flexible drill rig

Drilling services and product engineer-ing company Boart Longyear has released its new flyable SC11 rig, said to be the only compact and modular rig in its class that offers 5 456 Nm of torque and can manage wide-diameter-size rods.

The drill is a surface exploration rig targeted at the 1 300-m to 1 500-m narrow-diameter market, and can be broken down into compact flyable modules.

Boart Longyear global capital equipment product manager Craig Mayman said that the SC11 was built from Boart Longyears proven LM technology and designed for use in surface applications where access was limited and drill footprint a critical consideration.

The drill is flexible, while delivering best-
in-class power at a cost-competitive value. And, in colder regions, its size enables oper-ation inside a drill shack, said Mayman.

The SC11 delivers large-diameter and deep-hole drilling capacity with a 132-kN pullback rating and wide-diameter handling capacity. 
The rig features a variable-speed motor that provides a low-end torque output of 
5 456 Nm at the head for tricone drilling and a 1 230-rev/min speed for diamond drilling. 
Whether low- or high-torque applications, the SC11 features high-efficiency hydraulics. 


Hydraulic actuators also control the rigs 
rod handler, providing movement in three dimensions. The rod handler uses LM rod 
handling technology and features proximity 
sensors to protect the operator by prevent-ing rod drops when operators are nearby.

A laser beam system, positioned between the helper and the rod handler control panel, stops movement when drillers enter the operating area.Once the beam is interrupted, the rod handler stops imme-diately and can only be restarted when the driller resets it. 


Mayman reports that, in addition, the rig uses the patented Boart Longyear Nitro Chuck with gas-charged springs that actuate the jaws holding the rods to provide fail-safe operation. The control panel also uses lift-to-shift rotation and feed levers to deliver constant speed and protect the operator against accidental actuation.

The SC11 has been designed to easily break down into flyable modules, with the heaviest lift weighing 680 kg. Lifting points are easy to identify and are positioned at the modules centre of gravity to provide a balanced load, while quick-connect hydraulic couplings further accelerate assembly and disassembly and prevent oil spills. All modules come with easy-to-see guides to help operators quickly align and assemble the rig, speeding up the landing process.

Pressed-steel framing with male-female joints helps the modules drop into position, and highly visible jacking and lifting points make assembly and disassembly safe and easy.
Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu