BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING 19

TALKING TECHNICALLY

A complete range
With the acquisition of Ingersoll-
Rands Drilling Solutions, Baker Hughes
Mining Tools (BHMT) and Thiessen
Team businesses, Atlas Copco has a
complete range of products to offer to
large quarries and open pit mines. Much
of the worlds mining output begins
through drilling of holes with rotary
drills. Ingersoll-Rand built air-powered
rotary drills for many years prior to the
introduction of their first fully hydrau-
lic unit, the T4, in 1968.
About rotary drills
It is important to note that rotary drills
are capable of two methods of drilling.
The majority of the units operate as
pure rotary drills, driving tricone or
fixed-type bits. The fixed-type bits,
such as claw or drag bits, have no mo-
ving parts and cut through rock by shea-
ring it. Thus, these bits are limited to
the softest material. The other method
utilized by rotary drill rigs is down-the-
hole (DTH) drilling. High-pressure air
compressors are used to provide com-
pressed air through the drillstring to
drive the DTH hammer (see illustration
page 20). The primary difference between
rotary drilling and other methods is the
absence of percussion. In most rotary
applications, the preferred bit is the
tricone bit. Tricone bits rely on crush-
ing and spalling the rock. This is
accomplished through transferring
downforce, known as pulldown, to the
bit while rotating in order to drive the
carbides into the rock as the three cones
rotate around their respective axis.
Rotation is provided by a hydraulic or
electric motor-driven gearbox (called a
rotary head) that moves up and down
the tower via a feed system. Feed sys-
tems utilize cables, chains or rack-and-
pinion mechanisms driven by hydraulic
cylinders, hydraulic motors or electric
motors. The preference at Atlas Copco
is to use cables for pulldown, as they
are lightweight and inexpensive, and
allow easier detection of wear to help
avoid catastrophic failures.
Atlas Copcos largest drill, the Pit Viper 351E, operates on a blast pattern at an open pit copper mine. Rotary blasthole drills are the predominant method of drilling
9 inch (229 mm) diameter holes or greater.
Putting rotary drilling
into perspective
Mining prosperity
Atlas Copco offers a complete range
of rotary as well as DTH and top-
hammer drill rigs for most types
of open pit mining and quarrying
applications. But how do these
technologies complement each
other and how do drillers know
which method to choose, and
when?
20 BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING
TALKING TECHNICALLY
Pulldown
Pulldown is the force generated by the
feed system. The actual weight on bit,
or bit load, is the pulldown plus any
dead weight such as the rotary head,
drill rods and cables.
More weight with rotary
It only takes one look to see that the
biggest DTH and tophammer drill rigs
are very different than the biggest rotary
blasthole rigs. In fact, the Pit Viper 351
rotary drill rig weighs in excess of nine
times that of Atlas Copco's largest DTH
hammer drill rig, the ROC L8. Yet the
Pit Viper 351 is drilling a hole that is
generally only twice the diameter. Take
a typical medium formation tricone bit
with a recommended maximum load-
ing of 900 kg/cm of bit diameter
(5000 lb per inch of diameter). With a
200 mm (7-7/8 in) bit, you could run
about 18,000 kg (40,000 lb) of weight
on the bit. The laws of physics dictate
that for every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction, meaning that if
you push on the ground with 18,000 kg
(40,000 lb), the same force will push
back on the unit. There-fore, the weight
of the machine must be over 18,000 kg
(40,000 lb) at the location of the drill
string to avoid the machine lifting off
the jacks. To achieve a stable platform
through proper placement of the tracks
and levelling jacks, the distribution of
weight results in an overall machine
weight that approaches or exceeds twice
the bit load rating. This weight does add
cost to the machine, but the size of the
components also translates to long life.
Even smaller rotary blasthole drills are
built to run 30,000 hours of operation,
and some of the large blasthole drills
have clocked over 100,000 hours of use.
Rig design
With the exception of one model, the
rubber-tire mounted T4BH, Atlas Copcos
rotary blasthole drills are mounted on
excavator-style undercarriages. Power-
ful hydraulic-drive systems allow the
machine to tram over a variety of ground
conditions, though rotary blasthole
drills should always operate on firm,
flat benches.
