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Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/115330
O P E R AT I N G S T R AT E G I E S SandvikÕs DH350 DTH rig. it depends on an external compressor powered by an independent engine to provide air for the hammer and hole flushing. Drilling functions are centralized in a single control panel, and a separate tramming control station is located at the rear of the rig, along with an operator transport platform. Daily service points are within easy reach from the ground level. According to Sandvik, the DH350 initially will be offered only for the Chinese market. Atlas Copco's latest rotary surface drill, the Pit Viper 311, was unveiled at MINExpo 2012 and is the first model in an all-new Pit Viper 310 series. The 311 can be configured to drill to 65 ft (19.8 m) in a single pass or to a maximum depth of 125 ft (38.1 m) in two passes. Atlas Copco said the PV-311 offers a narrow hole-diameter range of 9 to 12.25 in. (228 to 311 mm), to fill a gap between the hole ranges offered by its Pit Viper 351 and Pit Viper 270. The Pit Viper 311 offers power options that include Tier 4 and Tier 2 diesel engine alternatives. The tower has an interchangeable unit, structurally similar to the Pit Viper 351, but is deeper to accommodate larger sheaves for either single-pass or multi-pass applications. Weldments have been improved, and a ladder now provides access to decking above the rod changer when the tower is horizontal. The two-speed hydraulic rotary head delivers 12,880 ft-lb (17.500 Nm) of rotation torque at 140 rpm and 7,000 ft-lb at 240 rpm. Hydraulic cylinders drive the cable feed system, and the patented automatic cable tensioning system reduces cable and rotary head guide wear by continually keeping the rotary head aligned. 76 E&MJ; • MARCH 2013 Standard across the Pit Viper range, including the Pit Viper 311, are a hydraulically powered breakout slide wrench and a hands-free auxiliary hydraulic wrench with a 6-in. clamp cylinder. The fork chuck features an improved deck bushing. Atlas Copco offers a number of options for the Pit Viper 311, including a new automatic hydraulic clutch designed to decrease fuel consumption during nondrilling operations. In addition to standard safety and interlock features, the unit's Rig Control System supports autolevel, auto-drilling, GPS hole navigation, wireless remote tramming, and more. At MINExpo, the company also noted that the Pit Viper 316—an extended multi-pass version of the Pit Viper 311— was under development, and when available will be capable of drilling to 295 ft (90 m) using a five-rod carousel with 50ft drill pipe. The Pit Viper 316 is scheduled to be launched during 2013 as a replacement to the DM-M3 model and is designed specifically for cast-blasting applications in coal mining. Rig Upgrades Last month, Atlas Copco also announced that installation and testing had been completed at its factory in Örebro, Sweden, for the first system integration of Carlson Machine Control's CBx5 control box console running Carlson DrillGrade software on a FlexiROC HEC3 C65 drilling system. This, according to Atlas Copco and Carlson, marks the first successful factory installation of a 3-D drilling system integrating Atlas Copco's new third party protocol available on FlexiROC drills with the HEC3 system. In addition to providing support for most GPS/GNSS receivers, this system allows users to: • Navigate and position from within the drill cab without need of target marking; • Create a drill pattern in the machine to a terrain model, depth and height; • Load/change terrain models and localizations easily; • Import DWG, DXF, CSV and IREDES hole data; • Visualize 3-D surfaces in the field on a large, bright screen; and • Monitor FlexiROC with HEC3 drill actions such as body pitch and roll, heading, length of current hole, current position of drill bit, drilling stopped, drilling started, drilling aborted, reset hole length and more. An upgrade kit, which consists of the CBx5 Control Box Console, Carlson DrillGrade software, MC Pro Vx5 RTK Heading Unit, brackets and required cables, will be available soon for qualified, existing FlexiROC with HEC3 system drills. Atlas Copco must qualify the FlexiROC with HEC3 version and provide the protocol. A similar retrofit kit is also available for existing qualifying SmartROC RSP system drills. And, exploration drill manufacturer Schramm announced that a new handsfree Power Breakout is now available for its T450 and T685 series exploration drill rigs. This system improves pipe handling safety by reducing an operator's physical contact with drill pipe during operations, and also speeds connections by eliminating the manual tongs typically used when tripping into and out of the borehole. Used in conjunction with the hydraulic holding fork; the hydraulic Power Breakout slides out to align with the tool joints, clamps on the upper connection and then rotates to break the tool joints. Once broken, the jaws are released and reset to the break-ready position and the assembly is retracted back into the mast. This system is designed to work with drill pipe ranging from 3 to 5-1/2 in. (76 to 140 mm) OD pipe and can provide breakout torque up to 16,000 ft-lb (21,693 Nm). Atlas Copco Pit Viper 311. www.e-mj.com