A visit with a geothermal drilling firm, Mid-State Construction Co. in Livingston, Tenn.
Mid-State Construction Co. in Livingston, Tenn., is a geothermal pioneer, having entered the market back in the early 1990s. Mid-State CEO and founder Johnny Coleman had grasped geothermal’s significance early on to become an outspoken proponent of the technology. However, Coleman says geothermal today no longer needs a spokesperson. This energy-saving strategy for cooling and heating now is sought after both in new construction and in retrofitting.
Mid-State’s geothermal reputation keeps its drilling division almost continuously in the field on large-scale installation projects, often on multiple sites simultaneously throughout its five-state area of operation. The jobs include high schools and colleges, federal, state and municipal buildings, and even Fort Knox, where the company has completed several projects.
Mid-State has exactly the right equipment to maintain uninterrupted production at each of its concurrent projects. Of its 125-piece fleet, 30 units are drilling rigs. Among the larger machines are 12 Atlas Copco T4W rigs and a T3W. As powerful as these rigs are, their production capabilities rely heavily on the bit at the bottom of the drill string. In the difficult conditions at the South-eastern Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility near Pikeville, Tenn., one bit proved cost-effective – an Atlas Copco 53⁄4-inch bit with conical carbide buttons on an Atlas Copco Secoroc QL 50 DTH Hammer.