A lot of your company’s resources are already spent by the time the process of Exploration Drilling is at hand. It’s for this reason, among many others, that it is so very important to work with a drilling contractor with a lot of experience.
Partly because so much has already been spent on the operation, it is so important to ensure that the captured core is of good quality and able to be used for assessment. The right core bit for the job will ensure this and use no more of your resources than necessary.
How we determine the correct core bit for the job:
We start by finding out what diameter and depth the hole needs to be then finding out the hardness of the material to be drilled, and what the capacity of the drill rig is that is being used. After this, we consider the benefits and advantages of each bit to determine which to use for each individual project.
Here are three types of drill bits that we use and the pros and cons of each:
Impregnated Diamond Core Bits
Impregnated diamond core bits are usually used for exploration drilling when it’s necessary to drill through the hardest rock formations possible, as well as less hard materials. As long as you’re not drilling through softer materials, such as clay, impregnated diamond core bits are good for the job.
For this reason, impregnated diamond core bits are more frequently used for exploratory drilling than any other bit. The benefits are many, with lasting longer before wearing out in hard rocks formations perhaps the best reason.
Surface Set Diamond Bits
Surface set diamond bits may not get used as much as impregnated diamond core bits, but they have their uses. Unlike impregnated diamond core bits, surface set diamond bits are perfect for drilling through materials that have a soft to medium hardness.
As we said above, impregnated diamond core bits are capable of drilling through just about anything except softer materials. These softer materials are perfect for the surface set diamond bits which also have a higher rate of penetration and are capable of being used with lower power drills. They are also more cost-effective due to being less expensive and better at drilling through the softer material even though they usually wear out much faster than impregnated bits..
Bottom Discharge Diamond Core Bits
Bottom discharge diamond core bits are basically used in soft formations. One benefit of using bottom discharge bits is that they prevent the water you are drilling with from washing the core away.
L.J. Hughes Company Overview
With exploration core drill, you want a company you can trust has decades of experience behind them and will do the job right.
L.J. Hughes and Sons is one of the largest Exploration Drilling contractors in the Eastern United States and has been in business for over ninety years.
We have the ability to operate up to 25 drill rigs in Alabama, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Call L.J. Hughes and Sons today at 304-872-1111 to discuss your project and need for an Exploration Drilling Contractor.