Investigation · 01
Diamond core drilling
Four drilling methods, chosen by what the ground is doing and what you need back from it. Core when you need the rock in your hands, non-core when you need the hole.
EX–HQ
Core sizes
1000 m
Rig capacity
85
Rigs in fleet
10,000 m
Drill rod stock
Methods
Four ways into the rock.
- Diamond core drilling
- Recovers cores of various sizes using suitable barrels, so the rock arrives at the surface intact and loggable.
- Non-core drilling
- The core is not extracted. Used where the hole itself is the point — instrumentation, drainage holes, grouting works.
- Wire line drilling
- A barrel of core is removed from the bottom of the hole without pulling the rod string. An overshot is lowered on the wire line, latches onto the inner tube, and the tube disengages from the barrel. Far faster on deep holes.
- DTH / percussion
- Truck-mounted down-the-hole machines using high-pressure air. The method of choice for speed through hard, dry formations.
How it works
Methodology
- A diamond bit rotates at the end of the drill rod.
- The opening at the end of the bit lets a solid column of rock move up into the drill pipe, recovered at surface by core barrels attached behind the bit.
- Standard core sizes are EX, AX, BX, NX / NQ and HX / HQ.
- Most drill rods run 10 feet. After the first 10 feet, a new section screws into the top end and the string is driven another 10 feet down.
- The bit turns slowly under gentle pressure, water-lubricated to prevent overheating.
- Depth is tracked by counting rods in the hole.
Related services
Next step
Get a method and a rate.
Tell us the formation and the depth. We will tell you which of the four methods fits and what it costs.
Beantpreet Singh — Business Development
+91 78883 13160
bd@rawelsinghco.in