Third edition 2012
Your job is the first step in supplying the world with the power it needs. And to do your job, you need to keep your mines safe and productive. Atlas Copco designs and builds the blasthole drill rigs that help you reach your goals.
More drilling time!
Our multi-pass rotary blasthole drills are well known for their durability, mobility and speed. We make it possible to reduce time tramming, leveling and changing pipe so you have more time to drill.
Providing the right balance of bit load, rotary head performance, air flushing and depth capacity results in economical and high performance production. A variety of options like angle drilling and cold weather packages are available. But even more important is how Atlas Copco can improve your safety. Ask about the safety enhancements and automation features you can get from our Rig Control System (RCS.) For more information visit:
www.atlascopco.com/blastholedrills Facebook.com/AtlasCopcoRotaryDrills Twitter.com/AC_RotaryDrills
We won’t even break a sweat
Foreword
2 Foreword by Brian Fox
Talking technically
3 From gunpowder to Pit Viper11 Ergonomics and safety
13 Personnel rig protection
17 An introduction to surface mining 23 Putting rotary drilling into perspective 29 Automated surface blasthole drilling 35 Taking advantage of single-pass drilling 37 Drilling at high altitudes
41 Drilling in Arctic conditions 43 Tricone rotary blasthole drilling 47 Optimizing the rotary drill string 49 Increased productivity with DTH drilling 53 Selecting the right DTH drilling tools 59 Blasting in open cut metal mines 69 Fuel saving clutch
71 The mid-range Pit Viper 235 75 Development through interaction 79 The large Pit Viper 310 series 83 Large diameter drilling
87 The economic case for routine bit grinding 91 Secoroc Jazz
Case studies
93 Aitik eyes top three efficiency – Copper/Sweden 99 Asarco’s choice: both diesel and electric – Copper/USA 101 Reopening of Copper Mountain – Copper/Canada 103 Radomiro Tomic prioritizes service – Copper/Chile 105 Automation at Escondida – Copper/Chile
107 Ambitious target at Esperanza – Copper/Chile 109 Raising to the altitude challenge – Copper/Chile 115 Innovation through interaction – Gold/USA 117 Unforgiving ground – Gold/USA
119 Community-friendly mining – Gold/Canada 123 Drilling reliability at Veladero – Gold/Argentina
129 Penasquito powers up – Gold/Mexico 133 Secoroc hammers go for gold – Gold/Turkey 137 Advanced iron ore mining in Ukraine – Iron/Ukraine 141 Steep wall open pit mining at Zhelezny – Iron/Russia 145 Mining industry’s new beginnings in Mongolia
– Coal/Mongolia
149 Coal mining in eastern Australia – Coal/Australia 155 The fuel cost killer of Queensland – Coal/Australia 157 Boosting Siberian energy – Coal/Russia
159 Hidden treasure beneath America's western prairie
– Coal/USA
163 Finding a perfect balance – Coal/USA 165 Moving mountains – Coal/USA 169 Cost busting – Coal/USA
171 Mining in Kazakhstan – Coal & Gold/Kazakhstan 173 Drilling for coal in Vietnam – Coal/Vietnam
Product specifications
175 Drilling methods guide 179 Specifications guide 180 Blasthole drill rigs 211 Drill rig options236 Compressors and boosters 239 Tricone rotary blasthole drilling 246 Bit selection
250 Sealed bearing 255 When to change a bit 256 How a rock bit drills 258 Importance of records 260 Air practices
270 Rock formation & drillability 273 Guides for best bit performance 276 DTH hammer specifications 280 Secoroc grinding tools 288 Service and training 295 Glossary of terms 300 Where to find us
For latest updates contact your local Atlas Copco Customer Center or refer to www.atlascopco.com/blastholedrills
Produced by: Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC, PO Box 462288, Garland, TX 75046, USA, Phone +1 972 496 7400. Publisher: Ulf Linder, [email protected]
Editing team: Cecilia Einarsson, Diane Norwood, Elisa Davidson, Gunilla Lindberg, Justin Cocchiola, Marino Wallsten, Matthew Inge,
Torbjorn Viberg, Ulf Linder.
Adviser: Dustin Penn, [email protected]
Contributors: Brian Fox, Clarence Zink, Bo Persson, Dustin Penn, Gunnar Nord, Jim Langford, Tyler Berens, Jon Torpy, John Stinson, Leif Larsson, Maureen Bohac, Morgan Penn, Rick Meyer, Sverker Hartwig, Ted Aikman, Tyler Berens, all name.surname@country code.atlascopco.com
William Hustrulid, Hans Fernberg, Kyran Casteel, Scott Ellenbecker, James Lawrence, Mark Stewart, Adriana Potts, Joseph Bradfield, Sara Schmuck. Digital copy of Atlas Copco reference edition can be downloaded at www.atlascopco.com/blastholedrills.
Reproduction of individual articles only by agreement with the publisher.
Layout: Rafaella Turander, ahrt informationsdesign, Örebro, Sweden, [email protected] Printed by: Executive Press, Richardson, Texas, www.executivepress.com
Legal notice
© Copyright 2012, Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC, Garland, Texas, USA. All rights reserved.Atlas Copco is committed to comply or exceed all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Photos in this publication may show situations which complies with such laws, rules and regulations in the country where the photo has been taken but not necessarily in other parts of the world. In any case think safety first and always use proper ear, eye, head and other protection to minimize risk of personal injury. This publication, as well as specifications and equipment, is subject to change without notice. All Atlas Copco product names (including but not limited to Pit Viper, ROC, COPROD, TEAMALLOY, SmartRig, SmartROC, COP and Secoroc) are registered trademarks or trademarks of one or more Atlas Copco Group companies.
Foreword
Open pit mining technology continues its evolution, as seen everywhere at MINExpo 2012 in Las Vegas. Atlas Copco prides itself in being at the forefront of blasthole drill automation with our proven Rig Control System (RCS). We have many of the building blocks in place for autonomous drilling, and extensive plans to tie everything together for a safe, reliable solution that integrates seamlessly into the mines communications infrastructure. We will stay on target and execute these plans.
We will also stay on target with our efforts to continually improve the safety of our machines. Safety First is our approach within our factory and engi-neering teams. One such example is our project to fit a multitude of local Australian options (known as J4) at our facility in Texas; this is proving very successful. These options are designed to yield improved operation and main-tenance of the machines, with the goal of further improving safety perfor-mance. We anticipate that more markets will adopt these options in the future. Despite economic uncertainty in the world as this Third Edition is released, we find the mining industry running at a high level. We are proud to be a part of it, and are working hard to introduce new products such as the Pit Viper 311 and continually improve our sales and support capabilities worldwide. Our singular focus is blasthole drills for open pit mining. It’s all we do. We hope you enjoy this third edition.
Brian Fox
Vice President, Marketing
Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC [email protected]
“
Blasthole Drilling
in Open Pit Mining
is designed to be a
comprehensive
refe-rence on the
applica-tion of rotary drills
in surface mining
applications, plus
an overview of the
current product
offering from
Atlas Copco.
”
gunpowder
The application of blasting agents apparently began in Hungarian mines sometime during the sixteenth cen-tury. To make better use of the explo-sive force, miners started to place the powder in holes and it is certain that drilling and blasting were used in sev-eral German and Scandinavian mines early in the seventeenth century, for instance at the Nasafjäll silver mine in Lappland in 1635, and in 1644 at the Röros mine in Norway.
One-man drilling with the help of a drill steel and sledgehammer was the established technology used in the
eighteenth century. This physically demanding technique evolved only slowly but, despite the mechanization of other industries, remained in quite widespread use until well into the twentieth century. However, powered drills did start to mount a challenge in the 1800’s, the competition in the USA being symbolized by John Henry who in 1870 hammered through 14 feet in 35 minutes while the steam drill only completed nine feet.
The first patented rock drilling ma-chine was a steam driven percussion drill invented by J. J. Couch in Phila-delphia in 1849 but it may have been preceded by a machine manufac-tured by the Scottish engineer James Nasmyth ten years earlier. This patent spurred a period of rapid development, accelerated in the 1860s by Nobel’s inventions of the blasting cap and safe dynamite explosives. From 1850 to 1875 some 110 rock drill patents were granted to American inventors and seven for drill carriers while 86 patents were issued in Europe during this period.
In 1851 James Fowle, who had worked with Couch, patented a rock drill that could be powered by steam or compressed air and could rotate the drill steel by means of a ratchet wheel controlled by the piston's back-and-forth movement. In the 1860’s large scale rock drilling machines were built for tunnelling by engineers in Europe and the United States. One of the most successful of these early rock drills was the second refined version of the Burleigh rock drill, which was put into service in October 1866 at the Hoosac tunnel in Massachusetts. The perfor-mance at this tunnel project showed that rock drill development had taken the step from an experimental product to a proven and rather reliable technol-ogy.
In 1871 the American inventor Simon Ingersoll patented a steam powered rock drill, later to be operated on compressed air. Ingersoll formed the Ingersoll Rock Drill Company in the same year. During the following year Ingersoll purchased the Fowle-Burleigh patents and also merged with the Burleigh company.
The Pit Viper is designed for production drilling of large holes in hard rock conditions.
From gunpowder to Pit Viper
Drilling and blasting
The rotary blasthole drilling rig was a long time coming. Gun-powder was invented in China about 1000 A.D. But in Europe at least it took another 500 years or more before miners started to use it for blasting and a further three centuries for the introduction of mechanized drilling in surface mines. Mobile blasthole drilling rigs have been in use for only some sixty years.Drilling with sledgehammer was the established method before the development of the rock drill.
The new compact rock drill launched by Ingersoll was a simple and strong design with few moving parts. The designers had kept in view the tough conditions in which the rock drill had to work, and the contemporary technical opinion regarded his new rock drill as the best yet available on the market. During the years to come Ingersoll bought out many small firms and expanded his company. The Ingersoll Rand name came into use in 1905 through the combination of Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Company and Rand Drill Company.
The AB Atlas enterprise had been founded in February 1873 at a time when the Swedish railway net was being rapidly expanded. Three years later, now with 700 employees and the Stockholm shops completed, AB Atlas had delivered more than 600 railway wagons. Diminishing demand from the railroad sector, combined with years of losses, led to a reconstruction in 1890. During the years to follow new product lines were added, including compressed air tools, compressors, diesel engines and the first Atlas rock drill which was launched in 1905.
Further development
The design of the first Atlas rock drill featured an advanced rifle bar rota-tion but with a weight of 280 kg (617 lb)
it was very heavy for manual use. Immediately and for the next 25 years Atlas focused on light weight hand rotated drills like the Cyclop, Rex, and Bob. The real Atlas winner among lightweight hand-held rock drills was the RH 65 from the year 1932. This machine had more efficient shank and chuck designs for better steel guidance and longer shank life. Used with the new pusher leg feed system developed in the 1930s, the RH 65 was the most important element in what was later to become known as the "Swedish method" of underground drilling.
In the United States Ingersoll-Rand expanded into pneumatic tools in 1907 by acquiring the Imperial Pneumatic Tool Company of Athens, Pennsylvania.
In 1909 the company bought the A.S. Cameron Steam Pump Works and en-tered the industrial pump business. Ingersoll Rand also acquired the J. George Leyner Engineering Works Company. This firm had developed a small, pneumatic hammer that could be operated by one man. This “Jackhamer” introduced in 1912 became a popular item, and the company progressively developed the design as well as sup-plying compressors to the expanding construction and mining industries in North and South America
Rock drilling tools
The parallel improvement of drill steel quality had started during the 1890s
The Ingersoll rockdrill was a simple and strong design with few moving parts. In 1871, a number of patents were issued to the
inventor Simon Ingersoll, who started the Inger-soll Rock Drill Company The machine produced by Ingersoll was at this time regarded as the best rock drill yet produced, and it was followed in the mid 1880s by another success, the famous “Ingersoll Eclipse” machine.
The first drill made by Atlas "pneumatic rock drill No. 16" had a weight of 280 kg (617 lb) and was heavy and difficult to handle - at least two men were needed to move it.
But sharpening the tips required exten-sive haulage of tons of drill steel between drilling sites and the work shops. The detachable drill bit was developed in 1918 by A L Hawkesworth, a foreman at the Anaconda copper mine in Butte, Montana. The first versions used a dove-tail joint to the drill steel while later ver-sions were threaded or tapered. The rods were retained at the workings and used with new or re-forged bits.
In Europe during the German col-lapse in 1918 a team was formed at the Osram lamp factory to develop cemented tungsten carbide as a substi-tute for industrial diamonds. In 1926 the first cemented tungsten carbide became available as a “magical” machine tool for turning and milling operations. Early tests were made in 1928 trying to use tungsten carbide bits for rock drilling in German mines and before World War II promising results were obtained. By this time the research team had scattered and some members had been forced to leave the country. One of these, Hans Herman Wolff, found refuge in Sweden where he worked at the Luma lamp fac-tory. Dr Wolff manufactured a number of bits according to designs provided by Erik Ryd at Atlas.
The bits were tested in the Atlas test mine. In 1942 Atlas, Sandvik and Fagersta signed a cooperative agree-ment and it was not until 1945, after a long improvement process, that the new cemented tungsten carbide drill bits were as economical to use as conven-tional steel bits.
The post-war years saw Atlas achieve further major advances. In 1948 the com-pany introduced an RH 65 upgrade, the RH 656, which was designed to use the new cemented carbide tipped drillsteels. The superior performance of the “Light Swedish Method” was exploited world-wide and culminated in 1962 with the completion of the Mont Blanc tunnel. With development of highly mecha-nized drill rigs and with the introduc-tion in 1973 of the COP 1038 hydraulic top hammer drill Atlas Copco laid the foundation to become a world leader in top hammer drilling technology. (See article from wagon drill to SmartRig, Surface drilling, Fifth Edition 2012).
Rotary bits
Rotary drilling with drag bits was the common method used in oil drilling. These bits were suitable when drill-ing in soft formations like sand or clay but not in rock. The solution for drilling large diameter holes in rock was by using rotary crushing technol-ogy instead of trying to cut hard rock with drag bits. The roller cone bit was developed by Hughes and Sharp, and the US patent for a dual roller cone bit was issued to Howard Hughes Sr. in 1909. This new type of bit had two interlocking wheels with steel teeth, and penetrated the rock by crushing and chipping. The success of the new bit led to the founding of the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company, and after Sharp's death in 1912 the name was changed to Hughes Tool Company.
