The time involved in paperwork, lengthy email chains and wading through unwieldy spreadsheets or file transfer links too often takes geologists away from where they need to be to ensure the success of a drilling program.

They also provide little to no insight about what direction the drilling program should take next and limited transparency between drilling companies and miners.

While some larger drilling companies may be tempted to create their own software packages, these too are often expensive and extremely restrictive as they lack the ability for much-needed updates.

With the resources sector beginning to roar back to life and drill rigs becoming harder to come by, it has become increasingly clear to many drilling companies and the mining companies they work with that they must adopt a better solution.

The Australian Mining Review spoke to CorePlan chief executive Alex Goulios and growth lead Sachee Perera about how the use of a modern digital operations platform specifically designed for mining and drilling is revolutionising plods and the exploration process.

With the right software, drilling companies can plan drill holes, fill plods, and bill clients all in one place, while also being able to run timesheets and conduct staff bonus calculations all on one system.

Innovation Borne Of Frustration

Alex said the idea for CorePlan’s digital operations platform came from 15 years in the mining industry entrenched in the frustration with legacy desktop mining software and traditional cumbersome manual processes.

“We spent many years with geologists on local and global projects and saw how they worked, how they captured data and how many geologists were going out into the field just to collect information,” he said.

“We found that it was largely a mishmash of systems made up of emails, shared drives and spreadsheets. How they were running the field work was very much a manual process.

“It gave us a firsthand insight into how long geologists spent wasting time being forced to look at these low level tasks, instead of focusing on geology.”

The process Alex and Sachee described as being typical to what they witnessed involved every drilling day finishing with geologists compiling all the data collected that day, followed by drill reports, which often involved getting the driller’s handwritten plods and interpreting them.

The process was then replicated by management. Not only was the whole process time consuming, but they too often witnessed mistakes being made due to the simple misinterpretation of individual handwriting.

If the drilling companies were not using paper, it was often because they were being forced to use the systems set out by larger mining companies, which was often no less cumbersome than old paper systems.

Expensive Custom Software

Alex said larger drilling companies were attempting to build their own systems or attempting to create custom software to combat this problem.

“It was pretty counter-intuitive to have a drilling company trying to do software development by using consultants who are just making the whole process really expensive, and giving you an end product that they have no chance of making better once the contract is complete or reintegrating it in anyway,” he said.

“We thought there had to be a better way to do this because at the end of the day most were putting it in the too hard basket, so we started building from the ground up the software and business that is now CorePlan.”

The team at CorePlan began with the plan to build a simple system for drilling companies to capture and hold all of their production data, bill their clients, and share data with them. All in one place, ultimately making it easier to run and grow the business.

After spending time in the field with drilling teams in Kalgoorlie to hear exactly what was needed from the drilling perspective, CorePlan was ready to help companies say goodbye to paper and spreadsheets.

Automating the Process

The CorePlan software for drillers is an intuitive mobile app that can be downloaded and used online and offline, making it just as useful with or without coverage.

The system brings together back-office operations and unifies them into a single view.

It allows for easy approvals and flexible workflows between drillers and their supervisors with the ability to create unlimited client projects and contracts across their businesses.

The digital contract tied to each client and project is capable of reconciling all project costs against activities undertaken in real time, enabling almost immediate billing and full transparency for both the driller and the miner.

“Once you’ve got that contract digitised you can allocate a team to that particular project and all of the requirements such as the schedule and drillholes will be imported, so that it’s capturing all of the components that the mining client requires,” Alex said.

“It could be specific so for some it could include downtime, or just work time, so you can be fully transparent with the client and it will include the approval process for capture in the field.”

Alex said the software enabled drillers to capture everything they needed in the app and obtain digital signatures from geologists for the relevant sign-offs.

“Back in the office, this automation really took care of a lot of pain points in manual manipulation of data to get a build-out and to see how many metres they’ve drilled, and that now enables them to immediately share their information to clients to via api or client portal to access production data,” he said.

“Going further than that, we’ve built something in a unique environment for mining in an app that can be used on any device with an easy to use swipe interface with almost no training involved for the operator.”

The system can also be used to view procedures and track any kind of incident that happened with a particular asset.

Additionally, the data can be integrated further with accounting systems, which assists in invoicing.

Working Smarter

Alex said one of the key benefits for drillers was the ability to see how improvements could be made.

“You can stand back and look at that operation from a drilling dashboard and answer key questions like, ‘are we drilling as we much as we can, where are the gaps in the operation, what are the costs and opportunities, and inevitably, how do we grow the business,” he said.

“As we know, sometimes simply getting more rigs and doubling the size of the team doesn’t mean the operation is automatically going to become more profitable.

“It’s about working smarter with what we’ve got, especially in this kind of market because right now, if you want to buy another rig, it’s probably at least a year away.”

Although CorePlan’s drilling hub was designed for drillers, Alex said the benefits of the platform extend to the miners that work with them. Even when the miners themselves may necessarily not be using CorePlan.

“Our goal is to get the mining industry to work better together in the modern age because you don’t discover new ore bodies without mining and drilling companies working closely together. CorePlan’s initial idea was to build a SaaS latform for mining companies, specifically in exploration.”

When their mining clients asked CorePlan to help the drillers capture plods, they started taking a close look at the problems drillers were facing, and set out to solve these problems for them.

“When you’re drilling you need to know that you’re on target in terms of the plan,” Alex said.

“That you’re meeting production and quality goals and the client is satisfied with what they’re seeing in terms of geology. Because we’re dealing with nature, surprises are part of the game. We must be prepared to react to the clients changing needs as they demand it. “With real time data, you can efficiently communicate with the client and the field team to make decisions – this could be to finish the hole early, to extend the depth or change the sequence of drilling to better test the evolving target.”

For mining companies, CorePlan’s exploration hub provides end to end planning and budgeting of drill programs. With reporting, safety and sample dispatch built-in, explorers have a place for their entire team to go to work. Connecting the geo in the field to management in the boardroom.

Ever Evolving

From their initial field studies with drilling teams in Kalgoorlie, the CorePlan team has continued to develop and grow its software according to the needs of the people using it.

“All the research and development was done here in Australia, and we’ve built every version here, which has all been based on the work we have done with our partners to figure out how best to tackle the problems they face,” Alex said.

This is where features like the safety inspections and incident management module emerged, or even simpler features such as being able to duplicate a plod.

“All of that came about by working side by side with these guys because they saw a need to incorporate these various aspects into the software,” Alex said.

“Because of that, we’ve ended up with a very different app than what we started with and we’ve ignored a lot of the advice that we got from the office and went with what we heard out on the rig, which translates to being more intuitive to the guys who are using it.”

The safety add-on lets drilling companies have all their occupational health and safety documents at the touch of a finger in one central location.

Inspections, incidents, pre-starts and take-fives can be logged from anywhere, regardless of coverage.

With the ability to store and update documents easily, there is no need for bulky folders that constantly need updating. Drilling companies can also create their own easy to use forms and can digitise existing paper forms for simpler, faster and more accurate capture.

Software updates are launched every two weeks as part of CorePlan’s standard monthly subscription and incorporate client suggestions or information gleaned from the latest field visit, with the aim being that it will continue to grow just like any other software or app.

According to Sachee, this ability to keep updating is a key component of the software that sets it apart from the custom software often built by consultancies brought on by the larger companies.

“We’re continuously looking at how the drillers and miners are interacting with the product and we’re consistently getting feedback as to how we can improve a certain feature, or how we can add a new feature to improve the workflow,” he said.

“Part of our education that we’re trying to give to the larger drilling companies that want to go out and hire a consultant to build their own custom software is that they will be missing out if they want to continuously improve that product because they’re going to have to keep going out to that same consultancy.”

Importantly, the software is being quickly used by the next generation of geologists, who have fast-developed the expectation of integrated and useable tools across the sector.

With the capability of modern software to improve efficiency and transparency, there is no longer a need for old-fashioned plods on paper and spreadsheets.

SOURCE
Core Plan
P 08 6381 6940
E gday@coreplan.io
W www.coreplan.io

The post Don’t Plod Along appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

And though uncertainty is pervasive, the JORC code means ASX-listed mining companies must abide by a strictly enforced uniform resource reporting standard and be as accurate and detailed as possible in their reports to investors.

Therefore, accurate information is the foundation for success, and whether it is an established mine looking to extend their reserves, or a company engaged in remote greenfields exploration, the enterprise with the sharpest picture and most comprehensive assessment of a zone of interest has the best chance of attracting and sustaining capital investment.

DDH1’s sophisticated deep hole directional drilling is pushing Australia’s technological capabilities in mine development and exploration further than anywhere else in the world by making assessments of potential resources more detailed, accurate and comprehensive than ever before. It achieves this heightened degree of intelligence through its innovations in directional drilling.

Working the Angles

The capacity to manoeuvre the drill bit and alter the direction of drilling deep underground rests on some remarkable technological innovation. AMR interviewed Murray Pollock, co-founder and Managing Director of DDH1, to gain some insights into the technology and techniques employed by the company in its directional drilling work.

“We use downhole motors to angle the drill holes as we descend. Internally, they are like a mono-pump,” Murray said.

“They have a very small, subtle bend right on the end, about half a metre behind the drill bit. Once the parent hole is drilled, we lower the directional bit to the bottom of the hole and then run a survey tool down and orientate that tool in the direction we want it to go.  Sometimes we deal with live survey equipment down there but most of the time we pull that survey gear out.  Once we start pumping, only the drill bit is turning and because it is on a slight angle to the rest of the tool it then drills off in the direction that we set it.”

Parents and Daughters

After drilling a single surface parent hole to a depth of around 1000m, DDH1 utilises its innovative directional drilling capabilities to branch out and drill a series of holes, termed ‘daughter holes’, to depths of 3000m and beyond. These holes intersect the target deposit from multiple points and angles.

In many cases, directional drilling allows the target deposit to be drilled at flatter angles than conventional drilling and increases the chances of not only intersecting areas of interest but also giving a truer indication of their width and orientation.  This leads to more accurate modelling of the structure and quantity of any resource.

Hitting the Spot

Deep drill holes are the end result of time-consuming work required to define and ensure spatially accurate intersections of planned drill targets.

“At DDH1 we recognise that deep hole drilling is a costly business and those costs have been preceded by significant investment to identify drilling targets,” Murray said.

“Missing targets is not just about the cost of the hole but includes project opportunity costs when a critical decision is based on a drill hole result.

“Our emphasis is on personalised service to design and deliver accurate drilling programs that achieve our client’s targets. We are confident that with our best-in-class drilling equipment, on-rig spatial software and highly experienced personnel, that we can deliver optimal results.”

Service Holes Past 1km

DDH1’s directional drilling expertise is in high demand for drilling mine service holes to accurately intersect mine workings at very specific points.

“As a first step to most projects, we directionally drill pilot holes which are steered to the target using advanced gyro down hole surveying and the correct directional drilling equipment,” Murray said.

“These holes have been used for many purposes, such as to deliver paste backfill directly from a surface paste plant to the underground area, to lower large high voltage electrical cables directly from surface to deep underground, and to pump ground water from underground workings.

“Once the directionally drilled pilot core hole has broken through, the holes are then enlarged to accept a specific casing size. Enlarging the hole diameter is accomplished with down hole hammers and significant expertise is required to ensure that holes are not blocked up or lost.

“We generally find that if holes are into open mine workings, then spoil from the opening is allowed to drop into workings which minimises down hole compressed air requirements.

“Potential accuracy is typically within 1m over 1km and the directionally drilled core holes are then enlarged to accept pressure rated oilfield casing and grouted back to the surface.”

DDH1’s deepest single pass mine service hole is 1450m with multiple successful projects completed in excess of 1000m.

“Once a client gives us a target, our in-house team designs the holes using specialised software,” Murray said.

“Up at St Barbara (Gwalia) a few years ago, we drilled an electrical drop hole to drop a cable from the surface and it landed within 2m at a depth of 1375m.

“As another example, we helped on an electrical drop hole for a WA client, which involved a pilot hole to 1446m. This hole was opened to 12.25-inch, cased with a 9-inch diameter 100t oilfield casing string and grouted back to surface with 60m³ of grout. This hole is the deepest single pass cable drop hole in the Southern hemisphere and is now powering the deeper extensions of that mine.”

Oil and Gas to Mineral Drilling Crossover

The use of downhole motors is common practice in oilfield directional drilling, and DDH1 has taken this innovation from the oil and gas industry and transferred it to drilling for the mining sector.

“There is a sort of transfer of oilfield drilling technology and surveying techniques to mining,” Murray said. “We take things that are generally isolated to one drilling industry and move it across disciplines.”

DDH1’s versatility and competitive edge as a company comes from this ability to traverse both the oil and gas and mining industries, shifting and utilising technology from one field and applying it to the other, to offer clients greater efficiencies in their drilling programs.

“Something else that we’ve done over a period of many years is oil and gas exploration where we use mineral drilling techniques to drill first pass oil and gas exploration holes,” Murray said. “So, you get a transfer back the other way too. Most times an oil company goes out to drill a hole, they always assume it’s going to be a gusher and they’ll take a huge rig out with a convoy of semitrailers – the whole kit and kaboodle.

“However, for most of these holes we can take a mineral drilling rig and do the same hole for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the environmental impact.  By doing it with a mineral rig you also get core all the way – right through the sequence – so the client ends up with enhanced geological knowledge, compared with a bucket full of muddy chips when they use a large oil and gas rig.”

Furthermore, DDH1’s capacity to operate under the stringent regulations governing the oil and gas sector means it can take on a range of jobs that might otherwise overwhelm standard drilling companies. Its recent work with Geoscience Australia is a case in point.

Deep and Complex

DDH1 provides highly specialised mine development and expansion expertise to extract mineral core samples at depths in excess of 3km. This type of work requires specialised knowledge, the right equipment, experienced personnel, meticulous planning and detailed safety systems.

“DDH1 is one of very few companies in the mineral drilling sector in Australia able to perform these services at such depths and its quality of equipment and productivity far exceeds that of its competitors in general,” Murray said. “In 2018, we drilled Australia’s deepest hole at Northern Star’s Jundee (in WA) of 3217m, a testament to the strength and technical expertise of the DDH1 team. Deploying Sandvik NHD heavy duty rods rated to 3000m, and using a 2500m-rated Sandvik DE880 rig, the drill hole extended 200m beyond the previous core drill record achieved at the Kalgoorlie Super Pit in 2015.”

Murray even said that if it wasn’t for Northern Star calling a halt, the company could have continued drilling past this record depth, which had a true vertical depth (TVD) of 2625.1m.

More recently, DDH1 won the contract to drill the deepest diamond drill hole in Australia. Artemis Resources is drilling a +3.3km “super-deep” diamond drill hole (ASD-1) to test rock sequences in the Pilbara Basin from surface to deep into the basement’s geology. The drill site has been prepared, pre-collared to a depth of 40m and cased ready for diamond drilling.

Other Directional Drilling Applications

“At the end of last year, we drilled a hole for Geoscience Australia for a new stratigraphic well in the Canning Basin,” Murray said.  The Waukarlycarly drill site was identified off the back of data from Australia’s largest onshore seismic line which spans from central Australia to near Marble Bar in WA.  This highlighted two areas of the Basin – the Waukarlycarly Embayment and the Kidson Sub-basin – which showed new mineral, energy and groundwater potential.

“We went down to 2680m to get the information. That sort of work was done under full oil and gas regulations. So, we were drilling with blow out preventors and they are high cost holes compared with the normal cord holes but a lot cheaper than taking an oil and gas rig in. And of course, with diamond drilling they had the evidence, they had the core,” Murray said.

Last year, DDH1 also partnered with KCGM to complete a highly technical drilling project at KCGM’s Super Pit in Kalgoorlie, WA, to allow for dewatering of the pit ahead of the planned mining schedule.

Two boreholes were successfully drilled for the placement of submersible pumps to remove excess water from beneath the pit. The project site was located at the Eastern end of the Boulder industrial area, adjacent to the Super Pit Lookout entrance – external to the pit to facilitate potential future expansions.

