jarrett Campbell, FP&A Manager in Canada

Some crews were gone before we were able to take their picture, but here are the crews from Rigs 37 and 38.

Pictured (standing - back row) from left to right is: Bernie Gillis, Jared Williams, Jesse Borek, Jim Mcnamara, Curtis Stagg, Darcy Frost, Sheldon Waldner, Wayne Shaw, and kneeling (front row) from left to right is: Dan Hofer, Greg Waldner, Vince Lombard, Guill Beaudet, James Waldner, and Harvie Braun

Pictured left to right: Daniel Entz, Chan Yong, Arnie Wipf, Jerry McCarty, Steve McGlinchy, Milo White, Elias Entz, Dennis Horvath, Cal Natomagan, and Chris Ruddy

Boart Longyear's accomplishment was also recognized by the client: