For operations looking to improve their drilling program, Tramac and Ingersoll-Rand offer new rock and rotary blasthole drills.

According to Joe Caywood, blasthole drills product manager for IR Drilling Solutions, its new drills feature the latest technology to lower drilling costs and make the operator's job easier and more comfortable.

Caywood says the company's 351 rotary blasthole drill lowers costs due to the hydraulic design that uses one gearbox and five pumps for the complete unit with filtration to 3 microns. The cable feed system (rather than rack-and-pinion or chain) and positive lubrication oil pump for the air compressor (rotors are lubricated prior to turning) also lowers operating cost, he says.

Caywood sees the trend continuing. “We are one step closer to full automation for drills.” He explains that with full computer control integration of future technology, it is possible to automate drill functions.

Tramac added the CPA excavator mounted rock drill to its line of hydraulic attachments. It is designed for carriers from 14.3 to 38.5 tons. The drill is self-contained and adapts to existing hammer plumbing for interchangeability with other attachments.

The CPA features the Montabert Drifter with drill control technology. Drilling Automatics and Rock Reader Technology senses rock conditions as the hole advances. It automatically corrects rotation, feed and percussion pressure, and feed speed forward and backward, the company said.

The CPA also has a reverse percussion option, which assists in extracting drill strings in fractured and unconsolidated rock. All drilling functions are monitored and adjusted hydraulically. The drilling system operates without microprocessors or other electronic components.

IR's Drilling Solutions' 351 rotary blasthole drill is the first in the new Pit Viper series. “Breakthrough features for the 351 include the electronic control system, air package, rotary torque and feed system,” Caywood says.

Caywood attributes the new developments to the company's use of customer focus groups to scope initial specifications and evaluate the design throughout the project.

The 351 is designed to provide the low-cost drilling of 10⅝- to 16-in. diameter holes to a depth of 65 ft in a single pass, Caywood says. The hydraulic cylinder/cable feed system generates 125,000 lb of bit load, while the hydraulic rotary head produces more than 325 hp. An asymmetrical rotary screw compressor offers up to 3,800 cfm at 110 psi. The drill is driven by a 1,500-hp Cummins QSK45 or Caterpillar 3512 diesel engine. An electric drive version also is available.

Ingersoll-Rand upgraded its DM-L production blasthole drill rig. “Key upgrades have been in the area of operator comfort and ease of maintenance access. In addition, the deck layout has been modified to allow better maintenance access,” Caywood says.

The DM-L is a crawler mounted, hydraulic tophead drive, multi-pass rotary blasthole rig designed for production blasthole drilling to depths of 180 ft with a 30-ft drill pipe change. An optional 35-ft steel change also is available with various carousel capacities. Nominal hole size ranges from 6 to 10⅝ in.

For downhole drilling with optional high-pressure air, nominal hole size ranges from 6 to 9⅞ in. Feed pressure generates a bit load force up to 60,000 lb. The unit also has an excavator-type undercarriage with a planetary gear system and two hydraulic motors rated at 175 hp each.

Options include a central hydraulic test station for maintenance support and an angle drilling dust hood for improved dust control.

IR's Quantum Leap 50 reverse circulation downhole drill uses a center recovery tube that allows rock cuttings to travel up the center of the hammer. The drill features a high-frequency, proprietary-valved hammer cycle. This allows 15% to 25% higher penetration rates than its competitors, the company said. Other features include a larger piston struck end, heat-treated collection tube and flapper check valve.

The ECM-660 crawler drill creates holes ranging in diameter from 3 to 4½ in. It features a Montabert HC-120 Hydraulic Drifter and GHH-Rand air compressor, which delivers 310 cfm at 140 psi, as well as a dust collector with an air vacuum of 800 mm Aq. The drill is powered by an after-cooled and turbo-charged Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine with 237 hp.

For more information:

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Ingersoll-Rand	irco.com	177
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