Vertical drilling has been used to mine oil and gas deposits for over 150 years, but it’s only in recent years that mining owners and operators have come to truly realise the broader benefits that horizontal drilling can offer at mine sites.
The use of vertical drills has been commonplace in Australia’s mining industry for many decades. Less common has been the use of horizontal drilling, but in recent years Australian industry experts have started to showcase the many and varied applications for this technique.
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) in the Australian mining industry offers various advantages, including improved access to mineral deposits, dewatering tailings dams, lowering water tables for safer mineral extraction, accessing potable water and installing cables or explosives in mines.
Broader access to deposits
Everyone is familiar with the sight of a vertical drill at oil and gas exploration sites. Vertical oil and gas exploration dates back to 1847, and the late 18th century and the early 19th century marked the creation of major oil companies that still dominate the oil and gas industry today.
While vertical exploration has obviously proved to be very successful, in recent years, it’s become clear that utilising directional drilling techniques offers better and broader access to oil and gas deposits by drilling across a deposit, rather than just straight down.
Horizontal directional drilling provides explorers with a more efficient means of searching for new deposits. With exploration being one of the most expensive aspects of mining, anything which enhances efficiency is good news for the industry.
Dewatering of tailings dams
Tailings are a by-product of mining, and the industry’s management of tailings storage dams is a topic that has received considerable attention of late. Following the Brumadinho tailings dam disaster in January 2019, it’s become clear that dewatering these facilities is critical to maintaining site safety and ongoing environmental compliance.
Horizontal directional drilling can access tailings dams in ways that no other technologies can. Screens can now be installed in horizontally drilled wells to facilitate greater coverage of target zones between 500m to 1km with a single pump. Additionally, horizontal screens offer larger surface areas to improve flow and draw down rates. Horizontal wells require less above ground pipework and will reduce CAPEX and OPEX expenditure across the life of a project.
Accessing potable water
Gaining access to potable water at mining sites can be a critical element of operations. With mines often situated in extremely remote locations, getting water delivered or piped to site can be prohibitively expensive – but in the right location, a horizontal bore can offer access to better quality water and a larger resource than vertical boreholes ever could. Horizontal bores also allow for more sustainable use and recharge rates of aquifers and water bodies. Consider the effects of placing a borehole precisely where the water body is freely moving. The extracted water will undoubtedly be higher quality and far less susceptible to contamination or replenishment issues.
Installation of new cables and/or explosives
HDD is widely used in the water and energy industries for the installation of pipelines and conduits for cables, and it is starting to become more commonly used on mine sites for the installation of pipe, high voltage electrical conduits and ventilation ducts. Additionally, these same techniques can be used to deploy explosives from the surface into specific underground locations that may be difficult to access using traditional methods. Utilising the pin-point accuracy that modern horizontal directional drilling provides, mine operators can adopt new ways of thinking when it comes to efficient and cost-effective ore extraction.
A multitude of applications
As HDD starts to become more commonly used in the mining industry, more applications for the technology are likely to emerge. To fully realise the many benefits HDD can offer the industry, it’s important to work with partners who are experts in the field – and AHD Trenchless is the contractor of choice when it comes to HDD.
AHD Trenchless are one of Australia’s pioneers, and foremost experts, in the use of HDD. As well as installing pipe and cable of various sizes and distances, AHD Trenchless specialises in the design and construction of new applications for HDD technology, working with partners including water and energy utilities and mining companies from around Australia and the world.
As we seek new ways to solve energy concerns and drive environmental compliance, the country will seek extractive and remediation technologies that are less disruptive to the environment and deliver genuine energy productivity benefits and improved profitability for investors. Horizontal directional drilling experts and savvy mine operators are a winning partnership to effectively lead the delivery of a sustainable future for all shareholders.
For more information on how AHD Trenchless, and horizontal directional drilling, can assist on your mine site, head to www.ahdtrenchless.com.au or call 0418 399 062.
This sponsored editorial is brought to you by AHD Trenchless.
