Drill Rigs Australia’s (DRA) new DRA-600E Series Reverse Circulation (RC) drill rig has successfully completed its commissioning and first months of operation at Rio Tinto’s Pannawonica mine site in the Pilbara of Western Australia. The E Series rig design incorporates many new features and represents a major step forward in operator safety and is a valuable addition to Ausdrill Northwest’s (ANW) fleet of rigs. Key features include:

• Remotely mounted drillers console (operator situated 8 m from the rig) removes the driller from hazards associated with operating various high pressure hydraulic and air systems
• Wireless remote controlled rod handling removes off-siders from the potential dropped rod zone
• All set up functions of the rig are remotely controlled enabling the driller to move around the rig while setting up, increasing the safety of the whole crew
• Fully automated rod retention system requiring no input from the driller
• Anti-collision system fitted to prevent interaction between rotation head and ‘rod handler’ or ‘rod cuddler’
• Electronic exclusion zone technology fitted eliminates the need for guarding around rotation drill rods
• On board diagnostics to reduce down time and pre-empt problems before they occur
• Hands-free breakout system fitted to remove crews from another potentially hazardous operation.

Ausdrill says “the rig has been designed and built by combining the technical knowledge and experience of both ANW and DRA to produce a machine intended to meet the demanding iron ore drilling conditions while continuously improving the safety of our operators.

“Thus far the rig has performed well meeting all expectations of our clients. This includes passing rigorous equipment compliance inspections and meeting all management of change requirements. ANW see this rig as an exciting step forward in equipment design and are endeavouring to continue to ‘raise the bar’ in equipment design and the application of new technologies to enhance our operations.”