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Drilling as a Process
• Rock Penetration
Fundamentals • First Operation
of Rock o Exploratory and/or development phase

Penetration • Unit Operation

o Production drilling
Agha S. M. Pathan

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Types (Modes of Energy Application) UNDERGROUND DRILL RIGS AND BOLTERS

• Mechanical: Percussion, rotary, rotary-percussion
• Thermal: Flame, plasma, hot fluid, freezing
• Hydraulic: Jet, erosion, cavitation
• Sonic: High frequency vibration
• Chemical: Micro blast, dissolution
• Electrical: Electric arc, magnetic induction
• Seismic: Laser ray
• Nuclear: Fusion, fission

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Surface DTH Drilling in Mining

Drill Rig
• In the context of Mining Engineering drilling refers to making holes into
a rock mass for various purposes, i. e. drilling shot holes for blasting,
sinking exploratory boreholes etc.
Drill Rig is the drilling • Drilling is one of the primitive and common operations in rock
equipment, either crawler excavation industry, starting from exploration to exploitation.
or wheel mounted; self- • Rocks are drilled for several purposes, such as:
propelled or towable. The o Geological Exploration
Rig Operator can o Blast Hole For Mineral Production
operate and control o Rock Bolting
drilling operation o Rock Cores for Determining Geotechnical Parameters
Parameters. o Rock Excavation for Civil Construction.

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Drilling in Mining
• Bench Drilling
• Drilling for Drifting and Tunnelling
• Production Drilling
• Drilling for Raises
• Drilling Rocks with Overburden
• Rock Supports

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Classification of Drill Rigs Planning a Drilling Operation

• Following requirements are necessary for accomplishment of
a drilling process (Gokhale, 2003)
o The drilling bit meant for disintegrating the formation
must be sufficiently hard so that it can disintegrates the
formation for a longer period.
• Assignment (as per previous slide) o The cuttings formed in the process of formation
disintegration must be taken out of the hole as soon as
possible. One should avoid crushing and grinding of the
drilled chips inside the hole.
o Drilling tool must be advanced in the intended direction
of the drilled hole.

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Rockmass Properties that Affect Drilling

Planning a Drilling Operation (cont.)
Operations
o The hole walls must be competent to avoid collapsing and 1) Hardness
blinding of the hole. 2) Strength
o After completing the drillhole the drilling components 3) Elasticity
and the drill should be removed from the place.
4) Plasticity
o The dust and noise generated during the drilling should
be contained as far as practicable. 5) Abrasiveness
6) Texture
7) Structure

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Modes of Fragmentation
• The drilling process involves three forms of energy while
penetrating any rockmass:
Drilling Mechanism A. Mechanical
Crushing, Impact Crushing and Scratching

B. Thermal
Spalling, Fusion and Vaporization

C. Chemical

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Fragmentation under
Fragmentation under Mechanical Energy
Mechanical Energy
1) Crushing
Rotary only
2) Impact Crushing
Percussion and Rotary percussion

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Fragmentation under Mechanical Energy Fragmentation under Thermal Energy

3) Scratching 1) Spalling
Rotary and > Different mineralogical compositions
Rotary percussion > Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: Coefficient of Linear
Expansion (also superficial and cubical expansions)

2) Fusion and Vaporization

> Melting of low melting point mineral compositions

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Fragmentation under Chemical Energy Assignment

• Types of Drill bits used in any mining project
• Chemical reaction of some mineral compositions with for:
formation fluid (water) and/or drilling fluid.
1) Exploratory drilling
• Solubility in water 2) Development drilling
• Reactivity with acidic water 3) Production drilling

Submission ends:
2nd Day of June, 2021

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