The company continued develop-ment of the roller cone bit and in 1933 two Hughes engineers invented the tricone bit. This bit had three conical rollers equipped with steel teeth. Drilling was accomplished by trans-ferring a pulldown force to drive the teeth into the hole bottom. The three roller cones turned as the drill string was rotated, and the teeth crushed and spalled the rock.
While tophammer drills could be used for small blast holes in rock, this method was not suitable for large hole diameters; for these rotary drills were
the best alternative. However, as drillers sought to use the rotary system for pro- gressively harder rock formations so the feed force (pulldown) available had to be increased. Roller cones with long steel teeth were used in softer forma-tions for gouging the formation while roller cones with shorter teeth were used for crushing and spalling harder formations.
A parallel development of the tri-cone bits made it possible to use these high loads on bits. To extend the life of the bits in hard and abrasive rock the steel teeth were replaced by cemented tungsten carbide inserts. Tungsten car- bide inserts have significantly in-creased the number of blast holes that the roller cone bits are able to drill.
The US patent for a dual roller cone bit was issued to Howard Hughes Sr. in 1909.
The Secoroc Omega sealed bearing tricone bits are now regarded as the ultimate blasthole bit solution.
Improvements in materials have con-tinued to increase the life of the bear-ings so the cutting structures can be fully utilized. While the geometry of the roller cone bit is much the same as the original bit patented in 1933, the material and technology currently uti-lized is cutting edge.
Downhole drilling
technology
Meanwhile, manual lightweight pneu-matic drills had also underpinned the expansion of bench mining in open cut mines and quarries. But in the 1930’s
downhole drills (DHDs ) were intro-duced for drilling deeper holes. The main initial development of this tech-nology took place in Belgium and the United States. Atlas designed a down-hole unit in the mid-thirties that was used with good results in two Swedish limestone quarries until the 1950s but the company then ceased further DHD development, only re-entering the market in 1969 with the COP 4 and COP 6 down-the-hole hammers. Followed by the valve less COP 32 42,52 and 62 from 1978, where still COP32 is in use. In 1955 Ingersoll-Rand introduced a new downhole drill design and started
to establish downhole drilling on a truly commercial basis. The Tandematic, which at the time was claimed to pro-vide the highest drilling speed ever attained by a downhole drill, was sup-plied in two standard sizes – the DHD 275 for 4¾* inch and 5 inch holes and the DHD 1060 for 6 and 6½ inch . This later enabled the company to build drill rigs adapted to be used either for rotary drilling or with downhole hammers. The main difference is that downhole drill-ing requires more air, and consequently these drill rigs had to be equipped with a larger capacity compressor and a more powerful diesel or electric engine.
Downhole drill technology went through rapid change in 1960’s and 70’s. In fairly rapid succession I-R developed the DHD 325 ( their first 6" hammer), DHD 325A, DHD 16, DHD 1060, DHD 1060 A and B models, DHD 360 (all 6" drills) and corresponding larger and smaller models, up to the current line of DHD’s. Probably the most sig-nificant change in DHD technology was the advent of the valveless DHD. Drill efficiency and life dramatically improved with the elimination of the flapper valve. During the 90’s the QL series of hammers came with the unique QL (Quantum Leap) design , a still valid patent. This features makes it possible to have the piston stroke pressurized 80% of it’s distance compared with 50% for other hammer design. The QL feature is also used in the TD hammers series for deep hole drilling.
Of course higher pressure and vo- lume air from the air compressor advan-cements produced the performance one sees today. Re-entry to the downhole drill market at 6 bar** in 1969 also ena-bled Atlas Copco to take advantage of improved air compressors and develop more and more powerful downhole hammers, reaching 18 bar in the early 1980s and more recently 25 bar and 30 bar in the larger current hammer sizes.
In the early 90’s COP44, 54 and 64 where introduced by Secoroc. A series of high performing hammers operating at high air pressure. They were unbeaten in blast hole drilling applications until replaced by the COP Gold series in the beginning of 2000’nds.
Big picture; Airpowered DM-3 with a DRD-2 Rotary head from the late 1950's. Inset; Tractor mounted Drillmaster, air powered with a DRD Rotary Head from the early 1950's.
Drill rigs
The mobilization of rotary and down-hole drills was linked to significant post-war changes in rotary drilling tech- nology. Up until then rotary drilling had been used in water well drilling and surface mining using fluid circulation to clean cuttings from the hole. Coal mines were using rotary drilling in soft overburden, removing the cuttings with augers. In the late 1940’s it was rea- lized that air was an effective flushing medium with considerable advantages over water, doing a better cleaning job, protecting the bits and eliminating the difficulties of supplying water.
Experience also proved that air flu-shing improved the penetration rate of rolling cutter bits such as tricone bits and extended their life. By using effi-cient air flushing to keep the bottom of the drill hole free from cuttings the rock breaking process became more efficient.
In 1948, Ingersoll-Rand entered the large-diameter blast hole market by launching the Quarrymaster. It really was not a rotary drill, but a large self propelled mounting in the 40,000 lb* weight range, designed with on board air and a long drill tower to drill 6 inch to 8 inch diameter holes for mining and quarry applications. The original Quarrymasters were equipped with a huge 8" bore drifter, know as the QD8. This was a piston drill with the drill steel attached directly to the drifter piston. The blow frequency was in the range of 200-300 blows per minute. The drifter used a large rifle bar rota-tion system. Achieving decent wear life between the rifle bar and rifle nut was sometimes a problem in tight ground. This was a single pass drill system, hole depth was limited by the tower length. The steel system was a heavy wall tubular product, in the range of 4"
OD, and was extremely heavy. Since there was no steel change, the weight didn’t seem to be much of an issue.
Quarrymasters were used in some large iron mines in Canada and the Atlantic City Iron Ore Mine in Wyoming. Numerous Quarrymasters were used in the rock excavation for the St Lawrence Seaway in Canada.
In the same year also Atlas intro-duced its first mobile rubber tired drill wagons for top hammer drilling, but these were not equipped with any tram-ming machinery and were intended for considerably smaller hole diameters. I-R development work with downhole drills in the early 1950’s brought about changes to the drill mounting business. First, the Quarrymaster was equipped with the newly developed QRD rotary head, and this along with the new DHD 325 down hole drill, made for a produc-tive but heavy and bulky package.
The Drillmaster design, a somewhat smaller rotary drill, was introduced about 1955. It produced the same performance as the Quarrymaster in a smaller and less costly package. Upgraded versions of the Drillmaster, the DM-1, DM-2 and DM-3 followed in quick succes-sion. Originally equipped with sliding vane air compressors up to 900 cfm**, all were updated to the screw compres-sor design. The Drillmaster line was equipped with the DRD and later DRD 2 rotary head to provide drill string rota-tion. As with the QRD rotary head the DRD was powered by a vane air motor and several steps of gear reduction. All of these drills only used hydraulic power, from an engine driven hydrau-lic pump off the cam shaft, to oper-ate the jacks, tower raising cylinders, break-out wrench, and dust collector drive motor. Neither rotary head was
very useful in supplying straight rotary power for tricone bits, hence the future development of the T-4 and DM-4 with hydraulic powered rotary head for straight rotary drilling. I-R’s first truck drill was called the Trucm package. The drill frame package was mounted on a customer provided truck, often a used Mack truck. However, none of the standard truck designs proved very successful. The normal channel truck frames were not sturdy enough, result-ing in many cracked and broken truck frames. I-R’s answer to this problem was to join hands with Crane Carrier Corp of Tulsa, OK, and mount the drill components and tower directly on an I-beam chassis frame, often used for mounting construction cranes. This product became the TRUCM-3 and the same style mounting carried over to the T-4 and T4W introduced in 1968.
