VELSON - Diamond core finds its primary function in the exploration mining sector. It is usually one of the last stages of exploration, during which the orebody is delineated in three dimensions. This will determine whether the prospect is economically viable. Using a diamond drill rig, long vertical sections of core can be extracted from deep in the ground which can then be analyzed at the surface by geologists.
The advantage of core drilling is that you can bring a core of material to the surface. This will give you a more accurate profile of the mineral composition at each depth than any other style of drilling. There are two main types of core drilling: conventional and wire line. With conventional drilling, rotary drilling is used with a hollow core drill bit to capture a sample and bring it up to the driller. Samples are placed in jars and sent back to the lab for analysis. Wire line coring is done with an ICB that is passed through the drill bit and overshot from the head.
These five standard tube sizes associated with wireline drilling:
• AQ (Hole diameter: 48mm)
• BQ (60mm)
• NQ (75.5mm)
• HQ (96mm)
• PQ (122.6mm)
The drill size used during wireline drilling depends on the desired core diameter and the depth of drilling. For example, a wider tube diameter will require more power to drive the drilling.
