The future is smart

WITH CLOSE TO fifty years of experience, Winnipeg-based Rodren Drilling has seen its fair share of challenging jobs. This year, another such project was added to that list when the company was hired for exploration drilling on Red Lake in Ontario, Canada. Yes, on the lake. To carry out this assignment, Rodren Drilling used its newlypurchased – in partnership with 518 Drilling – Epiroc Christensen 160 Smart rig, mounted it on a barge, and went about its business. Drilling began´in late May and was wrapped up in mid-September – and was an all-out success, says supervisor Matthew Grant.

Tell us more about the project.

“We worked off a barge, drilling numerous holes with depths from 300 to 1 430 meters. We started on a minus 55° dip, and the machine handled it without any problem. We ran it in fourth gear all the way, and the whole project went very well.”

What drilling method was used?

“Diamond core drilling with NQ sized rods, which is pretty much the standard now. The rods had a 2 and ¾ inch (70 millimeters) diameter, and there were no problems, despite the rock being broken up in some places.”

What made Rodren go for this particular rig?

“It’s a safe and capable drill, advanced while userfriendly. Drilling on a lake, it was good to have a new machine which was quiet and has a reduced environmental impact in general. There were no leaks. Also, horizontal rod stacking as well as automated rod tripping were valuable assets throughout this project. That made for reduced noise levels associated with vertical stacking, and reduced the risk of rods being dropped using manual levers.”

What challenges come with drilling on a barge, and how did you tackle them?

“Drilling on a barge obviously is not like drilling on land, since the barge is moving all the time. The Christensen 160 Smart has a specialized drill program, so it was definitely the right drill for the job. Tracking your parameters was super easy – everything you need to know is on the screen. Altogether, there weren’t as many challenges as we thought there were going to be, and I think the drill had a lot to do with that.”

For you, what were the most useful features?
“The Auto Rod Handling system is really nice. There’s a lot of rod pulling in a job like this, and with that solution you can do something else when the machine gets the tube for you. Also, the rig has lots of safety features, which worked really well, and it was quiet. Extremely quiet, actually, both inside the cabin and outside. I was very impressed. Last but not least, the rig was super-efficient, so we managed more footage than expected. It started out as a 5 000 meter contract and I think we drilled 7 500 meters. I already look forward to running that rig again. It’s smart – it’s the future.”