A major new stimulus for blasthole drilling rig development generally was the introduction in the 1950’s of mil-lisecond delay blasting. This allowed blasters to design multi-hole large volume blasts that could be used for mass production techniques in open
The truck mounted T4BH was introduced in 1968. *1 lb = 0.45 kg, **100 cfm = 42.2 l/s
cut drill and blast mines. In turn this required the introduction of large, mobile drilling rigs able to drill large diameter holes using tricone bits, as well as the formulation of cheap bulk mining explosives based on ammonium nitrate and nitro-glycerine. These and other developments helped the mining industry to keep the costs of bench drilling substantially unchanged during the 1950s and 1960s, despite increasing wage costs.
The Quarrymaster and TRUCM ma-chines were made progressively more self-contained through the 1950s. By the end of the decade the air supply was up to 10 bar and the marketing slogan “Pressure is Productivity” was promot-ed. The drill rigs and rock drills were sold together to maximize revenue but this did encourage other manufacturers to build competing rock drills.
hydraulics technology
adds to drillers options
The similarities between the air requi-rements of rotary and downhole drill-ing made the design of rigs able to do both an economically attractive proposition. In 1965-66 Ingersoll-Rand started work on the switch to hydraulic powered rotation for rotary and down-hole drilling, launching first the truck-mounted T4W for water well drilling in 1968. In the same year this rig was modified to make a truck-mounted blasthole rig with a 5-rod carousel, the Drillmaster T4BH, which could drill holes of up to 7⅞ inch diameter and was successfully offered for coal mine drilling throughout the 1970s.The designers also used the power unit, tower and other components to create the crawler-mounted Drillmaster DM4 blasthole drilling rig. This machine was designed from the ground up for both rotary and downhole drill-ing. A 36 ft* high tower incorpo-rated a hydraulically indexed carousel housing seven 25 ft rods. The rotary head featured an axial piston hydrau-lic motor and single-reduction worm gear for rotation, providing 5.6 kNm of torque and rotation speeds from 0 – 100 rpm. There was a choice of diesel engine or electric motor for the spring mounted floating power pack and a range of diesel or electric compres-sors, enabling use of either rotary or downhole drilling with the company’s DHD-15, -16 or -17 downhole drills. The excavator style crawler undercar-riage had tracks with 22 inch triple bar grousers driven by hydraulic motor through a planetary gear drive and chain reduction.
In the marketplace the DM4 com-peted with the more powerful electric top drive blasthole drilling rigs. The late 1960s and 1970s saw heavy take- up of the DM4 rig by the Appalachian coal mines in the United States. And the combination of patented rig, drill and drill rod technology was very profitable for Ingersoll-Rand. The use of hydraulic power for rotation and non-drilling functions meant that more air could be made available for rotary and, especially, for downhole drilling. This engendered an “air race” in the late 1960s and 1970s. The independent downhole drill manufacturers were able to build machines that could drill at 130 ft/hour in the 6 – 8 inch diameter hole range – faster than a rotary drill could achieve in this hole size range, particularly when drilling in harder rock types.
The development of screw compres-sors to supply air for drilling rigs at up to 20.6 bar led to the 1970s introduction of an airend to supply both low pres-sure and high prespres-sure air. These units were used in portable air compressors and also onboard drilling rigs, where they enabled downhole drills to
outper-form rotary drills in the 6 - 8½ inch hole sizes in hard rock mines. However, rotary drills were still better for rock compressive strengths up to medium hard limestone.
The higher pressures were also very beneficial for water well drilling, in which air pressure must be sufficient to evacuate the ground water pressure from the hole while drilling.
expansion of the
Drillmaster range
Significant corporate developments and one major product launch impacted the Ingersoll-Rand drilling business in the mid-1970s. Firstly, in 1973 the company acquired DAMCO (Drill And Manu-facturing Company) in Dallas, Texas, who built mechanically driven pre-split drilling machines for quarrying and light coal stripping. These expanded the Drillmaster range down to the 20,000 lbf* bit weight class. The rigs also used the rotary table drive and kelly bar concept, which lightened the tower structure sufficiently to accommodate rod long enough to drill 40 – 50ft holes in a single pass if required. Ingersoll-Rand added their own compressors to create the DM20, DM25, DM25-SP (single-pass), DM35 and DM35-SP rotary rig models. Then, in 1975, the company bought the Sanderson Cyclone Drill Company in Ohio, USA, adding 12 models designed for the water well market.
The next extension of the size class range came with the launch of the Drillmaster DM50 with 50,000 lbf of weight on the bit. In this machine the
The DM50 could use bit loads up to 50,000 lbf and was launched in 1970.
*1 ft = 0.304 m
**1,000 lbf = 4.44 kN = 453 kilogram-force
the compressor was directly coupled to the other. This concept was also used on the next two drills to be launched. The first one was a new crawler mounted rig for rotary or downhole drilling, the DM45 with 45,000lbf weight on bit. This was followed by a conceptually similar top drive rotary or DHD model, the DM30 and a specialized rotary table variant, the DM-35I, which was intro-duced in the 1980s for drilling underwa-ter in phosphate mines. It featured a dual kelly system that allowed explosives to be charged through the annulus between the outer and inner kelly. The inner kelly would then be removed for blasting. Later the DM 40SPi was developed for drilling and shooting deeper holes.
Development of large
blasthole drills
Towards the end of the seventies, the company started designing drill rigs more specifically aimed at the base metal mining market, using power pack concepts developed for deephole drilling. So far, neither air-powered nor hydraulic drive rotary nor downhole drills had challenged the electric motor top drive rotary rigs manufactured in the United States for the 12 – 15 inch diameter hole market.
These machines by now had very high weights on bit in the range 100,000 – 120,000 lbf, partly due to the weight of the electric motor for the rotary head, but were not suitable for live tower operation. Ingersoll-Rand’s first response was in 1979 with the development of the Drillmaster DM70, able to drill 10 inch diameter holes in metal mines and up to 12½ inch holes at coal mines using 8.6 bar air for rotary drilling. And in 1979 the com-pany launched the DM-H (Drillmaster – Heavy), the first truly modern large blasthole drilling rig to be used for low pressure rotary drilling of 9 7/8 -
12 1/8 inch holes with bit loads up to
90,000 lbf.
The DM-H used hydraulics for both drilling and non-drilling functions and featured a hydraulic propel exca-vator type undercarriage with easily replaceable grouser pads and in-line
and a “live” tower with patented angle drilling system. The tower pivot point was flush to the drill deck and within the dust curtain, reducing the length of unsupported drill rod. It was an all-purpose machine, with a single-pass version added in the mid-1980's. The machine has been upgraded over the years although replaced by the Pit Viper 351 for hard rock applications.
