Flushing circuit

Bench drilling - Tunnel driving - Roof bolting - Reaming - Production drilling

Gunnar Wijk
Modified by Andreas Nordbrandt / 2003-08-13
2.6 The flushing circuit

SEPARATE FLUSHING VIA STAINLESS-STEEL COMPONENTS

- Enables high flushing pressures
- Long service life

Effectively sealed separate flushing permits high flushing pressures, which keeps the
hole clean of drill cuttings at all times.
 2.6 The flushing circuit
Flushing arrangements
The cuttings that are broken off the rock underneath the drill bit are flushed out of the
hole with the aid of a flushing medium that is led to the drill bit via a hole in the drill
steel. The flushing medium is usually compressed air in surface drilling applications,
and, water in underground drilling applications. In smaller rock drills, the flushing
medium is usually led into the drill steel via a central flushing tube, which runs axially
through the impact piston and enters the shank of the drill steel.

On larger rock drills, the flushing medium is usually led into the drill steel from the
side, via a flushing head. The flushing head must be made of a stainless material, in
order to withstand corrosion when water flushing is used.

The flushing head cannot rotate, since the flushing inlet has a pipe and a seal that
enter the flushing head from the outside. The flushing head is subjected to shock
waves from the stop ring in conjunction with idle percussion or back hammering,
which must be resorted to if
the drill steel jams in the hole when using machines that are not equipped with a so-
called "extractor unit" .

The flushing head is sealed against the shank adapter by means of double seals,
between which there are squirt holes. If flushing water is seen squirting out of any of
the holes, then the flushing seals must be changed at the earliest opportunity.
 2.6 The flushing circuit

If the outer of the two rear flushing seals is defective, then the flushing water, the pressure of
which is always several times greater than that of either the lubricating air or the return hydraulic
oil in the rock drill, will first fill the spaces in the rock drill that are normally air filled, and then
force its way into the return hydraulic oil via the seals in the impact-piston seal housing, which
are turned to seal against pressure from the oil side, but not from the other side The flushing
water can sometimes be very aggressive, quickly. subjecting the shank adapter to corrosion
attack, which gives it a rough surface.

Such a surface will quickly wear out the flushing water seals. If this happens so often that the
operator is obliged to continue drilling for a while with a defective inner flushing-water seal, it
may be advisable to turn the outer impact-piston seals in the two seal housings. This will
minimize the risk of water forcing its way into the hydraulic oil, which would sooner or later
require that the entire volume of hydraulic oil in the system be changed.

If the flushing water is very aggressive, the flushing system of the rig should be equipped with a
dry-blowing function, so that all flushing water in the rock drill can be blown out prior to longer
stoppages between drillings, e.g. when there is a change of shift. The reason why this action is
recommended is because corrosion attack is very much more intensive when the space
between the shank adapter and the flushing head is filled not only with water, but also partly
with air.
2.6 The flushing circuit

The required flushing speed will depend on: specific gravity – material having a
density of 2 t/cu m requires at least 10 m/sec, whereas iron ore, for example,
having a density of 4 t/cu m, requires an air speed of 25-30 m/sec; particle size
– the larger the particles, the higher flushing speed required; particle shape –
spherical particles require more speed than flaky, leaf shaped particles.
 2.6 The flushing media

With water flushing the drill bit obtains efficient cooling so that high rotation rate can be used
without too fast wear of the drill bit. With air flushing the rotation rate must normally be chosen
to be only about half as big if drill bit wear shall not be too fast.

Rock destruction (or drilling rate) is reduced with water flushing since the drill bit must rapidly
(with about the same velocity as that of the striker impacts) push away the water in front of it
when the buttons penetrate the hole bottom. The advantage of a greater rotation rate with water
flushing as compared to air flushing is almost cancelled due to this effect. In practice the two
flushing alternatives are almost never compared since other circumstances determine that air
flushing is used in surface drilling and water flushing is used in underground drilling.

Flushing of horizontal holes is in principle more difficult than flushing of vertical holes since the
flow along the drill steel in a horizontal hole cannot lift the rock debris against gravity. Flushing
of horizontal holes is helped via the rotation of the drill steel, which gives the flushing medium a
circular movement. The average value of this circular velocity component is about half of the
velocity of the rotating surface of the drill steel.

Accordingly there is a lifting force on one side of the drill steel so that the axial flow can get hold
of the debris and carry them to the hole entrance as if it was “screwed” like from an Auger steel.
Thus it is understood that rotation (and flushing) must not be stopped before the drill bit has
been extracted from the hole.
 2.6 The flushing media
In drifting underground, with one big hole at the center and many small holes over the rest of the
tunnel front, the rotation rate with the big bit must be much smaller than with the smaller bits if
the wear rate shall be low and the drilling efficiency shall be good, at least as far as the rock
destruction under the buttons is concerned.

The reduced rotation rate does however correspond to bad flushing efficiency for the big hole.
Thus it is important that the big hole, if possible, is drilled with some upward inclination so that a
flow of debris from the hole is achieved. Furthermore it is recommendable to interrupt the drilling
frequently and mechanically scratch debris out of the hole with the drill bit before the
accumulated amount of debris is too large. If the bit nevertheless seems to become stuck, then
the greater rotation rate for the small hole drilling can be turned on and allowed to work for say
half a minute before a new attempt to extract the bit is started.

Water mist, which mostly is used to stabilize the hole walls, is giving penetration rates closer
To if with air flushing than water flushing.