“The bore holes were drilled at an angle, targeting specific mine workings to access water while avoiding other old mine workings,” Murray explained. “The old workings are hydrologically connected to the pit, allowing them to act as a dewatering sump.  Even though we drilled two holes, the diameter and placement of each hole means that either one is capable of dewatering the whole pit – we drilled two though, so one can be used for redundancy.”

Though ostensibly a drilling company, perhaps it’s better to think of DDH1 as an intelligence collection service, collecting the kind of core intelligence clients need to adequately assess a deposit. For companies listed on the ASX, this is vital. The consequences of not adequately adhering to the JORC code can be severe, including enforced retractions of statements.

DDH1’s sophisticated drilling of multiple intersections at flatter angles offers companies the most effective way to comprehensively map out and calculate the size, shape, orientation and grade of a JORC resource. In this way, companies and investors are not basing their decisions on limited information drawn from isolated drill holes.

More than that, directional drilling from the surface means drillers don’t need to re-mobilise rigs to drill multiple surface holes, reducing their impact on the environment, and drillers don’t need expend money on water, ventilation and electricity that drilling from an underground position demands.

DDH1’s skill and experience in the field is demonstrated by the remarkable accuracy of its drilling. Using sophisticated oilfield software and experienced planning, DDH1 can reliably hit targets at depths greater than 1,000m to one or two meters. Tasked with drilling an electrical drop hole for St. Barbara a few years ago, DDH1 drilled an intersection at 1,375m, landing within a couple of meters of the target. Deep hole drilling is an expensive enterprise. Missing targets costs money. With DDH1, this is something a client doesn’t have to worry about.

DDH1’s diamond core drilling can extract intact mineral core samples at depths of up to 3km. Mineral core is the chief source of geological information for exploration companies and other clients, and the ability to extract accurate and high-quality samples and properly orientated cores means DDH1 can offer a range of actors in the minerals sector expert guidance as they plan for the future.

Fluorescent Photography

Another innovation from DDH1 is their onsite photographic analysis of diamond core. Developed in-house through its work in the oil and gas sector, DDH1 offers clients high-resolution photography of mineral core in both white light and UV light.

“A lot of minerals fluoresce at different wavelengths, it’s just a matter of understanding which wavelength you are dealing with and making sure you’ve got the UV wavelength for that particular mineral,” Murray said.

“As we drill the core, we photograph it straight away in both white light and UV light – and with UV, hydrocarbons fluoresce. With a very low levels of hydrocarbons, you might not see them with the naked eye, but we can detect them with our photographic techniques. So, we are drilling and then photographing the core as soon as it comes out of the hole and we can transmit that data straight to the client’s head offices.”

Everything is set up on-site to photograph the extracted core and transmit the information to the client.

“We’ve got that all set up in what we term ‘Geoshacks’, these are shipping containers that we’ve lined and fitted out to a high level of operator comfort.  We run the core across the back of the container, and we’ve got a dark room inside, so the core rolls in one side and out the other side, the operator is sitting in there taking photographs. It’s sort of a little facility that you send out to a hostile environment.” Murray said.

First Fleet

Along with incredible innovations in technology, DDH1 has the fleet necessary to handle even the most challenging jobs. “Within the DDH1 fleet, we’ve got 50 surface rigs and 10 underground rigs.  Strike Drilling and Ranger Drilling are part of our group as well,” Murray said.

“Quality, safety and continuous improvement are our top priorities and we go to great lengths to ensure all of our equipment and staff are performing at optimal capacity. We operate Australia’s newest and most standardised high-capacity Diamond Core surface drilling fleet. We also have specialist rigs for complex engineering work and a fleet of underground rigs capable of drilling under flexible conditions.”

Most of them are Sandvik rigs, including the Sandvik UDR5000, UDR3000, UDR650, DE710, DE840 and DE880. Indeed, Murray is a big fan of Sandvik equipment, with a Sandvik DE880 the first rig used when the company started.  “We have 20 DE880s, the particular rig used in the Jundee record-breaking drilling operations,” he said.

Whether drilling on a mine site or conducting exploration in remote regions, DDH1 will configure its operations, rig setup, safety management and personnel to optimise the drilling outcome.