At much the same time the company started to offer electric powered ver-sions of the DM 45 and other models if customers wanted them, for instance for use in open pits where the other key equipment was electric powered. However, although these machines had electric motor power packs they retained the hydraulic rotation system. The first electric drill rig was the DM7B delivered to Clarksburg in 1977, followed a year later by the DM100 delivered to Rock Springs.
After recovery from the recession of the early 1980’s, Ingersoll-Rand launched a medium range Drillmaster, the DM-M designed for rotary drill-ing of 9 7/8 inch holes with bit loads up
to 60,000 lbf. Three of the first four DM-M's went into operation at Peabody Energy's new North Antelope & Rochelle Mine in the Wyoming Powder River Basin, now one of the two larg-est coal mines in the world. Now, over 25 years later, the prototype DM-M is still in operation. The machine featured a carriage feed system with wire rope cables, resulting in a lighter tower and lower center of gravity.
In 1989 this model was upgraded to the DM-M2 on which maximum bit load was increased to 75,000 lbf and the hole size capability extended up to 10 5/
8 inch. Stability was improved as
well. In 1990-91 the company intro-duced the DML for multi-pass drilling to 180 ft hole depth.
This new model could drill from 6 to 9 7/8 inch (200 – 250 mm)
diam-eter holes in rotary mode, and 6 – 8
7/8 inch using a downhole hammer.
Following a development project based on a customer consultation exercise the DM-M3 was launched at MINExpo 1992. Designed primarily for deep drilling of overburden for cast blasting
Milestones in development Year Model Load on bit 1948 Quarrymaster drifter 1955 DM3 30,000 lbf 1968 T4BH 30,000 lbf 1969 DM4 40,000 lbf 1970 DM50 50,000 lbf 1979 DM-H 90,000 lbf 1983 DM-M 60,000 lbf 1990 DML 60,000 lbf 1992 DM-M3 90,000 lbf 2000 PV-351 125,000 lbf 2004 PV-270 75,000 lbf 2008 PV-235 65,000 lbf 2012 PV-311 110,000 lbf
The DM-H, launched in 1979, could be used with bit loads up to 90,000 lbf (400 kN).
The DM-M3 launched in 1992 is used for multi-pass drilling in coal mining.
in large coal mines, the first production DM-M3 went into operation in 1993 at Arch Coal's Black Thunder Mine, one of the largest coal mines in the world.
For this new model, the designers rai- sed bit load to 90,000 lbf and the hole diameter range up to 12 ¼ inch while a new patented cable feed allowed the use of 40 ft long drill rods.
The launch of the Pit Viper
Although difficult market conditions restricted investment in the mid-1990’s, during 1997 the company started work on a new generation blasthole drilling rig design.To differentiate this new range from the Drillmaster series, which initially was designed for drilling large holes in coal mining and soft rock, this new series was - from the very beginning - specified and designed for produc-tion drilling of large holes in hard rock conditions.
The first one out was the Pit Viper 351, which was successfully launched at MINExpo 2000. Weighing 170 tonnes, measuring 53 feet long, and equipped with a CAN-bus control system with seven on-board computers, the new Pit Viper 351 was at that time the largest and most advanced drill rig of its kind. The advanced control system allowed the drill pattern to be transmitted to the drill rig via a radio network, and it also featured production monitoring,
rock recognition and a GPS navigation system. A few months after the Minexpo show, in April 2001, the PV-351 was put to work at the Morenci copper mine in Arizona for final testing and evalu-ation. The mine had a fleet of 16 drill rigs from a variety of manufacturers, so in addition to the new rig being used for drilling in the hard igneous rock condi-tions, this was an excellent opportunity for benchmarking the PV-351 with the other brands.
The application required 12 ¼ inch diameter single pass drilling of 57 ft deep blastholes using up to 90,000 lbf weight on bit (of the 125,000 lbf capacity). The test was successful: the PV-351 drilled some 2.2 million feet by August 2004 at a recorded average rate of 60,000 feet per month and in some months even more than 80,000 feet per month.
Later the same year the multi-pass Pit Viper 275 was launched at MINExpo 2004. Based on the experience from the PV-351, combined with customer con-sultations, a project had been initiated for development of the PV-270 series. These drills were specified for a 75,000 lbf bit load capacity and were featured a similar cable feed system and auto-matic cable tensioning to that on the larger PV-351. The multipass version PV-275 with a 195ft depth capacity was delivered for a test in December 2003 at Peabody's Kayenta coal mine in Arizona where it was used for cast blast drilling
for removal of the overburden. This first machine is still in use there and, as a result of the good performance, the mine decided to invest in several additional units. One of these was prepared for quick change between a multi-pass and a single-pass tower as an option to be adapted for different applications at the mine.
The first mine to use the single pass version, the PV-271, was the Barrick Goldstrike mine near Elko, Nevada. Since the PV-271 arrived at the mine in April 2004 it has been problem-free, and holds an impressive track record with an average penetration rate of 199 ft per hour. The long component life and also the automatic tensioning adjustments for the cables are much appreciated by the mine.
Following this tradition of product launches in Las Vegas – the PV-235 was introduced in 2008 followed by the PV-311 at MINExpo in 2012. These new drill rigs are automation ready, fea-turing the RCS (Rig Control System) as standard.
acknowledgements
Editors: Kyran Casteel and Ulf Linder Contributions: Guy Coyne, Ron Buell, Kenneth Moffitt, Brian Fox, John Stinson, Dustin Penn, Gunnar Nord, Sverker Hartwig, Jim Langford, Diane Norwood, Darwin Hollar, Ewald Kurt.
The first Pit Viper 351 was launched in 2000 and
ergonomics and safety for
operators
Today much has changed with regard to operators, machines and machine inter-faces. Twenty years ago the industry took a macro view of an operator’s abil-ity to complete a shift without tiring or having an accident. Today designers work to a micro requirement; neither a hand nor a finger must be injured over a 30-year career doing the same function.
In the past the requirements were for gauges and levers to be properly placed to avoid human strain during the work shift. Now engineers analyze site paths, a process of ensuring that natural hand motions are used to operate equipment. The drive for safety and efficiency are integrated.
Not only does the manufacturer look at drilling as the sole function of an operator. A multi-skilled operator may also manage drilling consumables, com- plete basic maintenance and report de-tails of bench conditions. These new roles also must be designed into the ma- chine interfaces.
Also with regard to improved ergo-nomics and safety, Drilling Solutions engineers work to design systems that eliminate or reduce the hazards. In the late 1990s when the United States Mining and Safety Administration imposed stric- ter silica exposure limits for operators, engineers found that improved air qu-ality could not be achieved without re- moving the concentration levels in cer-tain applications. The drive then became to manage the dust rather than improve air quality through expensive filtration. The goal of Drilling Solutions is to al- low the operator to do what comes na- turally and to create a work environ-ment that provides superior comfort and safety.
Operator cabins and
machine interfaces
A rotary drill is recognized as one of two pieces of surface mining equipment that sits and works in its waste, heat and dust. The other piece is the shovel or ex- cavator. The operator’s cabin, or cab, is the device used to protect the operator, a design factor not seriously considered as late as 1995.