Principle:
The hammer is situated
down the hole in direct
contact with the drill
bit. The hammer piston
strikes the drill bit,
resulting in an efficient
transmission of the
impact energy and
insignificant power
losses with the hole
depth. The method is
widely used for drilling
long holes, not only for
blasting, but also for
water wells, shallow
gas and oil wells,
and for geo-thermal
wells. In mining it is
also developed for
sampling using the
reverse circulation
technique (RC drilling).
TONS
Principle:
Rotation is provided
by a hydraulic or
electric motor
driven gearbox,
called a rotary head,
that moves up and
down the tower
via a feed system,
generating the
pulldown required
to give sufficient
weight on the bit.
Flushing of drill
cuttings between
the wall of the hole
and the drill rods is
normally done with
compressed air.
The tower supports the drill string during drilling as well as the rotation head and feed system.
Down-The-Hole method Rotary drilling method
BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING 21
TALKING TECHNICALLY
The key component of a rotary blast-
hole drill is the tower, which is some-
times referred to as the derrick or mast.
Atlas Copco towers are four main mem-
ber, open front structures in which the
rotary head slides up and down via a
guide system. The length and weight
of the tower ultimately dictates the size
of the mainframe and undercarriage.
Most drilling functions are hydrauli-
cally driven. Powering these hydraulic
systems, along with the air compressor,
is a diesel engine or electric motor.
Most rotary drills are diesel powered for
good mobility. Electric powered units
offer some advantages such as lower
power cost (in most areas), no diesel
emissions, no refueling requirement
and less maintenance. However, some
operations are not setup with the pro-
per electrical infrastructure or staffing
to run electric units. Even when elec-
tric power is available, many custom-
ers avoid electric drills as the trailing
cable used to provide power makes it
harder to move the unit between holes
or patterns. Generally, electric power
is preferred on large single-pass units
used in major open pit metals mines
where electric shovels are employed,
though electric power is now available
on smaller units such as the Atlas Copco
Pit Viper 271, Pit Viper 275 and DML.
The importance of air
A key parameter of rotary drilling is
flushing the cuttings from the hole. In
most rotary blasthole drills, cuttings
are lifted between the wall of the hole
and the drill rods by compressed air.
Sufficient air volume is required to lift
these cuttings. Many types of tricone
bits have been developed to meet vari-
ous drilling needs. Softer formation
bits are built with long carbides with
wide spacing on the face of the bit.
This design yields large cuttings which
increase drill speed and reduce dust. It
is important to have sufficient clearance
between the wall of the hole and the
drill rods in order for such large cuttings
to pass. If this clearance, known as an-
nular area, is not sufficient, the cuttings
The drilling platform is supported by a crawler undercarriage except during drilling when it is raised up by hydraulic jacks.
The ability to carry long drill rods up to 70 feet
provides more time for drilling.
22 BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING
TALKING TECHNICALLY
will be ground between the wall of the
hole and the rods or by the bit itself
(called regrinding) until they are small
enough to exit the hole. This results in
excess dust and accelerated wear on the
bit and drill rod.
Bailing velocity
A traditional rule-of-thumb is a mini-
mum of 1,525 m
3
/min (5000 cfm) of
uphole velocity, the speed at which air
exits the hole. The actual amount of air
required will vary widely based on the
density of the material and the size of
the cuttings. Dense cuttings as found in
iron ore mines will settle much quicker
than lightweight overburden in coal
mines and thus need more air coming up
the hole to lift them; 1,525 m
3
/min (5000
cfm) may not be enough. However, har-
der material is generally drilled with
hard formation bits that utilize shorter
cutting structures, thus yielding smaller
chips. Conversely, some soft material
can be drilled effectively with only 915
m
3
/min (3000 cfm) uphole velocity.
Unfortunately, many operations have
tried to increase uphole velocity by in-
creasing the diameter of the drill rod.
This is obviously much easier than get-
ting a larger air compressor by retrofit-
ting or purchasing a new machine. In
some conditions, this strategy works,
but more often, the reduced annular area
results in increased wear and dust, and
the drill rate may even drop. Whatever
the application, it is critical to have pro-
per bailing air.
