Bits ‘n Pieces – The Driller’s Blog

I don’t always talk about upcoming tradeshows but the PDAC is a big one and this year’s will be different for us. For those who may not know, the PDAC is the largest tradeshow for the mineral exploration and mining industry and is expected to attract more than 20,000 attendees. It is taking place in Toronto from March 3-6, 2019

As in any industry, new employees have a lot to learn about their new jobs and responsibilities. In the drilling industry however, there are safety issues that newcomers must also be aware of and learn about in order to be safe and avoid accidents. With proper training and supervision, most accidents can be prevented.

In a previous blog, we discussed some of the issues you encounter when drilling in soft rock. This time, we’ll look at the opposite end of the spectrum: hard rock. Hard rock is defined as being over 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Common types of hard rock included kimberlite, granite, chert, quartz and silicified rock.

Drilling in soft rock is not always a walk in the park. Oftentimes, we associate hard rock as the type of ground that is most difficult to drill in. This is true, and we will address those issues in an upcoming blog. However, soft rock as its own set of challenges. Let’s look at soft rock and how you can avoid problems and be more productive.

We’re taking some time during this holiday season to chat with Rod McCoremick, our resident blogger, about how he came to be a diamond driller. Leveraging his more than 20 years in the industry, Rod is an old-hand who has been writing about the challenges of the industry, and providing tips, advice and general information we think would be of interest to the diamond drilling community.

The holidays have arrived and many of us will have some time to celebrate with friends and family. Whether you’ve had a rough time dealing with core washout, or drilling in sandy conditions, the holiday period is a time to put those thoughts away and relax and enjoy some good food and drink.

In order to accomplish our corporate goal of improving drilling performance, our engineering team develops new core bits that address particular drilling challenges. Rock abrasiveness is a common challenge faced by many diamond drillers. Abrasiveness can wear down bits prematurely, regardless of the hardness of the ground.

When the geologist has given you a specific target to reach with your bore hole, many of them will make specific requests that a hole proceed in a very straight direction for a certain number of meters. A lot will be riding on your ability to get there without your bore hole deviating. Most diamond drillers know that preventing bore hole deviation is a lot easier than having to correct once it’s gone off the trajectory. One way to avoid the risk of deviation is to stabilize your core barrel before you start drilling and you do this by changing some of the equipment you usually use.

Diamond drilling is all about productivity. Drillers and the companies they work for are all interested in finding ways to increase productivity. Sometimes, one major issue will have a negative impact on drilling productivity, and fixing it is all it takes. Sometimes, productivity is improved by tweaking a bunch of little things. If you adjust several things, the results can make a big difference. So this blog looks at x tips for increasing your productivity.

It’s kind of inevitable that, like death and taxes, you will have to deal with borehole deviation at some point in your drilling career. Bore holes are rarely straight and the further down you go, the more likely the chance of your hole going off the chosen trajectory. This can be quite a problem if the geologist needs to hit a particular ore body. And the fact of the matter is that many of the ore deposits near the surface have already been depleted so you need to drill deeper.