Nearly everyone would agree today’s automobiles are safer, quieter, offer a smoother drive and are very user fri-endly. The automobile is becoming the acceptable standard in industry when looking at operator cabins. The visual look of an operator cab has also become a design criteria, as personnel equate past operator cabs with a metal box that induces high fatigue. An automotive’s structure and safety systems keep passengers safe. Likewise today’s drills are engineered to protect an opera- tor against hazards that once injured or killed operators.
Reference dust management improvement.
ergonomics and safety
Machine
developments in
a new decade
Ergonomics today has taken on a broader meaning with the advent of safer work rules, higher work efficiencies and superior design tools. Today engineers can study and design machines that are effi-cient to operate, maintain, build and transport. Engineering tools, new materials, improved indus-try standards and new technol-ogy allow a designer to model a machine and actually simulate operation under safer operating conditions.
During this decade not much has changed with the technical perfor-mance of drilling as cutting struc-tures remain the same. Rather the design emphasis has been on effi- ciency, fewer accidents and ease of operation. Globalization of mi-ning to a higher level is also driv-ing changes. The HIV epidemic in Africa is reducing the workforce at an unheard of rate. New deposits in arctic regions require a new emphasis. This article highlights the advances Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions engineers have made to meet these new challenges.
The image above shows a rock fall that the operator survived without in- jury. Using proper de sign techniques and better materials. Atlas Copco en- gineers have delivered an operator cab that reduces interior noise levels signif-icantly below the industry benchmark
of 80 dBA. For example, the Pit Viper 351 with 1500 hp was measured below 70 dBA when drilling.
Like automotive climate control sys-tems are developed to maintain opera-tor comfort more efficiently, today’s systems direct the cooling effort on the operator. The systems are also used to defrost windows in cold weather cli-mates just as automobiles do. Drilling Solutions engineers also are working to advance the cleanliness of the air the operator breathes.
Engineers can use computer models to quickly improve line of site. Cabs now feature more window space, which improves visibility, due to glass and in- sulation technology. Camera technology
allows an operator to watch the areas where visibility is restricted. The com-bined effect is to give operators a full view from the operator’s chair.
The operator chair and flooring play active roles in reducing drilling vibra-tions, which add to operator fatigue. Now an operator’s chair is often referred to as an operator’s pod, and is adjust-able to fit a variety of shapes, sizes and weights. All machine interfaces are now within the operator’s reach.
Technology can also play a role in protecting the operator from dangerous work conditions. Drilling Solutions en- gineers, working with suppliers, are creating a system that allows limits of operation to be defined and to give an operator feedback when an unsafe condition exists. As drilling conditions change within the pit, the machine can be easily reprogrammed to fit the new situation.
The result of this combined effort is to deliver a safe, comfortable work environment that is suited for the long shifts required in surface mining.
Maintenance ergonomics
Nearly unheard of a decade ago, in-dustry standards now require safe, rou-tine and easy access to all maintenance points. In the 1990s the Australian New South Wales MDG-15 Act gave guide-lines for maintenance ergonomics that have become the accepted standard in industry today, and these standards, in addition to factors such as fatigue and safety, drive the machine design effort.
For example, Australian studies sho- wed a very high incident rate for person-nel getting on and off machines. These results drove the international market to look at alternatives. As a result, place- ment of key maintenance points could only be in a zone from waist to shoul-ders, based on measurements for 90 percent of the population. Until fairly recently, operator comfort and safety were only afterthoughts – if they were considered at all. Now, what was once “out of sight, out of mind,” is a critical requirement at the forefront of design innovation.
John Stinson
Operator survived rock fall.
Comfort combined with ease of operation in one package.
The image shows digital readouts of weight on bit, rotation speed, torque and rate of penetration. It also can be programmed to give an operator visual feedback. The image shows a digital leveling device on which the background can change colors, sound an alarm or remove power when an unsafe angle of operation is
Mining safety
Since the implementation of the Mining Safety and Health Act of 1977, a lot has changed in the past 35 years. More spe-cifically, a lot of lives have changed or been saved. Safety is the obligation of every single individual in every single step of the entire mining process.
As taught in the MSHA training class “SLAM Risks” (Stop Look Analyze and Manage) helps us dimin-ish workplace risks. SLAM was initiat-ed to focus the mining industry on the human factors in accident prevention. At Drilling Solutions, risk assessments and design simulations are involved in mitigating risks to the operator and maintenance personnel. We should constantly be assessing our surround-ing environment and risks that might be involved. It is something that we should consider in every action we take on a daily basis, from climbing off the machine, to walking out through the parking lot, to driving home that even-ing, to walking in that front door; safe and sound and fully intact.
In order to facilitate what we should be doing on a daily basis versus what we actually do, this is a niche where we as the OEM are able to further develop safety into our products. We at Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions have spent the past year researching different scena-rios and situations to find areas that can further enhance the safety of per-forming a specific function or task. We have conducted open-floor meet-ings with major mining corporations, spent time on a wide-range of different mining sites, and coordinated with various teams world wide in order to fully understand develop, and offer you a multitude of Personnel Rig Protection opportunities for your machines. Our ultimate aim is to lead the industry by changing equipment designs to mini-mize the risk to all parties involved in the mining process.
Tower access restraint
system
This option provides the mine with a dedicated resource providing a safe
means of conducting maintenance in our towers. The Tower Access Restraint System meets OSHA Standards 1926 and 1910, as well as Australian and New Zealand Standards 1891.2:2001.
Drilling Solutions engineers have designed a set of stairs for access to the Tower while in the horizontal posi-tion. Each step is made of sturdy steel grating. The Stairway also consists of a signed gate at the bottom, as well as the top of the stairs in order to prevent accidental entry. There is a continuous handrail that goes up both sides of the stairway and then a spacious work plat-form once you reach the top.
Once you have reached the top and you are ready to enter the tower to per-form maintenance, you open the gate, clip onto each of the shuttles that are attached to two stainless steel cables that run the length of the Tower. The cables are permanently anchored to the Tower cords and include a shut-tle on each side on which to hook the harness. These shuttles are an integral part of the structure and include a double-locking mechanism for safety
The safest place to be is the cabin of the drill rig.
Personnel rig protection
Built-in safety
features
For drillers, the safest place to be is the cabin of the drill rig. Our equipment has many built-in features and options that help to increase operator safety such as ROPS and FOPS protection. Moreover today’s cabins are all designed with smooth edges and without protruding com-ponents that could conceivably injure an operator who omits to wear a hardhat. But the fact is, the moment the operator steps outside, he or she is immediately exposed to dangers. Over the years, technological advances have done a great deal to reduce the number of accidents and inju-ries. Atlas Copco is committed to this task and will continue to identify risks and improve safety through our product design.
purposes and are specially designed to withstand the vigors of a mining envi-ronment. They also allow the opera-tor full access to the Tower, as well as being able to smoothly move over transition pieces without the hazardous practice of having to unhook from the cable, allowing the individual to keep their hands free for tools and the task at hand.
In addition to the Tower Access Re- straint System, the bottom of the Tower is also filled with fiberglass grate deck-ing. This is a continuous slip-resistant and sturdy surface for the individual to stand on while performing their duties. The final result of combining the above components is a safe and secure tool to utilize during regular Tower ser-vice intervals. In addition, this system provides improved safety and mobility for mine personnel.
access and egress
A lot of emphasis and design hours went into the multiple options we now provide for getting on and off the ma-chine, always keeping ease and safety in mind. Atlas Copco now provides a number of different means to access the deck and cab on the cab side of the machine. These include your Standard Ladder, a Hydraulic Ramp, a Hydraulic Ladder, Hydraulic Stairs, and emer-gency ladders. Each individual step on the above ladders is comprised of either sturdy, slip-resistant steel or fiberglass grating. One more added benefit to some of the ladders mentioned is the safety interlock that is built into the RCS control system. This interlock will not allow the rig to move while the ladder is in the down position.
Some of the above options are obvi-ously more intricate than the Standard Ladder, but they do provide a more nat-ural means of accessing the machine. They can allow the operator or main-tenance personnel an easy approach onto the machine, opposed to having to hoist themself up a vertical ladder. This ease enables hands to be free for other needs, such as carrying tools.
Even more so, the Hydraulic Ramp that we offer provides a flat surface that, can be utilized as an easy surface for dollies to be pulled up and, for
example loaded down with a bucket of grease. When you need to climb on the machine from the non-cab side you can either have a Standard Ladder or no ladder at all with a handrail in its place. And in the event of an emergency we now also offer one or two Emergency Ladders on the Non-Drill end of the machine. These ladders flip out with a quick release and provide a swift means of escape if need be. When they are not in use they fold up onto the rig and re-latch.
The main emphasis of these new ladder options is not for aesthetics, but instead to further ensure that there is a safe means of getting on and off the rig. The new options above allow for front or backwards ascent or descent from the machine. We want to try to get away from having to “climb on the rig,” but rather be able to easily access the decking in a more natural form.
Decking
A main concern of all mines is working in a confined space. Drilling Solutions is currently exploring the balance of opening up workable areas as well as keeping the machine’s overall size in mind for transportation purposes and still allowing the mine to access those holes that might bring an operator close to the highwalls.
We have developed options that will allow complete 360º access around the machine. This includes an option for complete walk-around access of the cab. This added selection can be used for inspection and for cleaning the win-dows for further visibility.
Another part of the 360º access is a decking option that includes a built in bit basket on the Drill-End of the machine as well as a spot to store hammer subs. By adding this decking option, you not only gain complete access to the machine, but also have a safe, secure, and dedicated spot to store bits and hammers. This option inhibits bits from being laid unsecured on the deck, opening up a possibility for them to shift and move during tramming.
One more part of the 360º access option that is available is an Extended Cooler decking. Prior to this option the only way to access the back of PV-270 tower access stairs.
(Part of tower fall restraint system)
Tower fall restraint system with infill.
Hydraulic ladder option.
PV-230 standard ladder option.
on this decking you add approximately 2 feet (61 cm) to the non-cab side of the machine. This allows unconstrained access to the back of the coolers for cleaning, maintenance or a walkway to other areas of the machine.
energy isolation
When working on any piece of machin-ery this size, there is the constant con- cern about isolating any energy, whe-ther it be electrical, hydraulic, or pneu- matic. The engineers at Drilling Solu-tions spend numerous hours designing and configuring different options with the goal of being able to give anyone with access to the machine a safe and secure piece of equipment to work on, complete with fail-safes when applica-ble. We know that the easier we make the machine to work on, the happier and safer all entities involved will be.
One of the new options offered is a Ground-Level Battery and Starter Iso-lation box. Inside this box are lockable turn switches that either engage or dis-engage the power or the starter. There are also long-life LED lights that are color coded to designate whether it is receiving power, or if the power is off. The front cover on this box is comprised of a strong plexiglass piece so that you can see what energy state the machine is in without having to physically open the front cover. Again – we are of the mindset that the quicker and easier it is to use, the more it will be used.
Another example of how we are iso-lating hydraulic energy is by utilizing a series of Hydrau-Flo Valves. These valves are specially designed to prevent fuel spillage, in the event of over-filling or tank rupture. Not only is this design a safe way to transfer fuel, but it is also environmentally friendly.
ease of maintenance
There are many new options offered straight from the factory that have greatly enhanced the ease of working on our machines. Keeping confined spa- ces in mind, as well as the idea that the less often a component needs to be ser-viced, the more production the machine
you also then have the opportunity to pick the Cooler Access Ladder. The Cooler Access Ladder is a stepladder integrated onto the decking and hand railing that provides a safe approach to accessing the radiator tank on top of the cooler for filling, checking, or mainte-nance. As a side note – pressure-relief safety caps are standard on all machine radiator tanks. These caps allow the pressure that naturally builds up in the tank to safely be released without the danger of spraying out hot coolant onto the individual.
In regards to the powerpack, we now offer a dipstick for the gearbox. Prior to this the sight glass for the gearbox was in a hard to see area. Now it is easy to access and it provides a means to ea-sily check the gearbox oil level daily or as required. We also have the new oil-centrifuge option that extends the life of the engine oil. It achieves this without filters to change or clean.
We are providing new ground le- vel service options in addition to the Ground-Level Battery and Starter Isolation. The first of these is a new ground level Live-Oil Sampling option. This option provides the ability to take samples for Hydraulic Oil, Engine Oil, and Compressor Oil. The oil continu-ally circulates through this area so that all samples taken are “fresh.”
Two more ground level service options that are available are the Quick-Fill Box and the Quick-Drain Box. These two boxes located on the non-drill end of the rig provide a simple means to either fill or drain the machine of its fluids. Each connection point is clearly labeled and consists of a safe quick connect, each differing in size to avoid cross contamination of fluids.
Design teams at Atlas Copco are constantly getting feedback from cus-tomers or our own field service person-nel. They let us know if something is working great, what can be improved, or if something needs to be completely redesigned. One of the steps that we are taking as a company is trying to phase out welding, and instead use bolt-in parts. This facilitates in both making it easier to change out parts and cuts down on possibly challenging
PV-270 new decking and access options.
PV-230 bit basket option. (Will be located on drum deck)
PV-270 ground level battery and starter isolation.
PV-270 overview of location of live sampling quickfill and quick drain.
From left: Close up view of live sampling, quickfill and quick drain.
the integrity of the material by weld-ing and cuttweld-ing. As an added bonus, the more components that we design to be bolted in rather than welded results in a more modular machine that can be customized specifically to the custom-ers’ orders.
One of these newly redesigned bolt- in options is the sheave and cable retainers that are on the PV-270 and PV-351 towers. Previously, when it was time to change out the cables, these pins and sheaves had to be removed. Now it is just a matter of loosening a few bolts, changing out the cable, and rebolting the roller back in. Another design that
has been modified is the feed cylinder supports on the PV-351’s. Again – it used to be that you would have to remove the feed cylinders to replace the worn guides. The guides now bolt-in as well. By constantly keepbolt-ing ease of maintenance in mind, Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions are hopeful that it will result in more productivity hours for you and your mine; less down time means more drilling time.
Regardless of what drilling rig you may own, or what piece of equipment you may work on, we here at Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions want you to always be conscious of your every
action on or around the mine site. Mining is not the safest in-dustry out there, but with everyone putting forth a little more effort towards always think-ing SAFETY FIRST we feel that this will make a monumental difference in everyone’s life. As long as you do your part of ensuring that you are con-stantly thinking of your safety, you can rest assured that Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions will do all within its power when designing a machine to keep you just as safe.