Dust control
A necessary evil created by the air com-
pressor in drilling operations is the ge-
neration of dust. To control the dust,
the area surrounding the hole is en-
closed by a dust hood. Dust hoods are
sealed on the sides by dust curtains,
and where the rod comes through the
deck by a rod wiper or dust seal. A dust
control system must be used in con-
junction with the dust hood and cur-
tains. The two most popular types of
dust control are dry dust collectors and
water injection. Dust collectors are es-
sentially large vacuum cleaners that
pull the dust away from the dust hood
and run it through a collection of filter
Rotary drilling with tricone bits is the most cost efcient method for large hole diameters.
Large diameter holes produced by rotary drills, such as this Pit Viper 275, yield blast patterns with wider
burden and spacing, resulting in fewer holes drilled.
To control the dust, the area around the hole is surrounded by a dust hood.
BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING 23
TALKING TECHNICALLY
elements. Water injection systems
inject a fine amount of water into the
air stream. Water injection is the more
effective solution for ensuring dust is
minimized, but the introduction of
water into the hole can slow down the
drilling process by increasing the den-
sity of the cuttings at the bottom of the
hole that the air compressor must move.
Water injection systems require fre-
quent refilling of the water tanks, and
in freezing conditions, elaborate heat-
ing systems must be used. Dust collec-
tors offer a productivity advantage, but
they can become plugged if not turned
off when wet material is encountered.
This is particularly a problem if the wet
material freezes in the system.
When rotary is better
Every drilling application is different,
so we cannot say that there are parti-
cular breakpoints where you should
transition between drilling methods.
Generally, drilling below 152 mm (6 in)
is best accomplished with tophammer
units. Above this diameter, it is typi-
cally done with a rotary rig, although
tophammer units are doing some of
this work effectively with the introduc-
tion of larger platforms and more pow-
erful rock drills. For harder material,
say above 100 MPa (15,000 psi), uncon-
fined compressive strength (UCS),
DTH is often faster than pure rotary
drilling if provided there is enough air
pressure on board. Simply looking at
our product range (see above) gives an
indication of which methods are com-
monly used for the different diameters
found in construction and mining.
There are certain limitations im-
posed on each method of drilling. With
tophammer percussive drills, the po-
wer of the rock drill itself limits the
ability to transmit adequate force to
larger diameter bits, especially at dee-
per depths when percussive energy is
successively reduced with each new rod
connection. Down-the-hole (DTH) tools
solve this energy loss problem, but their
maximum hole diameter is limited by the
volume of air. To build the air pressure
that translates directly to impact energy,
a certain volume of air is required. Take
for example a Secoroc QL80 203 mm
(8 in) DTH hammer that is designed
to operate at 25 bar (350 psi). Even with
our largest high pressure compressor
686 41 m
3
/min (1,450 cfm), the pres-
sure will only build to 23 bar (325 psi),
thus providing less impact energy. In
real terms, each blow of the piston is
about 45 kg (100 lb) less than it is de-
signed for. In some cases, this method
will still outperform rotary drilling.
For most large diameter blasthole
drilling, there is simply not enough
air on-board for a DTH to be as cost
effective as rotary drilling with a tri-
cone bit. Rotary drilling is still the pre-
dominant method of drilling 230 mm
(9 in) diameter or greater. This is driven
primarily by the current limitations of
Rotary drilling with tricone bits is the most cost efcient method for large hole diameters.