DDH1 Drilling
www.ddh1drilling.com.au
08 9435 1700
admin@ddh1.com.au

The post Pushing the Boundaries appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

Robit consumables are designed to provide the end user with the most productive and cost effective drilling regardless of commodity being drilled.

The company recognises that productive, cost-effective drilling is influenced by mother nature, driller capability, preventive maintenance and drill consumable selection and quality.

Robit’s focus is ensuring that end users get the right tools, knowledge and support for their operations.

The product is backed up by a large global network, expert support and cutting-edge Sense technology.

History

With its origins in Finland, Robit supplies and services customers with drilling consumables for applications in mining, tunneling, geothermal heating and cooling, and construction industries.

The company’s business is divided into Down-the-Hole (DTH) and Top Hammer business units including intelligent hole deviation measurement technology, Sense Systems.

Robit has 13 of its own sales and service points throughout the world as well as an active distributor sales network in more than 100 countries.

In 2016, the acquisition of Drilling Tools Australia Pty Ltd and Bulroc (UK) Ltd further strengthened international operations with manufacturing units located in Australia, Finland, South Korea, and the UK.

Complementing this, Robit acquired the assets and Intellectual Property Rights of Halco in 2017, boosting its DTH business.

DTH drilling

A down-the-hole drill  is mainly a pneumatic powered rock or ground drill, in which the percussive hammer is located directly behind the drill bit, so the percussion mechanism follows the bit down into the drill hole.

The drill pipes transmit the necessary feed force and rotation to the DTH hammer and bit, as well as compressed air for the DTH hammer.

Air flushes cuttings up from the bottom of the hole, while drill pipes are added to the top of the drill string as the hole gets deeper.

The piston directly strikes the impact surface of the bit, while the hammer casing gives guidance to the drill bit.

The fast hammer impact breaks hard rock into small particles, which are brought to the surface by the air exhaust from the DTH hammer.

Reverse circulation

Robit’s Reverse Circulation (RC) products help users drill deeper and faster, and importantly deliver high quality samples for their customers.

They are typically used for exploration purposes to find new sites, or grade control where mining activities already exist.

Reverse circulation is achieved by blowing air down the rods, the differential pressure creating air lift of the water and cuttings up the “inner tube”, which is inside each rod.

It reaches the “divertor” at the top of the hole, then moves through a sample hose which is attached to the top of the “cyclone”.

The drill cuttings travel around the inside of the cyclone until they fall through an opening at the bottom and are collected in a sample bag.

Bit by bit

The company’s high quality drill bits meet the needs of the most powerful drill rigs.

Their characteristics include:

• Modern bit design and a unique method for installing the buttons into the bodies
• Continuous quality monitoring throughout the manufacturing process
• Robit applies ISO 9001:2015 standard in all its activities. Rigorous quality control at Robit means, for example, measuring the hardness of the body and electronic microscopic analysis of the tungsten carbide used in the buttons.
• Robit has also paid special attention to designing different button shapes for different rock formations.

Automated production

Robit has invested in the state-of-the-art production technology, such as robotised productions cells, button insertion machinery, and automated painting lines.

High level of automation increases the capacity, improves productivity and secures consistent high quality, helping the company to react on the changing markets and growing demand.

The most challenging part of the manufacturing process is the inserting of the buttons in the drill bit.

It has a crucial effect on the bit lifetime and quality, and that’s why Robit developed sophisticated methods to guarantee the best button retention and stability.

Australian-made

Robit Australasia Vice President Steve Landreth can’t stress enough the importance of buying locally made product.

Situated in Canning Vale in WA, the factory manufactures its drilling tools to the rigid quality standards that Robit adheres to.

“Continuity of supply and quality of the product are key considerations,” Mr Landreth said.

“Some overseas competitors may offer cheaper products, but their quality is questionable and unproven, as is their supply, particularly during the current COVID-19 situation.

“I urge customers to look beyond just the price factor and concentrate on cost per metre.

“We stand by our product, which is manufactured to the highest quality.

“A key to a smooth supply chain is effective forecasting through regular communication channels between the customer and Robit.

“Robit Australia has an extremely well qualified technical sales team and also offer local Drillmaster support where required.”

Mr Landreth said supporting locally-made product in turn supports local businesses and economies.

The post Better bits business appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.