UNDERGROUND DRILLING
sophisticated articulations with three turning points so you can drill 270 degrees horizontally and straight vertically. The MDR700 can also drill in a spherical manner without having to reposition the unit.
“ Using the handheld remote controller makes setup quick and easy. Rig moves are faster and easier with the four-wheel drive diesel engine powered carrier. Operating the MDR700 and the rod handler is smooth and easy when paired with the optional Drill Control Interface( DCi). And the MDR700’ s maintenance-friendly layout provides easy access for hydraulic servicing.”
The mobility of the new MDR700 is cited as a time-saver when moving from hole to hole using a diesel powered four-wheel drive carrier. During field trials, the average time to move the MDR700 rig from hole to hole proved to be up to 80 % faster than a regular underground exploration rig. The carrier features three available steering modes – four-wheel, two-wheel, and crab-like movement. This unique design feature makes manoeuvering the rig underground easier and faster. The MDR700 rig is easy to navigate and can move at up to 10 km / h. For improved visibility and safety, multiple cameras are located on the rig and viewed / monitored from the cabin of the carrier.
The MDR700 is powered by a 90kW electric motor and features the proven Boart Longyear LM™ 700 feed frame delivering 81.4kN of pull back.“ The MDR700, coupled with the proven HQ rotation unit, gets you to the target productively in all coring diameters up to HQ™. The drill rig also features a breakout system on the rotation unit that uses high-pressure oil and gear rack assistance to effortlessly break rod joints.”
The MDR700’ s engineered safety controls include a dual emergency braking system and an engine fire suppression system on the carrier, meeting the most advanced underground mine standards. The spring-close and hydraulic open rod clamp ensures fail-safe operation in case of burst hose or power loss.
“ The rig also offers exclusive features like a patented rod handler and optional DCi( Drill Control Interface) that takes safety as well as productivity to the next level. The DCi offers semi-automated drilling, rod feed, and pull functions while controlling both the rod handler and the rig. The patented rod handler is easy to use, versatile, and most importantly, offers drillers a safer working environment. By removing drillers from risks associated with adding or removing rods from the drill string, the rod handler is one of the top engineered safety controls in the field of drilling.”
Sensors ensure the drill rods are loaded in a safe position and hard stops ensure fast and accurate rod alignment. The rod gripper rollers along with breakout assistance from the rotation
unit enable effortless and hands-free making and breaking of rods. Traditional drilling practice requires the operator to lift the rod into the drill string at whatever angle the feed frame is positioned and then manually thread the rod. This can result in operator injury due to awkward lifting, twisting, and straining. Rod handling devices are a safer alternative which allow the operator to load rods into the rod handler horizontally at a comfortable height. The rod is then mechanically loaded into the rod string and pre-threaded for drilling. During rod pulling operations and after breaking the threads with the rotation unit, the rod handler un-threads from the drill string and presents the rod back to a horizontal position for operator rod removal. By eliminating the repetitive procedure of manually spinning the rods, the rod handler significantly reduces driller fatigue.
The Drill Control Interface( DCi) is a fully electronic interface that allows one operator to control both the drill rig and the rod handler while providing real-time feedback on drilling conditions. The DCi incorporates CAN bus( Controller Area Network) technology to enable communication between the drill rig, the rod handler and the DCi to self-monitor and semiautomate most drilling operations.
Complete control system integration and sensors provide immediate feedback of drilling conditions and record both event and drilling conditions data for reporting and analysis which is downloadable to a USB. Sensors provide realtime status display on rotation speed and pressure, feed and holdback pressure, water flow and pressure, penetration rate, bit force, diagnostics, and alarms. Both imperial and / or metric units can be selected for display.
Underground drilling in China
As in other mining equipment markets, the underground drilling market in China is characterised by fierce competition, with a small number of mines and a larger number of tunnelling projects using“ premium” machines such as Atlas Copco Boomers and Sandvik DD machines; with a significant market for mid-tier machines from higher quality Chinese manufacturers, supplied with rock drills mainly from Montabert( now part of Komatsu Mining),
Kaishan jumbos at a mining customer site
and then a number of lower quality suppliers.
Freddy Man, Atlas Copco General Manager – Greater China, told IM:“ While there are increasing needs for a higher degree of mechanisation and improvement of production efficiency, the Chinese market for underground drilling requires a big spectrum of products from high productivity to economic. Atlas Copco strives to meet as much as possible the different demands from different customer segments. Therefore, there are offerings designated in each segment in underground drilling both in mining and tunnel excavation, for example, six models of single boom drilling rig are available for the mining industry in iron ore, copper, gold and other precious minerals depending on drift sizes and production capacity requirement, or four models of 3 boom drilling rig available for civil engineering depending on the tunnel dimensions and advance rate required. The product and service portfolio will continue to develop based on market demands, including with rock drills, where Atlas Copco can offer different levels of sophistication of products, which are delivered as components on Atlas Copco drilling rigs as well as supplied to drilling rigs of other brands. Atlas Copco has established an R & D centre located close to customers in China, in addition to our other R & D centres worldwide, to enhance our ambition to serve the market with solutions of better efficiency, higher availability and of course safety which is never compromised.”
In March 2017, Atlas Copco entered into two joint ventures with Hongwuhuan Group to develop, manufacture and sell drilling equipment for the Chinese mining and civil engineering market, though this is currently focussed on surface drilling.
Kaishan Group in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province has CNY6 billion in capital and 6,000 staff. It now has five production bases with four in China in Quzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangdong and another location in Austria, as well as an R & D centre in New Jersey USA and overseas operating companies in the US, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia and Hungaria. Kaishan Heavy Industry is one of the main subsidiaries of Kaishan Group, with a 40 year history in the drilling industry,“ setting the occupation standard for the fully hydraulic jumbo and surface crawler industries,
24 International Mining | JUNE2017