DML
ROC P55
CM 351
ECM 720
1"
ROC L6
30
ROC P65
ROC L7CR
ROC L8
25
CM 785
Pit Viper 271
ECM 585
ECM 660
ROC F9/F9C
ROC F9CR
ROC D9/D9RRC/D9C
ROC D7/D7RRC/D7C
ECM 590/592
ROC T15
BVB 25
ECM 580
CM 470
ROC D3
ROC 203
DM25-SP
ROC L8
30
406mm
Pit Viper 351
381mm 305mm 127mm 152mm 178mm 330mm
Copper
Iron
16" 15" 13"
25mm 51mm 76mm 102mm 356mm 279mm
11"
203mm 229mm
12"
254mm
8" 9" 10"
Industrial minerals (Cement & Limestone)
Gold
Coal
2" 3" 4" 5" 6" 7" 14"
Dimension Stone Industry
Construction
Aggregate
DTH
COPROD
Tophammer
Tophammer / fully pneumatic
DTH / fully pneumatic
Rotary / DTH
Rotary
CM 765
ROC L6
25
CM 348
Atlas Copco large rotary and
DTH drill rigs are included
in this book. For information about the
range of smaller surface rigs
visit www.surfacedrilling.com
or contact your Atlas Copco
representative
ROC L7
40
ROC F6
BVB 25 DTH
ROC 203 DTH
Pit Viper 275
DM-M3
DM30
T4BH
DML-SP
Pit Viper 235
DM45
24 BLASTHOLE DRILLING IN OPEN PIT MINING
TALKING TECHNICALLY
tophammer units and rig air systems.
Tricone bits also become more cost ef-
fective as the larger bits are equipped
with larger bearings which in turn can
handle higher loads. These higher loads
translate to improved drill rates. An-
other advantage of rotary rigs is the
length of the drill rods that can be car-
ried on board. Longer rods mean fewer
connections. Smaller rotary blasthole
machines utilize 9.1 meter (30 ft) length
rods, while larger units are capable of
running 10.7 meter (35 ft) or 12.2 meter
(40 ft) rods. By comparison, topham-
mer or DTH crawler drills use drill
steel that is generally 6.1 meters (20 ft)
or less in length. Further, some rotary
rigs are large enough to handle a long
tower that enables drilling of the entire
bench height in a single-pass. At the
largest open pit mines, rotary units are
drilling 20 m (65 ft) deep holes in a
single-pass to match the bench heights
dictated by the large electric shovels
that can dig a 17 m (55 ft) bench.
Productivity versus cost
Studies have shown that pure penetra-
tion rate will increase linearly with
increased pulldown. The same has also
been said of rotation speed. So why
doesnt every operation use more of
each? Unfortunately, higher pulldown
and rpm usually results in increased
vibration and lower bit life. The vibra-
tion causes increased wear-and-tear on
the rig, but more importantly, it creates
a very unpleasant environment for the
operator. What invariably happens is
that the operator reduces the weight
or rpm until the vibration returns to
a comfortable level. Some operations
limit bit load and rpm even if there is
no vibration in order to improve bit life.
This is often the wrong strategy as the
overall drilling cost per unit, also known
as Total Drilling Cost (TDC), should be
considered. TDC is calculated using the
bit cost per meter/foot and the total rig
cost per hour. The unit cost per hour
includes labor, maintenance and po-
wer, and possibly capital cost. The
drilling speed really doesnt impact
this cost-per-hour figure. What it does
impact though is the cost per unit
produced (cost/meter/foot, cost/ton,
etc).
You generally want to push the rig
harder to reduce the cost/foot, but there
will be a point where the rig overloads
the bits (see diagram).
Large versus small
There are some drawbacks to rotary
rigs. Smaller crawler rigs are more
flexible with many advantages such as
articulating and extendable booms and
guides that allow drilling at many dif-
ferent angles. Unlike crawler rigs, the
components on rotary rigs are often not
enclosed. They are mounted onto the
frame in an open layout that makes
them extremely easy to service. Large
electric units normally have a machi-
nery house to protect the electrical drive
components, and newer midrange sized
blasthole units such as the Pit Viper 235
have the option of a machine enclosure.
The general trend for 165 mm (6-1/2 in)
or less is towards the smaller, more flex-
ible units. However, many large scale
quarries and small mines still favor
the durability, life and simplicity of the
larger rotary rigs for these small diam-
eters. For the large scale open pit opera-
tions that yield a high percentage of the
total worldwide mineral production, it
is anticipated that rotary drilling will
remain the primary method for years
to come.
Brian Fox
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
$-
$1,00
$2,00
$3,00
$4,00
$5,00
$6,00
Footage/24 Hours
Bit Life (ft)
Overall Cost/Ft
299 ft/hour,
1500' bit life
High Production
74 ft/hour,
12,000' bit life
Great Bit Life
218 ft/hour,
5300' bit life
Lowest Cost
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Total Drilling Cost (TDC) related to bit life and productivity