Maureen Bohac
Options PV-230 RcS PV-270 SeOh* PV-270 RcS PV-310 PV-351
Respa Filters ● ● ●
XiR glass ● ● ●
hydraulic hedweld ladder ● ●
hedweld Spring ladder ● ● ●
atlas copco hydraulic ladder ● ● ● ●
emergency ladders ● ● ● ●
new cab ● ● ● ●
Tower access ● ● ● ● ●
cable Reel ● ● ●
additional Tower Rest Water Tank ● ● ●
Tropical engine Roof ● ● ●
Stainless Steel Battery Boxes ● ●
Staniless Steel electrical Boxes ● ● ●
ground level Battery isolation & Jumpstart ● ● ● ● ●
live Sampling ● ● ●
Under the Deck Misting ● ● ●
Secondary Rod catcher ● ● ● ●
autcrane Option ● ● ●
Wormald Fire Suppression ● ● ●
Drum Deck Bit holder ● ● ●
Protective hose Sleeving ● ● ●
Dynaset Water injection Pump ● ● ●
Secondary air conditioning Unit ● ●
Buddy Seat With Seatbelt ● ● ●
cooler (Radiator Tank) access ● ●
engraved hydraulic Schematic ● ● ●
centrifuge engine Oil Filter ● ● ● ●
gearbox Dipstick ● ● ● ●
hydra-Flow Fuel System ● ● ●
360º Walk-around Decking ● ● ● ● ●
housing Option ● ● ● ● ●
Quick Fill Box ● ● ● ●
Quick Drain Box ● ● ●
led lights ● ● ●
an increasing demand
Today, the population of the world stands at about 6.5 billion people. In simple terms, this means that every year approximately 10 tons of material is extracted using surface mining tech-niques for every person in the world.If one looks to the future, the UN esti-mates that in 20 years (2038) the world’s population will have reached about 8.5 billion people. By simply applying the current utilization rate of 10 tons/ person, one would expect the amount of material extracted yearly by surface mining techniques to climb to 85 billion tons. One must keep in mind, however, that today about 95% of the population growth is in the developing countries of the world. Based on their expecta-tions for improved living standards
in the future, the actual estimate of ma- terials mined using surface mining tech- niques in the year 2038 is 138 billion tons (Bagherpour et al, 2007).
The ability of the earth to meet this type of demand is not really a question of resources, since they are clearly there, but rather a matter of price and cost. In looking at the mineral resource base, one must conclude that, in gener-al, the mining conditions will be sign- ificantly more difficult than today. In addition, ever-increasing environmen-tal and health and safety conditions are expected to be in place. This means that the entire mining process from pro- specting to exploration to development to extraction and finally to reclama-tion will have to become much more advanced. In many places of the world today, mine closure must be fully and satisfactorily addressed before a surface mine can be opened. This translates into requirements for applying first rate
engineering and technology for meet-ing today’s requirements and especially those of the future. Atlas Copco is at the forefront in producing the equip-ment and technologies required today and for addressing the challenges of the future.
a brief synopsis of
quarrying and open pit
mining
This introductory chapter will focus on those surface deposits that require the application of drilling and blasting techniques as part of the overall extrac-tion process. Excluded from the discus-sion will be strip mining, the mining of sand and gravel deposits and the quar- rying of dimension stone.
As indicated, large quantities of raw materials are produced in various types of surface operations. Where the pro-duct is rock, the operations are known
Photo: Copper mine in the southwest USA.
an introduction to surface mining
The wealth
of nations
A well-accepted principle is that the wealth of a nation comes from the earth. In the world of mining, a corollary to this is that “If it can’t be grown, it must be mined.” Surface mining techniques are the principal means used to extract minerals from the earth. The yearly rock production yielding metals, non-metals and coal in the world totals 16.6 billion tons*. Of this, the production from surface mines is about 70% or 11.5 bil-lion tons. Crushed rock, sand and gravel - the fundamental materi-als required for construction - are largely produced using surface mining techniques. Their yearly production rate totals 23.5 billion tons. To this must be added the materials needed for the produc-tion of cement, another 2.3 billion tons. Finally, the amount of waste that must be moved in the process of extracting the valuable materi-als is estimated at 30 billion tons. Summing, one finds that the total amount of material extracted per year using surface mining tech-niques is of the order of 67.3 bil-lion tons (Bagherpour et al, 2007). * 1 ton = 907 kg
as quarries. Where metallic ore or non-metallic minerals are involved, they are called open pit mines. There are many common parameters both in design and in the choice of equipment.
When examining a deposit for poten-tial mining and even when expanding a current operation, one often employs a process called circular analysis. As
shown diagrammatically in Figure 1, the process consists of five components. Although the figure applies specifically for the open pit mining of ore depos-its, a similar procedure is followed for quarries.
One naturally begins with a descrip-tion of the deposit and using some as-sumed costs a preliminary pit design
is obtained. By adding the desired pro-duction rate into the model a propro-duction schedule is generated.Based on the schedule, one determines the required equipment fleet, staffing, etc. to satisfy the schedule. This leads allows one to calculate the capital requirements and the operating costs. With these now-estimated rather than assumed costs, the ore reserves are re-examined and design alternatives evaluated. Eventually, an overall financial evalu-ation is performed. The double-headed arrows indicate the highly repetitive nature of the process.
Quarries
A rather simple but useful definition of a quarry is a factory that converts solid bedrock into crushed stone. Quarries can be either of the common pit type or, in mountainous terrain, the hillside type. Pit type quarries are opened up below the level of surrounding ter-rain and accessed by means of ramps (Figure 2). The excavation is often split into several benches depending on the minable depth of the deposit. When the terrain is rough and bulldozers cannot provide a flat floor, a top-hammer con-struction type drill rig can be used to establish the first bench. Once the first bench is prepared, production drilling is preferably carried out using DTH- or COPROD techniques.
The excavated rock is crushed, scre- ened, washed and separated into differ-ent size fractions, for subsequdiffer-ent sale and use. The amount of fines should be kept to a minimum. Not all types of rock are suitable as raw material for crushed stone. The material must have certain strength and hardness characteristics and the individual pieces should have a defined shape with a rough surface. Igneous rock such as granite and basalt as well as metamorphic rock such as gneiss are well suited for these purposes. Soft sedimentary rock and materials which break into flat, flaky pieces are generally unacceptable. The final prod-ucts are used as raw material for chemi-cal plants (such as limestone for cement manufacturing, the paper and steel industries), building products, and for concrete aggregates, highway construc-tion, or other civil engineering projects.
Financial optimization
1. Capital and operating summation 2. Revenue 3. Cash flow statement 4. Marginal ore utilization
5. Rate of return Ore reserve analysis 1. Break-even analysis 2. Drill-hole evaluation 3. Pit design 4. Marginal analysis Production scheduling 1. Preproduction costs 2. Working room 3. Stripping ratios 4. Sequencing 5. Reclamation 6. Operating schedules 7. Financial 8. Constraints Equipment and facilities 1. Capital intensive 2. Equipment selection 3. Operating costs 4. Capital depreciation 5. selective mining Refined ore reserves 1. Cutoff grade 2. Marginal analysis 3. Design alternatives
Figure 1. Financial optimization using circular analysis (Dohm, 1979).
