The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
Mining & Mineral Exploration Drilling

Diamond Core Drilling Balances Penetration Rates, Bit Life

By Monika Portman
Monika Portman
January 1, 2015
An exploration core driller’s success depends on the productivity and performance of their drilling equipment. With today’s contractors facing heightened pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs, choosing the right diamond coring bit for the job has never been so important. Improper bit selection can lead to productivity loss, poor core recovery, hole problems and unnecessary wear and tear on rigs, rods and downhole tools.
Core Drillers
A good core driller knows how to strike a balance between wear on bit and getting the job done. Source: Boart Longyear
A driller, whether drilling a shallow hole or a deep hole, is very important. The driller is responsible for finding the best cutting performance and production of a diamond core bit. He balances penetration rates and bit life by altering weight on bit to maximize results. Experienced drillers can typically get more out of bits because they have a better understanding of drilling practices and experience cutting multiple types of ground formations.

Another critical consideration when selecting a bit is the ground formation. It is important for drillers to perform appropriate research to determine what lies beneath the surface. Ground formations are generally gauged on a hardness scale. The Mohs scale measures hardness on a range from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest. The hardness of the ground should be measured in selecting the appropriate impregnated bit formula.

While taking into account the driller’s experience, the equipment and the ground formation, contractors should choose the bit based off hole and core size. Bits with extended diamond crowns can significantly improve productivity through reduced rod tripping as the bit stays in the hole longer. Extended crown bits with formulas made for broken formations, like the Boart Longyear Stage waterway designs, can generate even higher efficiency and production by advancing the hole farther in challenging conditions.

For soft formations, large natural diamond surface-set bits were traditionally used and recommended. Unfortunately, when surface-set bits encounter hard ground, the driller needs to trip the drill string to change to an impregnated bit. The Boart Longyear SSUMX diamond impregnated bit has enabled drillers to get the penetration rate of a surface-set bit in soft formations, while still being able to drill hard rock formations without having to trip the drill string. The SSUMX can handle some of the softest formations, such as coal (1 on the Mohs scale), while also handling formations as tough as granite (up to 6 on the Mohs scale).

When drilling deep holes, the bit can encounter a wide range of ground formations. Utilizing a bit that can handle the varied hardness of the ground is a benefit to the efficiency of the driller. Diamond impregnated bits are typically chosen for their ability to penetrate specific rock conditions. The Boart Longyear family of Ultramatrix (UMX) diamond core bits is designed to drill efficiently in a wide range of drilling conditions and ground formations through its patented technology.

Our 07UMX bit is chosen to handle anything from limestone to taconite (3 to 8 on the Mohs scale) and the 09UMX tackles slate to iron ore (4 to 9 on the Mohs scale). The UMX bits are designed to self-sharpen through the innovative crown matrix, which wears away to form a reinforcement of newly exposed large diamonds. This allows drillers to keep drilling through different types of formations without pulling out of the hole to change to a different bit. The 10UMX is designed to penetrate the hardest rock formations encountered (8 to 9 on the Mohs scale) and offers the freest-cutting matrix available.

The UMX bits also feature the patented Boart Longyear Stage waterway design, crown heights up to 25 mm and Twin-Taper window design. With the unique Razorcut technology, UMX bits can begin cutting right out of the box, even in overburden.

Boart Longyear has been developing innovative diamond core drilling technology for more than 80 years. Our diamond products were originally developed in the 1930s by Boart Products and used to explore for copper and gold in Africa. Shortly after, Longyear contract drilling began using cast set diamond bits. The early success of these bits led to widespread adoption of the technology within the industry. During the 1970s, Boart Longyear engineers secured a reliable source of high-performance synthetic diamonds which launched the development of the revolutionary impregnated diamond bit.

As we observe our 125th anniversary in 2015, we at Boart Longyear remain dedicated to diamond coring innovation that will enable drillers to maximize productivity and cost savings for years to come.


Monika Portman is director of product management for Boart Longyear. Contact her at monika.portman@boartlongyear.com.

KEYWORDS: coring exploration drilling well drilling

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Monika portman 200px
Monika Portman is director of product management for Boart Longyear.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Geotechnical Investigation
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Markets
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Geo-Mining

Srinivasan Sitaraman
September 13, 2024
Pls share your Newsletters and prominent Contractors using your products. Presently, we could be interested in that exploratory drilling in West Africa for a project award.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Oil and Gas Default

    Next-Generation Numa Hammers Offer Faster Penetration Rates

    See More
  • Hole Products Diamond Core Drilling Tools

    Hole Product’s Diamond Core Drilling Tools

    See More
  • Diamond core drilling exploration for commodities is performed on every continent but Antartica.

    Expert Shares Thoughts on Diamond Coring, Exploration Drilling

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP