posted by the Epiroc Exploration & OreBody Solutions team
October 2, 2019
When I talk about new products in this blog, I hate to overpromise. I like to think I provide fair information about what a new product does and why it was developed. The DiscovOre is a new core barrel system that I think really is something different… maybe even revolutionary. It addresses two big issues for drillers, safety and productivity.
Let’s start with a bit of history. The wireline system was introduced to the exploration industry in the late 1950’s and the design has remained pretty much the same. Over the years, some safety issues have arisen and manufacturers have tried to address them with safety features that reduce the risk of injury. The safety issues involved failure of the roll pin and spearhead, not only on worn or damaged equipment but also new tooling. Manufacturers had addressed this by incorporating twist-lock overshot locks and retaining lanyards.
The safety issues have remained because drillers have to correctly and consistently use the safety features and they have to decide they want to use the safety features. Because the safety devices increase the time of a drill cycle, a driller who is really production focused may decide to take his chances and not use the features. Or, he may be tired after a long shift and make an error using them. The end result is that these safety features are not used properly all the time. Also, the safety devices may fail. The twist-lock overshot lock has small parts that can jam and retaining lanyards need to be regularly maintained.
This is why the DiscovOre is a great product. It incorporates protection into the design of the core barrel system. It does not have to depend on a driller choosing to use the safety features or on his using it properly – the safety measure provided is automatic. This is great but in addition, it does not add time to the coring cycle so productivity is maintained. The driller’s hands-on interaction is reduced, because the built-in safety is automatic and not an extra, manual step that needs to be taken.
The system includes an Arrow 3S overshot with a design that makes it more efficient in terms of descent time. Drillers have reported it is 5% to 35% faster going down the hole, depending on diameter size, and depth of hole. It is also designed to be centralized in the drill string for smoother, faster pump-in speeds.
Besides safety and efficiency, there are a lot of other benefits that come with this new system including a much more rigid head assembly, larger latches that are more resistant to breakage and wear, and simpler conversion from surface to underground applications. The design employs automatically locking lifting dogs. It eliminates the roll pin altogether and eliminates failures associated with the traditional spearhead design.
There are many other features and benefits to this new system, too many to list in detail here. But you should find out more about how this new core barrel system works. Contact our technical support team or your sales representative for more information about the DiscovOre and Arrow 3S system. Remember, our goal is to improve drilling performance, while accelerating the transformation of our industry.
