The drilling expertise of two engineers from UK specialist drilling company, Hydrock, has presented the company with a golden opportunity in Brazil. The two drillers have just returned from a 10,000 mile round-trip to an isolated location in the middle of the rainforests of Brazil where they have been training local drillers at the Palito Gold Mine in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness of exploration for the further development of the mine.
The journey to the mine from the UK involved 5 different flights, the last of which was a one and a half hour trip in a 6-seater Cessna plane over Brazilian rainforest. A Boyles Bazooka drill rig was used for the training and will be used hereafter for the underground exploration drilling. The rig and ancillary equipment took 6 weeks to reach the mine in advance of the arrival of the drillers. The lightweight, rotary coring Bazooka rig, customised for easier and safer operation, was chosen for its manoeuvrability and ease of dismantling and assembly.
The drilling work at the drift mine involves drilling ahead of the extraction works to prospect for the most profitable locations to continue mining. The Hydrock engineers spent 2 ½ weeks training the Brazilian drillers who were used to working as a 5-man team but still achieving only low productivity. The locals were shown the advantages and efficiency of this type of rig and how it could improve production as well as core recovery. The success of the venture means that the two-man Hydrock team is likely to be invited back in the near future not only to carry out further training on a new Diamec U4 electro hydraulic rig but also to carry out further design changes to the Bazooka rig for a long range application.
Hydrock, which provides consultancy services and specialist contracting services for construction, infrastructure and the environment, employs over 340 personnel nationwide and currently has fifteen drilling teams working at sites from afar afield as Brazil and Kazakhstan, and throughout the UK and Channel Islands. The company has an extensive drilling capability including geotechnical, geothermal and investigation. Its wide range of drilling equipment includes the latest acquisition, an Atlas Copco CS14 wireline drill rig, capable of depths of up to 800 metres in HQ size (63.5 core) and 1200 metres in NQ size (47.6 core). After a recent intensive week long course in Italy with Casagrande, a Hydrock fitting engineer is now the only Mechanical Engineer holding the Casagrande qualification for Piling and small bore drilling rigs in the UK.
Hydrock Engineers Des Congdon, left, and Luke Mann, right, with local driller and the Boyles Bazooka drill rig.
For more information, please contact Jane Stanbridge, 01454 619533.
