Drill to Success: How Drill Rigs Are Crucial to Achieving Mining Targets

Drill rigs

Drill to Success: How Drill Rigs Are Crucial to Achieving Mining Targets

When setting mining and exploration goals, profitability, safety and uninterrupted operations are all critical elements of success, which could not be otherwise achieved without well-maintained, specialized drilling equipment.

In supporting an industry vital to the global economy, mining and exploration is a process of extracting various precious minerals and metals from the earth’s surface. The process requires several stages of operation, among them drilling, blasting, excavation, which involve the use of highly specialized equipment such as drill rigs, which we are going to focus on in this article.

Drill rigs come in many sizes and types depending on their use case, ranging from small to large drills capable of drilling thousands of feet deep. The rigs are further broken down into different categories such as core rigs, reverse circulation rigs, aircore rigs and multi-purpose rigs. Determining which drill type and method should be used depends on the type of mineral being extracted, the depth of the deposit, and the size of the mining or exploration operation.

Aside from drilling a hole in the earth’s surface, drill rigs offer a lot more value to the entire operation. Firstly, the rigs are used to explore and evaluate mineral deposits. They provide ground samples that are vital for supporting information such as thickness and depth of the deposits, the quality of the mineral present and the general rock type. All this information is then used for accurate assessments of whether the entire exploration operation is profitable and sustainable.

Drill rigs are also used for production drilling, which involves drilling holes to define the blasting target to obtain the next ore batches to be process into the plant. The drill rigs used for production drilling are specialized Reverse circulation rigs to drill shallow holes quickly and efficiently.

Efficiency is always a target in the mining industry, and drill rigs play a significant role in supporting this. The secret to achieving high efficiency lies in the use of drill rigs designed with the latest technology and timely maintenance as this will prevent downtime. Furthermore, a well-maintained rig ensures that more holes can be accurately drilled in less time, increasing the overall production rate of the operation, and, in turn, improving the overall profitability and sustainability of the project.

Safety is another critical target in the mining industry, and drill rigs used must be designed with safety in mind. The use of modern technology can increase safety levels by providing operators with real-time data about the drilling process. This data can be used to identify potential hazards and take action to prevent incidents from occurring.

In addition to safety, environmental considerations are also equally important. Drill rigs must be designed to minimize the impact on the environment, such as reducing noise levels and minimizing the use of water. The use of water in the drilling process can be a significant environmental concern, as it can lead to contamination of nearby water sources. The use of alternative drilling fluids, such as air or foam, helps to reduce the use of water in the drilling process.

In conclusion, aside from facilitating exploration, evaluation and production drilling, using well-maintained and modern rigs also ensures that the operations are safe, efficient and environmentally friendly.

As a company focused on upholding the profitability and sustainability of our customer’s projects, Drill Masters Africa paid very close attention to building a strong fleet of drill rigs that are reputable, well-maintained, and fully furnished with adequate spare parts for every project. In doing so, we ensure that our customers’ operational targets are supported and achieved.

Our new EDM 67K rig working at Damang Mine in Ghana.

Our new EDM 67K rig working at the Damang Pit in Ghana

Our new, recently acquired EDM 67K rig is on its first day of work in the Damang pit in Ghana, ready to go a few more layers deeper!

The Damang mine is located near Tarkwa, Ghana, and spreads over a vast area of 23,000 hectares. It has been operational since 1977 and has produced 4,000,000+ ounces of gold until the production stopped in 2013.

Its operation was renewed in 2016 for another eight years and is set to produce additional 1,500,000 ounces of gold while providing close to 2000 jobs. It is a remarkable project which is a major contributor to the Ghanaian economy and communities.

Specific drill programs, with the use of Reverse Circulation and Diamond drilling, were designed to establish stratigraphic and structural relationships and to enable samples to be collected for metallurgical test work at the Damang mine.

The Grade control on a mine is the center of operation allowing the definition of resources to be mined on a daily basis, the capacity to drill steadily throughout the program is of the utmost importance; With the EDM 67K, a powerful new rig, DMA can provide 95% availability and extended productivity, for our clients to focus on their gold production.

Drilling and support equipment plays one of the most critical roles in ensuring reliable and uninterrupted drilling services in remote areas of West Africa. Having applied years of experience, DMA has assembled a fleet of 20+ drill rigs capable of fully supporting a wide range of mining and exploration projects. Explore our equipment fleet if you are looking for a reliable drilling partner in West Africa.