Electric drilling

T HE OLD FORNEBU airport in Oslo, Norway, was closed almost 30 years ago. Today, Fornebu is a vibrant area, with both businesses and homes, and is set to grow a lot more in the coming years. To connect the different regions of Oslo, the Fornebubanen is now being built, representing the largest expansion of the capital’s metro network in 50 years.

“Norway is at the forefront when it comes to environmental requirements, and as part of the green transition, our customer Grunn Solid needed an electrified rig for its work on the Fornebubanen project. It’s a large project, estimated to take a total of nine years to complete. It involves drilling being carried out in built-up areas that will have an impact on many people,” says Ulf Gyllander, Global Product Manager at Epiroc.

ELECTRIFIED UNDERGROUND DRILLING is a widely used approach, but doing it above ground is something quite novel. Epiroc Norway became aware of the fact that the company had previously built an electric concept rig for another customer.

Could such an approach also be suitable for the metro project?

THE SMARTROC T35 BE electric concept rig is one of only two in the world. Once Grunn Solid submitted their request, a schedule was set up and the rig’s wear parts were refurbished, enabling the entire unit to be delivered to the project in a timely manner.

“The type of drilling that the rig will do is not particularly out of the ordinary, but doing it electrically was something of a challenge. However, this rig enables us to do exactly that, and we are the only ones in the world capable of achieving the desired ends,” says Gyllander.

EPIROC’S DESIGNERS AND ENGINEERS created the SmartROC T35 BE rig on an existing chassis using tried and tested technology. The rig is optimized for surface drilling, but is not designed to be put into series manufacturing. In contrast to an underground rig, the SmartROC T35 BE is equipped with satellite navigation, which provides greater accuracy. You know exactly where in the rock holes are made, how deep they will be, and at what angles. In addition, it is also possible to export documentation of the drilling and produce a map of the work carried out.

“The drilling process consumes an incomprehensibly vast amount of energy. That’s why it’s so important to drill with absolute precision,” says Gyllander.

Handling an electrified rig can be unfamiliar, and sometimes unexpected problems and service needs arise.

“We solve problems as they emerge, an approach that means that the rig is now out there drilling for several hours every day,” says Gyllander.

W ITH THE ELECTRIC concept rig, Grunn Solid can drill emissions-free on site.

“The environmental aspect is by far the most important benefit,” says Gyllander.

In addition, the electric motor is cheaper to operate than a dieselpowered equivalent – and more efficient. A valuable part of the result is that Epiroc gets the opportunity to see how the rig works in real world projects, helping drive the development of electric- powered rigs forward.

“For example, it enables us to understand what system needs to be in the cab, how the support system needs to work, and how the issue of charging can be be solved. One of the biggest lessons pertains to cable management. How do you route a cable in a simple and safe way, so you don’t risk running over it? We bring every insight to the electric rigs and mining and construction machines we build for future projects. This is part of Epiroc’s work to develop products and solutions for an even more sustainable industry,” says Gyllander.